Ecological Evaluation Technical Guidance - State of New Jersey

“Ecological risk-based remediation goal” means risk-based numeric criteria that arecalculated based on site conditions and ecological receptors observed or expected to bepresent at the site. Remediation goals are the preliminary standards developed once it isdetermined that remediation is required within an ESNR.“Ecological screening criteria” or “ESC” means literature values for individualcontaminants that were usually derived by dosing experiments and that are mainly basedon the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) or lowest observed adverse effect level(LOAEL). The ESC are generally conservative levels designed to protect the targetorganisms based on direct exposure.“Ecotoxicological effect” means any adverse acute or chronic effect from contaminantson invertebrate, plant, fish or wildlife individual, population, or community.“Endangered Species” means a plant or animal species whose prospects for survivalwithin the state are in immediate danger because of one or several factors such as loss ordegradation of habitat, overexploitation, predation, competition, disease or environmentalpollution, etc. An endangered species likely requires immediate action to avoid extinctionwithin New Jersey."Environmental medium" means any component such as soil, air, sediment, structures,ground water or surface water (N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.8)."Environmentally sensitive natural resources" means all areas defined at N.J.A.C. 7:1E-1.8(a), ground water, and areas and/or resources that are protected or managed pursuantto the Pinelands Protection Act, N.J.S.A. 13:18A-1 et seq. and the PinelandsComprehensive Management Plan, N.J.A.C. 7:50 (N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.8).“Epibenthic” means living and feeding on top of the sediment, but may be hidden byleaves and organic detritus.“Estuary” means a tidally influenced area where freshwater inputs from rivers, streams orother conveyances enter coastal marine environments.“Fecundity” means the capacity, especially in female animals, of producing young inabundance.“Feeding guild” means a group of unrelated species that feed on similar foods (e.g.,benthivore, detritivore, herbivore, insectivore, omnivore, planktivore, piscivore), or thetypes of food that an individual organism feeds upon.“Fresh water(s)” means all nontidal and tidal waters generally having a salinity, due tonatural sources, of less than or equal to 3.5 parts per thousand at mean high tide (N.J.A.C.7:9B-1.4).“Geographic Information System” means a computer system for capturing, storing,checking, integrating, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying data related to positions onthe earth's surface."Ground water" means the portion of the water beneath the land surface that is within thezone of saturation where all pore spaces of the geologic formation are filled with water(N.J.A.C. 7:26E-1.8).Ecological Evaluation Technical Guidance Document 13Version 1.2 8/29/12