Lake Accotink Glossary

B

Bedload

Bedload is the sediment that moves along the bottom of a river and is not suspended in the water column. The friction between the water and the sediment surface causes sediment, like sand, rock, and cobbles, to be moved downstream during high flow events such as storms.

F

Floodplain

Floodplains are landscapes that are periodically flooded by water from adjacent rivers, streams, or creeks during high-flow events.

L

Loads

Loads are defined as the mass of nutrient or sediment passing a monitored location per unit time.

M

Mass-balance

The process of quantifying the flow of materials into, out of, and within a system.

S

Sediment budget

An accounting of the sources, sinks, and storage of sediment within a watershed.

Sedimentation

The process through which suspended sediment, such as silt, clay, and other soil particles, settles out of the water column and is deposited on the streambed or lakebed.

Sources and sinks

Sources are origins of material (sediment) entering the watershed and sinks are places where material is stored, both short-term and long-term.

Streambanks

The sloping, potentially vertical, ground that borders a stream. This typically is a major source of suspended sediment in urban watersheds.

Streambed

The bottom of a stream, between the streambanks.

U

Upland soils

Uplands are considered to be all land above the floodplain that typically don't flood, even during high-water events. Common sources of upland soils include, but are not limited to, construction sites, impermeable surfaces, and unvegetated areas.