Contaminated and Hazardous
Waste Site Management Glossary
L
Laboratory Receipt Date: The date on which a sample is received at the Contractor's
facility.
Lacustrine:
Formed in, produced by or pertaining to a lake. Lacustrine
Deposits: Sediments laid down in a lake. Includes gravelly deposits at the margin
and clay in deeper water. Sediments commonly show seasonal banding or varve clays.
Lagoon:
A shallow pond where wastewater is stored and/or partially treated through exposure
to sunlight, oxygen, and microorganisms. Landfarming:
The practice of spreading organic wastes over an area of land, then relying on
natural microbial degradation (and volatilization) to degrade the wastes. Can
also treat shallow soils contaminated by some organic chemicals. Landfill:
A disposal facility where waste is placed in or on land. Sanitary landfills are
disposal sites for non-hazardous solid wastes. The waste is spread in layers,
compacted to the smallest practical volume, and covered with soil at the end of
each operating day. Secure chemical landfills are disposal sites for hazardous
waste. They are designed to minimize the chance of release of hazardous substances
into the environment. Leach,
Leaching: The process by which soluble chemical components are dissolved and carried
through soil by water or some other percolating liquid. Leachate:
A solution produced by the percolation of liquid through soil or solid waste,
and the dissolution of certain constituents in the water. Leachate
Collection System: A system that gathers liquid that has leaked into a landfill
or other waste disposal area and pumps it to the surface for treatment. Leakage:
The flow of water from one hydrogeologic unit to another. It may be natural or
man-made. Lens:
A geologic deposit surrounded by converging surfaces so that it is thick in the
middle and thins out towards the edges. Light
Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (LNAPL): A non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) with a specific
gravity less than 1.0. Because the specific gravity of water is equal to 1.0,
LNAPLs float on top of the water table. Most of the common petroleum hydrocarbon
fuels and lubricating oils are LNAPLs. Also referred to as Floaters. Liquid
Limit (LL): The lower limit for viscous flow of a soil. Liquidity
Index (LI): Quantitative value used to assess whether a soil will behave as a
brittle solid, semisolid, plastic, or liquid. LI is equal to the difference between
the natural moisture content of the soil and the plastic limit (PL) divided by
the plasticity index (PI). Lithology,
Lithologic: A system for the description of rocks, with respect to mineral composition
and texture. Long-term
Remedial Phase: Distinct, often incremental, steps that are taken to solve site
pollution problems. Depending on the complexity, site cleanup activities can be
separated into several of these phases. Losing
Stream: A stream or part of a stream in which water flows from the stream bed
down into groundwater. Also called an influent stream. Lower
Explosive Limit (LEL): the concentration of a gas below which the concentration
of vapors is insufficient to support an explosion. LELs for most organics are
generally 1 to 5 percent by volume. Lysimeter:
A suction device used in the unsaturated zone to collect soil pore water. It is
capable of retaining the accumulated water within the sampling container. Laboratory
Control Sample (LCS): a control sample of known composition. Aqueous and solid
laboratory control samples are analyzed using the same sample preparation, reagents,
and analytical methods employed for the samples received.
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