Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009: local authority functions under part 4 guidance

4.10 Appendix K - Glossary

Catchment or Catchment Area

The specific land area that drains into a watercourse.

Coastal Flooding

Flooding that results from a combination of high tides and stormy conditions.

Compulsory Purchase Order ( CPO)

A CPO can allow certain organisations to buy property without the owner's permission, if there is a strong enough case for this in the public interest.

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.

Cost Benefit Analysis

Comparison of present value scheme benefits and costs as part of an economic appraisal. The benefit-cost ratio is the total present value costs.

Culvert

A closed conduit used for the conveyance of surface drainage water under a roadway, railroad, canal, or other impediment.

Current Measures

The measures summarised in the current Flood Risk Management Plan which are identified as to be implemented before the plan is to be reviewed under Section 33 of the Act.

DEFRA

DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is a UK Government Department.

Embankment

Artificial raising of the natural bank height of a waterway.

Environment

Where environmental issues are referred to in this document, this term is used to encompass landscape and visual, flora, fauna, geological or geomorphological features and buildings, air, water, sites and objects of archaeological, architectural or historical interest. (It is recognised that in other contexts the environment has much wider implications).

Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) is a process which identifies the potential environmental effects (both negative and positive) of a proposal.

Flood Risk Management Plans ( FRMP)

High-level plans prepared by SEPA that set out the strategic direction of flood management, through to specific projects or schemes.

Floodplains

Floodplains are land areas adjacent to rivers and streams that are subject to recurring inundation.

Groundwater Flooding

Flooding that occurs when water levels in the ground rise above surface levels. It is most likely to occur in areas underlain by permeable rocks, called aquifers.

Hazard

A situation with the potential to result in harm. A hazard does not necessarily lead to harm.

Impermeable Surface

A surface that does not permit the infiltration of water and, therefore, generates surface water runoff during periods of rainfall.

Local Flood Risk Management Plans ( LFRMP)

Plan prepared by local authorities that provide a local expression of the strategic plans prepared by SEPA. Include a summary of how actions will be implemented in each local plan area.

Pluvial flooding

Flooding that results from overland flow which has been generated by rainfall before the runoff enters any watercourse or sewer. This is also referred to as surface water flooding.

Probability

The probability of an outcome is the relative proportion or frequency of events leading to that outcome, out of all possible events.

Resilience

Resilience is a measure of the ability of something to recover from a flood.

Risk

A combination of the likelihood and consequences of an event.

Scottish Advisory and Implementation Forum for Flooding ( SAIFF)

SAIFF is a partnership between the Scottish Government, Scottish public bodies and stakeholders that aims to support the implementation of the Flood Risk Management Act 2009

Scottish Natural Heritage ( SNH)

SNH is the organisation responsible for promoting the care and improvement of Scotland's natural heritage

Scottish Water

Scottish Water is a publicly owned business, answerable to the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland. Its key duties are providing clean, safe drinking water and disposing of waste water from homes and businesses across Scotland.

SEPA

Scottish Environment Protection Agency. SEPA is the public body responsible for environmental protection in Scotland.

Temporary Works ( TW)

In terms of the construction of a scheme or flood protection works, temporary works ( TW) are the parts of a construction project that are needed to enable the permanent works to be built. Usually the TW are removed after use, e.g. access scaffolds, props, shoring, etc. Sometimes the TW is incorporated into the permanent works, e.g. haul road foundations and crane or piling platforms may be used for hardstanding or road foundations