Riparian: Pertaining to small drainages, creeks, streams or rivers; usually refers to the vegetation or habitat along the banks of these, and in California the term most often applies to woody vegetation (shrubs and trees).

Riparian Area: Riparian refers to the area of land adjacent to a body of water, stream, river, marsh, or shoreline, forming a transition between the aquatic and the terrestrial environment.

Ruderal: Disturbed habitat usually of poor quality.

Runoff: Water from rain, melted snow, or agricultural or landscape irrigation that flows over the land surface.

Sediment: Natural unconsolidated material consisting of an aggregation of particles transported or deposited by air, water, or that accumulated by other natural agents, such as chemical precipitation, and that forms in layers on the earth’s surface.

Seismic: Caused by or subject to earthquakes or earth vibrations.

Sensitive Species: Includes those plant and animal species considered threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to §3 of the Federal Endangered Species Act. Endangered any species in danger of extinction throughout all, or a significant portion of, its range.

Threatened a species likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all, or a portion of, its range. These species are periodically listed in the Federal Register and are therefore referred to as “federally listed” species.

Setback: The distance from a defined point of line governing the placement of buildings, structures, parking, or uses on a lot.

Sewer: Any pipe or conduit used to collect and carry away wastewater from the generating source to a treatment plant or discharge outfall.

Single Event Noise Exposure Level (SENEL): A measure, in decibels, of the noise exposure level of a single event, such as an aircraft flyby, measured over the time interval between the initial and final times for which the noise level of the event exceeds a threshold noise level and normalized to a reference duration of one second. SENEL is a noise metric established for use in California by the state Airport Noise Standards and is essentially identical to Sound Exposure Level (SEL).

Site: A parcel of land used or intended for one use or a group of uses and having frontage on a public or an approved private street.

Solid Waste: All solid, semisolid, and liquid wastes, including garbage, trash, refuse, paper, rubbish, ashes, industrial wastes, demolition and construction wastes, abandoned vehicles and parts thereof, discarded home and industrial appliances, dewatered, treated, or