Tech Talk: Acronyms Commonly used by Stormwater Engineers

31 May 2016

We are an industry of abbreviations and acronyms. The terms we use on a daily basis can sometimes hold a general or broad meaning in our minds, but the actual definition of these terms may leave us slightly confused!

To ease the confusion, Troy Brockbank our Design Manager has collected the top terms used at Stormwater360.

TSS – Total Suspended Solids

LL – Lid Level

IL – Invert Level

RL – Reduced Level

FSL – Finished Surface Level

TWL – Tailwater level

WQV or  Vwq – Water Quality Volume

TP10 – Auckland Council’s Technical Publication 10 - Stormwater management devices: Design guidelines manual 2003

RMA - Resource Management Act 1991

LID – Low impact design

WSD – Water Sensitive Design

BMP – Best Management Practice

ALWP – Auckland Council Regional Plan: Air, Land and Water

SW360 – Stormwater360

GPT - Gross Pollutant Trap

NDC – Network Discharge Consent

GIS – Geographical Information System

Vff – First Flush Volume

Qwq or WQq – Water quality flow

TP108 - Auckland Councils Technical Publication 108: Guidelines for stormwater runoff modelling in the Auckland region

WWDG –Christchurch City Councils Waterways, Wetland, Drainage Guide

SCS - Soil Conservation Service (developer of the runoff curve number)

CN – Curve Number

HSG – Hydrological Soil Group

IDF – Intensity Duration Frequency Curve

HGL – Hydraulic Grade Line

O&M – Operation & Maintenance

MH - Manhole

WSDOE – Washington State Department of Ecology

NJCAT – New Jersey Corporation of Advanced Technologies

NJDEP – New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

FAWB – Facility for Advanced Water Biofiltration

TPH – Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon

PDEP – Proprietary Device Evaluation Protocol

PSD – Particle Size Distribution

ANZEEC - Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council

PAUP – Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan