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Tri-Valley Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Definitions/Acronyms
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<br />DEFINITIONS/ACRONYMS
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<br />ABAG—Association of Bay Area Governments
<br />Acre-Foot—An acre-foot is the amount of water it takes to
<br />cover 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot. This measure is used to
<br />describe the quantity of storage in a water reservoir. An
<br />acre-foot is a unit of volume. One acre foot equals 7,758
<br />barrels; 325,829 gallons; or 43,560 cubic feet. An average
<br />household of four will use approximately 1 acre-foot of
<br />water per year.
<br />Asset—An asset is any man-made or natural feature that
<br />has value, including people; buildings; infrastructure, such
<br />as bridges, roads, sewers, and water systems; lifelines,
<br />such as electricity and communication resources; and
<br />environmental, cultural, or recreational features such as
<br />parks, wetlands, and landmarks.
<br />Bank Erosion—Bank erosion refers to the erosion,
<br />sloughing or undercutting of a river, stream or drain. It is
<br />natural for streams to meander through erosion
<br />processes. Generally, bank erosion is a problem where
<br />development has limited meandering, where streams have
<br />been channelized, or where stream bank structures
<br />(bridges, culverts, etc.) are in places where they can
<br />cause damage to downstream areas. Stabilizing these
<br />areas can help protect watercourses from sedimentation,
<br />prevent damage to adjacent lands, control unwanted
<br />meander, and improve fish and wildlife habitat.
<br />Base Flood—The flood having a 1% chance of being
<br />equaled or exceeded in any given year, also known as the
<br />“100-year” or “1% chance” flood. The base flood is a
<br />statistical concept used to ensure that all properties
<br />subject to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
<br />are protected to the same degree against flooding.
<br />Basin—A basin is the area within which all surface
<br />water—whether from rainfall, snowmelt, springs, or other
<br />sources—flows to a single water body or watercourse. The
<br />boundary of a river basin is defined by natural topography,
<br />such as hills, mountains, and ridges. Basins are also
<br />referred to as “watersheds” and “drainage basins.”
<br />Benefit/Cost Analysis—A benefit/cost analysis is a
<br />systematic, quantitative method of comparing projected
<br />benefits to projected costs of a project or policy. It is used
<br />as a measure of cost effectiveness.
<br />Benefit—A benefit is a net project outcome and is usually
<br />defined in monetary terms. Benefits may include direct
<br />and indirect effects. For the purposes of benefit-cost
<br />analysis of proposed mitigation measures, benefits are
<br />limited to specific, measurable, risk reduction factors,
<br />including reduction in expected property losses (buildings,
<br />contents, and functions) and protection of human life.
<br />Building—A building is defined as a structure that is
<br />walled and roofed, principally aboveground, and
<br />permanently fixed to a site. The term includes
<br />manufactured homes on permanent foundations on which
<br />the wheels and axles carry no weight.
<br />Capability Assessment—A capability assessment
<br />provides a description and analysis of a community’s
<br />current capacity to address threats associated with
<br />hazards. The assessment includes two components: an
<br />inventory of an agency’s mission, programs, and policies,
<br />and an analysis of its capacity to carry them out. A
<br />capability assessment is an integral part of the planning
<br />process in which a community’s actions to reduce losses
<br />are identified, reviewed, and analyzed, and the framework
<br />for implementation is identified.
<br />CCR—California Code of Regulations
<br />CDBG-DR—Community Development Block Grant
<br />Disaster Recovery
<br />CEQA—California Environmental Quality Act
<br />CFR—Code of Federal Regulations
<br />Community Lifeline—The services, capabilities, and
<br />physical assets that are used day-to-day to support a
<br />community’s ongoing needs. When stabilized and working
<br />properly, community lifelines enable all other aspects of
<br />society to function
<br />Community Rating System (CRS)—The CRS is a
<br />voluntary program under the NFIP that rewards
<br />participating communities (provides incentives) for
<br />exceeding the minimum requirements of the NFIP and
<br />completing activities that reduce flood hazard risk by
<br />providing flood insurance premium discounts.
<br />Critical Facility—Facilities and infrastructure that are
<br />critical to the health and welfare of the population. For this
<br />plan, critical facilities are all physical assets identified as
<br />community lifelines
<br />CRS—Community Rating System
<br />Dam Failure—Dam failure refers to a partial or complete
<br />breach in a dam (or levee) that impacts its integrity. Dam
<br />failures occur for a number of reasons, such as flash
<br />flooding, inadequate spillway size, mechanical failure of
<br />valves or other equipment, freezing and thawing cycles,
<br />earthquakes, and intentional destruction.
<br />Dam—Any artificial barrier or controlling mechanism that
<br />can or does impound 10 acre-feet or more of water.
<br />Debris Flow—Dense mixtures of water-saturated debris
<br />that move down-valley; looking and behaving much like
<br />flowing concrete. They form when loose masses of
<br />unconsolidated material are saturated, become unstable,
<br />and move down slope. The source of water varies but
<br />includes rainfall, melting snow or ice, and glacial outburst
<br />floods.
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