Bio – Infiltration – Vegetated depressional areas, such as engineered channels, vegetated swales or rain gardens, which are used to collect and filter urban stormwater.

Buffer – An area of vegetated land, preferably non-mowed native vegetations, left open adjacent to drainageways, streams, wetlands, lakes, ponds, and other surface waters for the purpose of minimizing the impacts of point and non-point source pollution.

Deed or Plat Restricted Areas – Easements, covenants, deed restricted open spaces, reserved plant areas, conservation easements, or public road right-of-ways that contain any part of the stormwater management system of development.

Detention Basin – Temporarily stores water before discharging to river or lake; primarily used to reduce peak discharge, but does not reduce runoff volumes. Can be classified into two groups:

Dry Detention Basin – Stores stormwater runoff but dries up following a rainstorm or snow melt. Typically not effective at removing pollutants.

Wet Detention Basin – Also stores stormwater runoff, but contains a permanent pool of water that will more effectively remove nutrients in addition to other pollutants than other BMPs like a dry pond.

Filter Strip – A vegetated area designed to slow runoff velocities and filter out sediment and other non-point pollution.

Mitigated Wetland – Created or restored wetlands are intended to replace the beneficial functions of wetlands lost due to development activities.

Native Vegetation – Native vegetation species that provide long root systems that can help stabilize stream banks, and can provide pollutant filtering capabilities.

Non-Native Vegetation – Plant species not native to an area that tend to out-compete and crowd out native species and dominate the area. Also called invasive species.

Non-Point Source (NPS) pollution – Also known as polluted runoff, comes from diffuse or scattered sources in the environment rather than from a defined outlet such as a pipe. As water moves across and through the lain it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, depositing them into lakes, rivers and even underground sources of drinking water.

Rain Barrels - You can collect rainwater from rooftops and use the water later on lawn or garden areas.

Regional Floodplain Management Plan – Suggested plan of action adopted by all five counties in the Carson River Watershed. This plan summarizes the current state of the art of community flood protection. It is based on the principle that the best, most cost-effective way to prevent flood damage is to protect the natural function and benefit of floodplains.

Stormwater Wetland – A shallow, constructed pool that captures stormwater and allows wetland vegetation to grow.

Vegetated Swale (aka grassy swale) – An open channel drainageway used along residential streets and highways to convey stormwater and filter pollutants in lieu of conventional storm sewers.

Vegetated Filter Strips - Filter strips are areas of native grasses or plants created along roadways or streams. They trap the pollutants stormwater picks up as it flows across driveways and streets.