Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288:reg:11:p4
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 11 (pt 4/5)
Character Range: 1237355–1240225

flowering plants, ferns and terrestrial, subterranean or arboreal fauna.
Octanolwater partition coefficient (Kow) is the ratio of a chemical's solubility in n-octanol and water at equilibrium. This is widely used as a surrogate for the ability of a contaminant to accumulate in organisms and to biomagnify. These are often expressed in the logarithmic form (i.e. log Kow). Chemicals with a log Kow value ≥ 4 are considered in this report to have the potential to biomagnify. There is a linear relationship between log Kow and log Koc values. Thus, Kow can also be used to indicate the ability of chemical to leach to groundwater. A log Kow value <2 indicates a chemical has the potential to leach to groundwater.
Preliminary ecological risk assessment (Preliminary ERA) is the first level of assessment conducted in the ERA framework of this Measure. A Preliminary ERA is a generic assessment of the risk posed as it involves comparison of measured concentrations to the generic or soil-specific EILs for the relevant land use.
Receptor is the entity (organism, population, community, or set of ecological processes) that may be adversely affected by contact with, or exposure to, a contaminant of concern.
Risk means the probability in a certain timeframe that an adverse outcome will occur in a person, a group of people, plants, animals and/or the ecology of a specified area that is exposed to a particular dose or concentration of a hazardous agent, (that is, it depends on both the level of toxicity of the hazardous agent and the level of exposure).
Site means the parcel of land being assessed for contamination.
Site-specific ecological investigation levels are EILs that have been derived during a Definitive ERA. These EILs have taken into account various factors of the site; they are therefore site-specific and may not apply to any other particular site.
Site-specific ecological value is an ecological value that is specific to the site under investigation.
Societal significance is the significance that societies place on preserving biota and ecological processes. This can vary markedly depending on cultural issues and the type of species that are being considered (for example, cute and cuddly biota often have greater societal significance than insects, microorganisms and other invertebrates) and is not constant over time (for example, the importance of tree hollows as bird and arboreal species habitats has only relatively recently been appreciated by the broad community).
Soil is a complex heterogeneous medium that consists of variable amounts of mineral material, organic matter, pore water and pore air, and is capable of supporting organisms, including plants, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, invertebrates and other animal life. For the purposes of this guideline, soil includes geological materials (gravels, sands, silts, clays and porous