Flood, levee, and erosion control glossary - I
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ICC
Abbreviation for Increased Cost of Compliance.
Ice Jam
A barrier to streamflow that may occur when ice cover breaks up into large
floating masses that lodge at bridges or other constrictions. Rapid flooding
may occur, first upstream, then downstream, as the mass of ice finally breaks
free.
Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.
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Photo of an ice jam. |
IECA
Abbreviation for International Erosion Control Association.
Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS)
A program
developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to promote development of
integrated emergency preparedness plans that address all types of natural and
technological hazards. See http://epa.gov/maia/html/38.
Impairment
Impact that damages the biological integrity of a water body such that attainment of the designated use is prevented.
Impermeable Groin
A groin constructed such that sand cannot pass through the structure (but sand may still move over or around it).
Impermeable
Materials
Impermeable material contains pores that are not connected,
therefore, ground water cannot move from one space to another. Materials such
as clay or shale have many small pores, but the pores are not well connected.
Therefore, clay or shale usually restricts the flow of groundwater.
Impervious Soil
A soil through which water, air, or roots
cannot penetrate. No soil is impervious to water and air all the time.
Infiltration
The gradual downward flow of water from the surface through soil
to ground water and water table reservoirs.
Impervious Surface
A hard surface area or ground cover
which either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil. Common
impervious surfaces include roof tops, walkways, patios, driveways, parking
lots or storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving, gravel roads, packed earthen
materials, and oiled surfaces.
Impoundment
A body of water or sludge confined by a dam, dike,
floodgate or other barrier.
Incident Wave
Wave moving landward .
Index Value
The realized measurement of an indicator for a
given landscape unit.
Indicator
An indicator is defined as any component of the
environment that quantitatively estimates the condition of ecological
resources, the magnitude of stress, the exposure of a biological component to
stress, or the amount of change in condition.
Infiltration
The downward entry of water through the soil
surface into the soil. Infiltration constitutes the sole source of water to
sustain the growth of vegetation and it helps to sustain the ground water
supply to wells, springs, and streams. The rate of infiltration is influenced
by the physical characteristics of the soil, soil cover (i.e. plants), water
content of the soil, soil temperature, and rainfall intensity. The terms
infiltration and percolation are often used interchangeably.
Infiltration Facility (or system)
A drainage facility
designed to use the hydrologic process of surface and stormwater runoff soaking
into the ground, commonly referred to as a percolation, to dispose of surface
and stormwater runoff.
Infiltration Pond
A facility that provides stormwater
quantity control by containing excess runoff in a detention facility, then
percolating that runoff into the surrounding soil.
Infiltration Rate
The quantity of water that enters the
soil surface in a specified time interval.Often expressed in volume of
water per unit of soil surface area per unit of time (e.g., in/hr, cm/hr).
Inflow Design Flood
The maximum probable flood defined as the largest flood that can be expected to occur on a given stream at a selected point. This flood is used for design to prevent failure of the dam and is determined by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.
Inland Wetlands
Freshwater marshes, swamps, and bogs that
are largely non-tidal (not affected by ocean-driven tides).
Inlet
An entrance into a ditch, storm sewer, or other
waterway.
Insecticide
Chemicals used to control undesirable insects.
Instream Flow
The amount of water in a stream that is required to sustain downstream uses within the channel, such as aquatic habitat, aquatic life, recreation, or wastewater assimilation.
Intangible Flood Damage
Estimated damage done by disruption of business, danger to public health, shock, loss of life, and other factors not directly measurable
Integrated Assessment
An assessment that brings together
data about the condition (past, current and future) of ecosystems; the impact
of humans and our lifestyles on the ecosystems; and the effects upon humans of
the changed environment. Integrated assessments combine the following
scientific disciplines - ecology, social sciences, health science, and
engineering.
Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS)
A program developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to promote development of integrated emergency preparedness plans that address all types of natural and technological hazards.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
A mixture of chemical and
other, non-pesticide, methods to control pests.
Interceptor Drain
Surface or subsurface drain, or a
combination of both, designed and installed to intercept flowing water.
Interior Drainage
The term refers to the ability to get water from the dry side of the levee to the wet side of the levee.
Interior Grade Beam
A section of a floor slab that has a
thicker section of concrete to act as footings to provide stability under
load-bearing or critical structural walls.
Interior Flooding/Exterior Flooding
Flooding on the dry side or wet (river) side of a levee, respectively.
Intermittent Stream
A stream that ceases to flow seasonally or occasionally because bed seepage and evaporation exceed the supply of water.
Internal Waves
Waves that occur within a fluid whose density changes with depth, either abruptly at a sharp surface of discontinuity (an interface), or gradually. Their amplitude is greatest at the density discontinuity or, in the case of a gradual density change, somewhere in the interior of the fluid and not at the free upper surface where the surface waves have their maximum amplitude.
Interior Habitat
Habitat necessary for insulation from edge effects (e.g.,
noise, wind, sun, predation) which occurs within the interior of a patch. See Edge
Habitat.
Internal Drainage
Water
that enters a protected area by rainfall or seepage.
International Erosion Control Association (IECA)
IECA is
the world's oldest and largest association devoted entirely to helping members solve
the problems caused by erosion and its by product sediment. Founded in 1972,
IECA is a non-profit organization that serves as the premier global resource
for the prevention and control of erosion. IECA connects you to over 3,000 soil and water professionals
in 52 countries.
Interseeding
Seeding into established vegetation.
Intertidal Zone
Shoreline area occurring between the
highest normal tide and the lowest normal low tide.
Introduced Species
Species that have become able to
survive and reproduce outside the habitats where they evolved or spread
naturally. Other names for these species include alien, exotic, injurious,
introduced, invasive, non-indigenous, and non-native.
Invasive
Species
A subcategory of nonnative plants that aggressively invade
natural plant communities and displace native plants or less aggressive weedy
plants.
Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.
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Photo of invasive plants. |
Invert
A creek or channel bottom. The lowest point on the
inside of a sewer or other conduit.
Invert Elevation
The vertical elevation of a pipe or
orifice in a pond which defines the water level.
Invertebrates
Animals that lack a spinal column or
backbone, including mollusks (e.g., clams and oysters), crustaceans (e.g.,
crabs and shrimp), insects, starfish, jellyfish, sponges, and many types of
worms that live in the benthos.
Isopluvial Map
A map with lines representing constant
depth of total, precipitation for a given return frequency.
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