GLOSSARY
Catchment or Catchment Area
The specific land area that drains into a watercourse.
Civil Contingencies
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and accompanying regulations and non-legislative measures, deliver a single framework for civil protection in the United Kingdom capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. The Act is separated into two substantive parts:
Part 1 focuses on local arrangements for civil protection, establishing a statutory framework of roles and responsibilities for local responders.
Part 2 focuses on emergency powers, establishing a modern framework for the use of special legislative measures that might be necessary to deal with the effects of the most serious emergencies.
Controlled Activities Regulations ( CAR)
A reference to The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005. All engineering works in or in the vicinity of rivers, lochs and wetlands now require authorisation under the CAR Regulations. This includes any work by local authorities to manage flood risk, and works by others that have the potential to increase flood risk. In considering applications under CAR, SEPA assess whether new activities will increase flood risk to homes and businesses. SEPA can refuse applications where flood risk cannot be mitigated.
DEFRA
DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is a UK Government Department. DEFRA has eight Departmental Strategic Objectives which describe everything they do, and which will are used to manage performance.
Climate change tackled internationally and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
A healthy, resilient, productive & diverse natural environment
Sustainable patterns of consumption and production
Economy and society resilient to environmental risk and adapted to the impacts of climate change
A thriving farming and food sector, with an improving net environmental impact
Championing Sustainable Development across government, across the UK, and internationally
Strong rural communities
A respected department delivering efficient and high quality services and outcomes.
Embankment
Artificial raising of the natural bank height of a waterway.
FLAG: Flood Liaison and Advice Group
A non statutory advisory group of public and private sector representatives, convened by Councils to share concerns and knowledge and to provide advice on a wide range of planning and other flooding issues in an informal setting. FLAGs were formerly called Flood Appraisal Groups under the 1995 NPPG. The new name better describes their roles.
Flood Alleviation
Measures which are designed to reduce or remove the risk of flooding.
Hazard
A situation with the potential to result in harm. A hazard does not necessarily lead to harm.
Impoundment
Any dam, weir, or other works by which surface water may be impounded; or any works diverting surface waters in connection with the construction or alteration of any dam, weir or other works falling within (a) above. Raising the level of an existing natural loch is also considered an impoundment. A pond or lake created by excavation below the pre-existing ground level ( e.g. a dug pond or flooded quarry) is not included.
Inundation Maps
A map delineating the area that would be submerged in the event of a specific flood risk.
Loch
An inland body of water formed in a depression on the land surface (usually a loch has a discernable inlet and outlet).
Probability
The probability of an outcome is the relative proportion or frequency of events leading to that outcome, out of all possible events.
Reservoir
In the context of water resources, a reservoir is generally understood to be a place where water is retained by usually a man made structure to be reserved, for later use by agriculture, industry and domestic household use.
Reservoir Flood Plans
A flood plan that indicates the extent of the flood risk following an uncontrolled release of water from a reservoir.
Resilience
Resilience means: 'ability to recover quickly and easily'. The Scottish Government uses it to deliver the 'four As': Awareness + Avoidance + Alleviation + Assistance.
Risk
A combination of both the likelihood and consequences of an event.
Risk Assessment
Consideration of the risks inherent in a project, leading to the development of action to control them.
River Basin District
In Scotland there are 2 River Basin Districts identified under the 2003 Act - one for the Solway/Tweed area and one covering the rest of Scotland. The latter district is subdivided for planning purposes into 9 subdistricts.
Scottish Water
Scottish Water is a publicly owned business, answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland. It offers a new public sector model in the UK water industry and Scottish Water aims to be as efficient and effective as water companies in the private sector.
It plays a key role in protecting the nation's health by providing water and waste water services 365 days per year to 2.2 million households across an area that is one third of the size of Britain.
Scottish Water is managed by an Executive Board consisting of five executive and eight non executive members, answerable to the Scottish Parliament.
SEPA
Scottish Environment Protection Agency. SEPA is the public body responsible for environmental protection in Scotland. Its main aim is to provide an efficient and integrated environmental protection system for Scotland that will both improve the environment and contribute to the Scottish Ministers' goal of sustainable development.
SEPA was established by the Environment Act 1995. It became operational on 1 April 1996. The Environment Act 1995 also sets out SEPA's powers and responsibilities.
In broad terms, SEPA regulates:
Activities that may pollute water.
Activities that may pollute air.
Storage, transport and disposal of waste.
Keeping and disposal of radioactive materials.
Some of SEPA's other principal responsibilities include:
Maintaining a flood warning system.
Implementing the National Waste Strategy.
Controlling, with the Health and Safety Executive, the risk of major accidents at industrial sites.
Operating the Scottish part of the Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network.
SEPA also works with many other organisations to help protect and improve the environment.
Sewer Flooding
Flooding caused by a blockage or overflowing in a sewer or urban drainage system.
Weir
An overflow structure that is used for controlling upstream water level. Passive weirs are weirs not associated with abstraction (their only purpose is to raise water level upstream of the impounding structure).