§ 54.40. Definitions.

For the purposes of Chapter 54, the following terms, phrases, words, and their derivatives shall have the meaning stated below:

Applicant is any person who submits a Storm Water Management Plan pursuant to this chapter and the person's agents, employees, and others acting under this person's direction.

Best Management Practices (BMP) —See Storm Water Management Best Management Practices.

City engineer is the City Engineer of the City of Minneapolis and his/her duly authorized designees.

Clearing and grubbing is the cutting and removal of trees, shrub, bushes, windfalls and other vegetation including removal of stumps, roots, and other remains.

Commissioner is the commissioner of the Minneapolis Health Department or the commissioner's designee

Connected actions —See phased or connected actions.

Constructed facilities —See storm water management constructed facilities.

Detention facility is a natural or built structure that provides for the temporary storage of storm water runoff and release at controlled rates.

Design Manual —See Minneapolis Storm Water Management Design Manual, Section 54.30.

Director of public works is the department head and has the ultimate responsibility and authority for the public works department.

Impervious surface is one that does not allow rainfall to soak into the ground, including but not limited to the rooftops and paved areas such as roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks and plazas.

Issuing authority is the Director of Public Works and the Director of Inspections of the City of Minneapolis and their duly authorized designees.

Issuing authority for Storm Water Management Plan approval and certification is the city engineer and for registration and maintenance is the commissioner.

Land disturbing activity is any land change, including phased or connected actions, within the City of Minneapolis including, but not limited to, building demolition, clearing and grubbing, grading, excavating, transporting and filling of land, or other changes of the land surface including removing vegetative or impervious cover.

Minneapolis Storm Water Management Design Manual —See Section 54.30.

Mitigation is avoiding, minimizing, rectifying, or compensating for impacts.

Non-structural best management practices —See Best Management Practices.

Owner is any person with a legal or equitable interest in the land that includes one (1) or more storm water management constructed facilities.

Person is any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, franchisee, association or governmental entity.

Phased or connected actions are as defined by Minnesota Environmental Review Rules, as follows:

(1)

Phased action means two (2) or more projects to be undertaken by the same proposer that the city engineer determines:

a.

Will have environmental effects on the same geographic area, and

b.

Are substantially certain to be undertaken sequentially over a limited period of time.

(2)

Connected actions: Two (2) projects are "connected actions" if the city engineer determines they are related in any of the following ways:

a.

One (1) project would directly induce the other;

b.

One (1) project is a prerequisite for the other; or

c.

Neither project is justified by itself.

Pollution is the human-made or human-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological or radiological integrity of an aquatic ecosystem.

Project is an undertaking that involves land disturbing activities, including phased or connected actions.

Public waters are waters identified under Minnesota Statutes, Section 103G.005, Subdivision 15.

Receiving water body is the initial lake, stream, river, or wetland into which site runoff is conveyed whether directly or through the public storm drain system.

Regional storm water facility is a natural or built structure or device within the project's receiving water body drainage area, when so designated by the city engineer.

Responsible party is the property owner and agents, employees, and others acting under the property owner's direction.

Retention facility is a natural or built structure that provides for the storage of storm water runoff by means of a permanent pool of water.

Runoff is rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation water flowing over the ground surface.

Sediment is soils or other surficial materials transported by surface water as a product of erosion.

Site is the land on which the project, including phased or connected actions, is located.

Site plan is a plan or set of plans showing the details of any land disturbing activity including, but not limited to, the construction of structures, open and enclosed drainage facilities, storm water management facilities, parking lots, driveways, curbs, pavements, sidewalks, bike paths, recreational facilities, ground covers, plantings, and landscaping.

Soil is naturally occurring surficial deposits overlying bedrock.

Storm Water Best Management Practices (BMPs) are practices, techniques, or measures which are proven to be effective in managing one (1), or more than one (1), of the following: storm water runoff rate, storm water runoff volume, pollutants conveyed by storm water runoff, sediment conveyed by storm water runoff. Best management practices include, but are not limited to, official controls, structural and nonstructural best management practices, and operation and maintenance procedures. A partial list of structural best management practices and devices includes pond systems/detention basins, infiltration, bioretention and vegetated channels, grit chambers, oil/water separators, filtration systems, and diversions. A partial list of non-structural best management practices includes lawn care education, organic litter management, street sweeping, catch basin stenciling, and catch basin cleaning. BMPs are further defined in the design manual.

Storm water hotspot is a land use or activity that generates higher concentrations of hydrocarbons, trace metals or toxicants than are found in typical storm water runoff.

Storm water management is the collection, conveyance, storage, treatment and disposal of storm water runoff in a manner to minimize channel erosion, flood damage, or degradation of water quality and in a manner to protect and enhance the environment, public health, safety, and general welfare.

Storm water management devices include, but are not limited to, constructed wetlands, wet ponds, wet extended detention ponds, pocket ponds, multiple pond systems, settling basins, infiltration trenches or basins, filter systems bioretention areas, dry or wet swales, grass channels, waterways, rooftop detention, skimming devices, grit chambers, sweeping, and diversions.

Storm water management goals are based on the receiving water body and emphasize overall volume reduction, nutrient reduction for storm water discharge to lakes, rate control for storm water discharge to streams, and suspended solids removal for storm water discharge to the Mississippi River.

Storm Water Management Plan (Plan) is the set of drawings, calculations, and other documents that comprise all of the information and specifications for the drainage systems, structures, concepts and techniques that will be used to control storm water as required by this chapter and the design manual.

Storm water pond is a facility capable of holding water on a long-term seasonal or permanent basis (retention), or a short-term basis (detention), the purpose of which is to collect runoff, nutrients, and sediment prior to releasing water into wetlands, lakes, streams, and rivers.

Storm water runoff is the direct response of a watershed to precipitation or snowmelt and includes runoff that enters a ditch, stream, storm drain or other concentrated flow.

Structural best management practices —See Storm Water Best Management Practices.

Structure is anything manufactured, constructed or erected that is normally attached to or positioned on the land, including portable structures, roads, parking lots, and paved storage areas.

Water quality refers to those characteristics of storm water runoff that relate to the physical, chemical, biological, or radiological integrity of water.

Water quantity refers to those characteristics of storm water runoff that relate to rate and volume.

Watershed is the drainage area contributing storm water runoff to a specific receiving body of water or watercourse such as a lake, creek, or river.

Wetlands are waters identified under Minnesota Statutes, Section 103G.005, Subdivision 19. (99-Or-156, § 1, 11-24-99; 2006-Or-052, § 1, 5-12-06; 2013-Or-106, § 1, 12-6-13; Ord. No. 2017-060 , §§ 3, 4, 11-3-17)