Glossary

Asbestos: The commercial name given to a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral commonly used in construction materials and other products because of its high heat resistance, strength and durability. Over time, exposure to asbestos may lead to asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. OSHA Asbestos Fact Sheet

Carbon Dioxide: Carbon dioxide is a product of fossil fuel combustion. Although carbon dioxide does not directly impair human health, it is a greenhouse gas that traps terrestrial (ie, infrared) radiation and contributes to the potential for global warming.

Contaminated Soils: the presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration of a natural soil environment. This type of contamination typically arises from the rupture of underground storage tanks, application of pesticides, percolation of contaminated surface water to subsurface strata, leaching of wastes from landfills or direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil.

Cypress Domes: forested wetlands (swamps) that are dominated by bald cypress and/or pond cypress. Generally, these are depression wetlands with a domed canopy and mucky, organic soils.

EPA's Clean Air Act: Originally established in 1970, The Clean Air Act is the comprehensive Federal law that regulates air emissions from area, stationary, and mobile sources. This law authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and the environment. EPA Clean Air Act Website

Flatwoods: a site with flat to gently-sloping topography, and relatively poorly drained, sandy soils which often have standing water during wet weather. This is the most extensive group of forest soils in Florida.

Floridan Aquifer: The Floridan aquifer system is one of the most productive aquifers in the world. This aquifer system underlies an area of about 100,000 square miles in southern Alabama, southeastern Georgia, southern South Carolina, and all of Florida.

Fossil Fuels: Made from plants and animals that have decayed and turned into fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal. Fossil fuels take millions of years, and extreme pressure and heat from the Earth, to be formed. When burned, they are a leading cause of greenhouse gases and global warming.

Greenhouse Gases: A greenhouse gas is a component of the atmosphere that absorbs heat radiated by the earth and subsequently warms the atmosphere, creating what is commonly known as the greenhouse effect. Common greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and sulfate.

Green Swamp Wildlife Management Area: Green Swamp WMA consists of nearly 50,000 acres in Lake, Polk, and Sumter counties. Also known as the Green Swamp East, this area is part of the approximately 110,000 acres purchased to protect the land and water resources of the Green Swamp. The Green Swamp is a critical recharge area for the Floridan aquifer as well as the source of the Hillsborough, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, and Peace rivers.

Hardwood Swamps: Hardwood swamps are forested wetlands, but unlike a lowland hardwood forest, hardwood swamps exist in saturated peat soils and muck.

Hillsborough River: The Hillsborough River is a river located mostly in Hillsborough County, Florida, USA. It flows through Hillsborough River State Park and the city of Tampa, Florida, and drains into Tampa Bay.

Leachate: Leachate is formed when water passes through the waste in the landfill cell. The precipitation can be from rain, or the waste itself. As the liquid moves through the landfill many organic and inorganic compounds, like heavy metals, are transported in the leachate. This moves to the base of the landfill cell and collects.

Methane: An odorless, colorless, flammable gas that is the major constituent of natural gas. It can be formed from rotting organic matter (ie, trash in a landfill), and seep up through soils or migrate through underground piping to the surface.

Mitigation: Structural and non-structural measures undertaken to limit the adverse impact of natural hazards, environmental degradation and technological hazards.

Non-Biodegradable: pollution that cannot be broken down in the environment by natural process.

Sinkhole: a depression in the land surface, usually round or funnel-shaped, that connects with a subterranean passage created by solution of limestone rocks by circulating ground water.

Tipping Fees: Fees charged to dump trash at landfills and waste transfer stations.

Waste-To-Energy Facility: Municipal solid waste incinerator that converts heat from combustion into steam or electricity.

Wetlands: land areas that are wet due to a close relationship to a body of water or groundwater, or land areas that are flooded regularly; they support vegetation adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.

Wildlife Management Area: Florida's Wildlife Management Area (WMA) system is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to sustain the widest possible range of native wildlife in their natural habitats. These lands are more rugged than parks, with fewer developed amenities. This system includes more than five million acres of land established as WMAs or Wildlife and Environmental Areas (WEAs), which include Mitigation Parks.

Withlacoochee River: The Withlacoochee River (North) is officially designated as part of Florida’s Statewide System of Greenways and Trails. The Withlacoochee River gently curves through Twin Rivers State Forest past hardwood forests, crystal-clear springs, and sandbars along the bends.