§ 10-17. Definitions.

As used in this article, the following terms shall mean as follows:

"A" weight sound pressure level ("A" scale): The sound pressure level as measured on a sound level meter using the A-weighting network. That level shall be designated as decibel (A) or dbA.

Applicant: Any person, including a governmental agency, undertaking any limerock mining operation.

Aquifer: An underground formation, or group of formations, or part of a formation that is permeable enough to transmit and store usable quantities of water.

Artesian aquifer: An aquifer that contains artesian water.

Artesian water: Groundwater that is under sufficient pressure to rise above the level at which it is encountered by a well, but which does not necessarily rise to or above the surface of the ground.

Decibel: A unit of sound measurement as measured on a sound level meter or a measure of loudness equal to twenty (20) times the logarithm (to the base 10) of the ratio of the sound pressure (in excess of the ambient pressure) to a standard pressure of .0002 ubars, or .002 newtons per square meter.

Discharge: The overflow of water from a site, aquifer or drainage basin.

Drainage facilities: Any canal, ditch, culvert, dike or other facility which lowers the surface and/or groundwater table, acts as a conduit, diverts or directs the flow of water or otherwise affects the natural flow regime.

Effective precipitation: The part of the precipitation (rainfall) which contributes to direct surface runoff.

Floridan aquifer: The aquifer which consists of a series of limestone formations which range from middle Eocene to Miocene in age that underlies most of Florida and is a major source of groundwater for the state.

Limerock mining: Excavation, digging, burrowing or quarrying of limestone for use as riprap, railway and highway beds, lime for stone, agent in iron, glass, water purification; and diverse other uses, and all activities related to the mining of limerock.

Mining site: The entire area including lands and water included in the mining plan.

Natural flow regime: The velocity, volume and direction of the surface or ground water flow occurring at any given point in the current hydroperiod for any given portion of the county.

Potentiometric surface: The imaginary surface coinciding with levels of artesian pressure.

Sound level meter: A device for measuring sound levels in decibels for specific frequencies or for the "A" scale, providing the meter meets the requirements of the American National Standards Institute Incorporated or its successor bodies.

Surface water: Water upon the surface of the earth, whether contained in bounds created naturally or artificially or diffused. Water from natural springs or wells shall be classified as surface water when it exits from the spring or well onto the earth's surface.

Total surface water discharge: The total volume of surface water discharge subsequent to the occurrence of effective precipitation.

Underground formation: Any geological unit, part of a unit, or group of units lying beneath the surface of the ground.

Water quality: The chemical and bacteriological composition of water as determined by the measurements of appropriate chemical and bacteriological tests.

(Ord. No. 75-2, § III)