APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR C-1 

APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

Definitions and Abbreviations

ACA4 - Assembly Constitutional Amendment 4 

acre - A unit of measurement of area equivalent to 43,560 square feet. 

alluvium - Deposits resulting from the operations of water including floodplains, lakes, rivers 

and fans at the foot of mountain slopes. 

candidate species - Any species of fish, wildlife or plant which has been determined to be a 

candidate for listing under Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (amended). 

Corps of Engineers - (COE) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Federal agency with jurisdiction 

over wetlands and waters of the U.S. 

cultural resources - Archaeological and historic resources that could potentially be affected by a 

given project. Cultural resources include buildings, sites, districts, structures or objects having 

historical, architectural, archaeological, cultural or scientific importance. 

cumulative impact - The impact on the environment that results from the incremental impact of 

the action when added to other past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions. 

dBA - A sound level in decibels, measured with a sound level meter having metering 

characteristics and frequency weighting specified in American National Standard Specifications 

for sound level meters ANSIS1.4-1971. It is common to refer to numerical units of an Aweighted sound level as "dBA." 

DEIS/EIR - Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report. A report that identifies and 

analyzes potential environmental effects of a preferred project alternative. 

Electromagnetic field (EMF) – electromagnetic fields associated with electromagnetic 

radiation. 

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) – Electromagnetic interference may include the 

interruption, obstruction, or other degradation in the effective performance of 

EPA - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal agency responsible for maintaining 

environmental quality including air quality, noise and hazardous waste management. 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

C-2 Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR 

FEIS/EIR - Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report. A report that identifies and analyzes 

potential environmental effects of a preferred project alternative and responds to comments 

received on the DEIS/R. 

fill - Earth used to create embankments or to raise low-lying areas in order to bring them to 

grade. 

floodplain - The part of the ground surface inundated with water on a recurring basis, usually 

associated with the one percent recurrence interval (100-year) flow. 

g - horizontal ground acceleration 

gram - Unit of measurement of mass, metric system.

ha - hectare (10,000 square meters) 

HOV - High Occupancy Vehicle. A "carpool," or vehicle occupied by two or more persons. 

HOV Lane - High Occupancy Vehicle lane. A system of exclusive lanes signed and striped for 

use by vehicles with multiple occupants (two or more persons) or ridership. HOV lanes are 

designed on roadways to reduce traffic congestion, improve safety, and reduce fuel consumption 

and to improve air quality. 

Kilo - Prefix used in metric measurement, 1000. 

kiss-and-ride - A passenger loading area where vehicles can pick up and drop off passengers. 

km - Kilometer. 

kmph - Kilometer per hour. 

KV - Kilovolt.

Ldn - Day-Night Equivalent Sound Level. A 24-hour equivalent sound level with a 10 dB 

penalty assessed to noise events occurring at night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.). 

Leq - Equivalent Sound Level. A measure of sound energy over a period of time, or a sound 

level which, in a stated period of time, would contain the same acoustical energy as the timevarying sound during the same period. 

liter - Unit of measurement of volume (metric system). 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR C-3 

LOS (Level of Service) - The operating level of an intersection or roadway segment can be 

described using the term Level of Service. Level of Service is a qualitative description of 

operation based on delay and maneuverability. It can range from "A," representing free flow 

conditions, to "F" representing gridlock. 

m - Meter. 

mG - MilliGauss. 

mitigation - Measures taken to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Mitigation could 

reduce the magnitude and extent of an impact from a level of significance to a level of 

insignificance. 

mph - Miles per hour. 

mT - MicroTesla. 

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 - The primary federal law pertaining to protection 

of cultural resources. 

National Register of Historic Places - A federal listing of historic resources protected under the 

National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. 

NEPA - National Environmental Policy Act. The United States' basic national charter for 

protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals and provides means for carrying 

out the policy. 

nonpoint source - Pertains to the discharge of pollutants into waters or air where the pollutant 

sources come from an area rather than a single source that can be pinpointed. 

NOX - Nitrogen Oxide. 

National Register-eligible - Cultural resources determined eligible for inclusion on the National 

Register of Historic Places. 

O3 - Ozone. 

ozone - A major component of photochemical smog, which is formed in the atmosphere by the 

chemical reaction between nitrogen dioxide and organic gases in the presence of sunlight. 

Excessive levels of ozone can cause eye irritation, reduced visibility, vegetation damage and 

aggravation of respiratory conditions. The biggest source of these gases is the automobile. 

park-and-ride - A parking area intended for transit riders who arrive at transit stations by car. 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

C-4 Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR 

Pb - Lead. 

PM2.5 - Particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, considered to be fine particulate 

matter. (One micron is equal to one-millionth of a meter.) 

PM10 - Particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter. (One micron is equal to onemillionth of a meter.) 

ppm - parts per million. 

PPV - Peak particle velocity. The maximum instantaneous peak in the velocity of an object's 

vibratory motion. The PPV is used to define thresholds of potential building damage from 

vibration. 

right-of-way - Land dedicated to the transportation facility. 

RMS - Root-mean-square amplitude. The average energy of vibrating measured over a short 

time interval, usually one second. RMS vibration velocity is considered the best available 

measure of potential human annoyance from ground-borne vibration. 

Section 106 - Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. 

SO2 - Sulphur Dioxide. 

SIP - State Implementation Plan – a plan for attaining national ambient air quality standards 

required by the Clean Air Act. 

USFWS - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal agency that administers the federal 

Endangered Species Act and is involved in protection of fish and wildlife habitat including 

wetland areas. 

Vdb - Decibels of vibration velocity. An expression of ground-borne vibrations. 

watershed - That part of the earth's surface from which storm water runoff flows to a single 

point. 

wetlands - According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, wetlands are areas that are 

inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to 

support, under normal conditions, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in 

saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes and similar areas, and 

are subject to protection under Executive Order 11990 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act 

(CWA). 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR C-5 

Glossary of Acronyms 

AB Assembly Bill 

ABAG Association of Bay Area Governments 

AC Alternating current 

AC Transit Alameda Contra Costa Transit District 

ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act 

ADT Average Daily Traffic 

APE Area of Potential Effects 

APTA American Public Transit Association 

ATS Automated Train Stop 

AWSS Auxiliary Water Supply System 

BAAB Bay Area Air Basin 

BAAQMD Bay Area Air Quality Management District 

BART Bay Area Rapid Transit 

BATA Bay Area toll Authority 

BTU - British Thermal Unit. 

BCDC Bay Conservation and Development Commission 

CAA Clean Air Act of 1970 

CAAQS California Ambient Air Quality Standards 

CAC Community Advisory Committee 

CALINE4 Computer model used to predict carbon monoxide levels 

CALTRANS California Department of Transportation 

CARB California Air Resources Board 

CBD Central Business District 

CCAA California Clean Air Act 

CCSF City and County of San Francisco 

CDFG California Department of Fish and Game 

CEQA California Environmental Quality Act 

CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation & Liability Act 

CERCLIS Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation Information 

System 

CFR Code of Federal Regulations 

CHP California Highway Patrol 

CLUP Comprehensive Land Use Plan 

CM Construction Management 

CMAQ Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program 

CNDDB California Natural Diversity Data Base 

CNPS California Native Plant Society 

CO Carbon Monoxide 

COE Army Corps of Engineers 

CTC - California Transportation Commission or Centralized Train Control 

CPUC California Public Utilities Commission 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

C-6 Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR 

CY Cubic yards. 

DC - Direct current. 

CFR Codified Federal Regulations 

CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act 

DEIS/EIR Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 

DPT Department of Parking and Traffic 

DPW Department of Public Works 

DWR Department of Water Resources 

EIR Environmental Impact Report 

EIS Environmental Impact Statement 

EMU Electrical Multiple Unit 

EPA Environmental Protection Agency 

FEIS/EIR Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report 

FHWA Federal Highway Administration 

FPPA Farmland Protection Policy Act 

FTA Federal Transit Administration 

FVM Fare Vending Machine 

FY Fiscal Year 

GGBHT Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District 

HASR Historical Architectural Survey Report 

HPSR Historic Property Survey Report 

HOV High Occupancy Vehicle 

Hz Hertz. 

I-280 Interstate 280 

ISP Iron/Steel Pipe 

ISTEA Intermodal Surface Transportation Act of 1991 

ITIP Interregional Transportation Improvement Program 

JPA Joint Exercise of Powers Agency 

JPB Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board 

LOS Level of Service 

LPA Locally Preferred Alternative 

LUST Leaking Underground Storage Tank 

MOA Memorandum of agreement 

MGP Manufactured Gas Plant 

MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization 

MTC Metropolitan Transportation Commission 

Muni San Francisco Municipal Railway 

NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards 

NEPA National Environmental Policy Act 

NOI Notice of Intent 

NOP Notice of Preparation 

NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 

NRHP National Register of Historic Properties 

O&M Operating and Maintenance 

OCS Overhead Control System 
APPENDIX C: GLOSSARY / ACRONYMS 

Transbay Terminal / Caltrain Downtown Extension / Redevelopment Project EIS/EIR C-7 

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration 

PAH Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons 

PPA Pollution Prevention Act 

RIP Regional Improvement Program 

ROD Record of Decision 

RTP Regional Transportation Plan 

RTIP Regional Transportation Improvement Program 

RWQCB Regional Water Quality Board 

SAA Streambed Alteration Agreement 

SAMTRANS San Mateo County Transportation 

SFAH San Francisco Architectural Heritage 

SFBRWQB San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board 

SFIA San Francisco Institute of Architecture 

SFRA San Francisco Redevelopment Agency 

SHPO State Historic Preservation Office or Officer 

SIP State Implementation Plan 

SOMA South of Market Area 

SP Southern Pacific (Railroad) 

SPR Southern Pacific Railroad 

SRTP Short Range Transit Plan 

STA State Transit Assistance program. 

STP State Transportation Program 

STIP State Transportation Improvement Program 

SWPPP Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan 

TAC Technical Advisory Committee 

TAZ Traffic Analysis Zone 

TCM Transportation Control Measure 

TCRP Transportation Congestion Relief Program 

TDM Transportation Demand Management 

TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century 

TIP Transportation Improvement Program 

TIFIA Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act 

TJPA Transbay Joint Powers Authority 

TRP Trip Reduction Program 

TSM Transportation Systems Management 

US 101 US Highway 101 

USEPA US Environmental Protection Agency 

USFWS US Fish and Wildlife Service 

USGS US Geological Survey 

UST Underground Storage Tank 

VC Volume-to-Capacity Ratio 

VCP Vitrified Clay Pipe 

VHT Vehicle Hours of Travel 

VMT Vehicle Miles of Travel