§ 15.06.020. Definitions.

For the purpose of this chapter, the words or phrases below shall have the following meanings:

"Commercial/industrial" means all property that is not residential, schools, churches, government services, vacant, forested or agricultural property; provided, however, that property on which a home based industry or home occupation, as provided in Chapter 20.54, Thurston County Code, is taking place shall be deemed residential property for purposes of this chapter.

"Director" means the director of the Thurston County department of water and waste management or his or her designee or successor.

"Drainage basin" means the geographic region within which water drains into particular creeks, streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands or bodies of salt water.

"Forest lands" means all real property which is either:

1.

Classified or designated as forest land under Chapter 84.33 RCW;

2.

Classified as timber land under Chapter 84.34 RCW;

3.

Classified as reforestation lands under Chapter 84.28 RCW; or

4.

Covered by a forest management plan accepted by the Department of Natural Resources, if:

a.

Such property is owned by the person submitting the plan, and

b.

The property has not been converted to a use which is incompatible with timber growing. If property described in this subsection 4 is harvested, it must be reforested within three years of harvest to retain its status as forested land under this chapter.

"Impervious surfaces" means hard surfaced areas which prevent or retard the entry of water into the soil mantle and/or cause water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow than under natural conditions. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to, rooftops, concrete or asphalt roads, sidewalks and paving, walkways, patio areas, driveways, parking lots or storage areas and compacted gravel, oiled, or other surfaces which similarly impede the natural infiltration of surface water or run off patterns existent prior to development.

"Parcel" means the smallest separately segregated unit or plot of land having an identified owner, boundaries and surface area which has a tax lot number assigned by the Thurston County assessor.

"Qualifying commercial/industrial building" means any new or remodeled commercial building that has been specifically designed and approved to use a rainwater harvesting system as an integral component of the structure's water management system and which harvests rainwater from over eighty-five percent of the total roof area. The design engineer must certify that the building was constructed or remodeled in compliance with an approved design. Moreover, within the first two years of operation, the performance of the rainwater harvesting system shall be evaluated and modified as needed to ensure compliance with the stormwater runoff goal as defined by the design engineer. A copy of both the certification and system evaluation shall be submitted to the storm and surface water utility.

"Rainwater harvesting" means the collection, storage and use of rainwater from the roof as a non-potable water source for a building. The uses may include landscape irrigation, toilet flushing or other uses approved by the appropriate permitting authority.

"Vacant property" means property devoid of structures and/or other impervious surfaces, or with structures of one hundred twenty square feet or less.

"Wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated by ground or surface water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. For purposes of this chapter, the parcel record data of the Thurston County assessor's office and the Thurston GeoData Center will be used to determine wetland area.

(Ord. 13444 § 3 (part), 2005: Ord. 12829 § 4, 2002)