FINAL REPORT - International Joint Commission

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
INTERNATIONAL ST. LAWRENCE RIVER BOARD OF CONTROL – Board established by the International
Joint Commission in its 1952 Order of Approval. Its main duty is to ensure that outflows from Lake
Ontario meet the requirements of the Commission’s Order. The Board also develops regulation plans
and conducts special studies as requested by the Commission.
INVESTMENT – Expenditure made by an interest to capture benefits. The investment decision reflects
available information and understanding about the system, government responsibilities and risks.
JURISDICTION – The extent or territory over which authority may be legally exercised.
LAKEBED DOWNCUTTING – Progressive erosion or deepening of the water depths in front
of riparian property.
LAKE OUTFLOW – The amount of water flowing out of a lake.
LEACHATE – Contaminated liquid resulting from the percolation of water through pervious rocks and soils
at a waste site or landfill.
LIDAR – A remote-sensing system similar to radar, in which laser light pulses take the place of microwaves.
LITTORAL – Pertaining to or along the shore, particularly to describe currents, deposits and drift.
LITTORAL CELL – An area under the continuous influence of specific longshore currents.
LITTORAL CELLS – Closed sediment compartments that define the limits of all sand movements, both
along the shore and onshore/offshore.
LITTORAL DRIFT – The movement of gravel, sand and other beach material along the coast, which is
caused by waves and currents.
LITTORAL ZONE – The area extending from the outermost breaker or where wave characteristics significantly
alter due to decreased depth of water to: either the place where there is marked change in material
or physiographic form; the line of permanent vegetation (usually the effective limit of storm waves);
or the limit of wave uprush at average annual high water level.
LOCATION BENEFIT – Positive effect on the welfare of an interest derived from shore location and water
level situation.
LOCATION COST – Negative effect on the welfare of an interest derived from shore location and water
level situation.
LOW WATER DATUM – An approximation of mean low water, used for harbour-dredging purposes.
LOWER ST. LAWRENCE RIVER – The portion of the St. Lawrence River downstream of the Moses-
Saunders Dam is called the lower St. Lawrence in this Study. It includes Lac St. Francis, Lac St. Louis,
Montreal Harbour, Lac St. Pierre and the portions of the River connecting these lakes as far
downstream as Trois Rivieres.
MARINA – A private or publicly-owned facility allowing recreational watercraft access to water, and offering
mooring and other related services.
MARSH – An area of low, wet land, characterized by shallow, stagnant water and plant life dominated
by grasses and cattails.
MEASURE – Any action, initiated by a level(s) of government to address the issue of lake level fluctuations,
including the decision to do nothing.
MEASURE, NON-STRUCTURAL – Any measure that does not require physical construction.
256 Options for Managing Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Water Levels and Flows