Glossary

A collection of words and terms used on this website.

Freshet - Most commonly used to describe a spring thaw resulting from snow and ice melt in rivers located in the northern latitudes of North America. A spring freshet can sometimes last several weeks on large river systems, resulting in significant inundation of flood plains as the snow pack melts in the river's watershed. Spring freshets associated with thaw events are sometimes accompanied by ice jams which can cause flash floods.

Genius Loci - See Spirit of Place.

Impervious - See Permeability.

Impoundment - Water contained by constructing a dam or embankment, or by excavating a pit.

Low Impact Development (LID) - A sustainable landscaping approach that can be used to replicate or restore natural watershed functions and/or address targeted watershed goals and objectives. A design strategy involving storm water runoof with the goal of maintaining or replicating the pre-development hydrologic regime through the use of design techniques to create a functionally equivalent hydrologic site design. Learn more.

Permeability - The measure of the ability of a porous material (often, a rock or unconsolidated material) to transmit fluids. A consideration in Low Impact Devemopment. Water runs off an impervious surface into wetlands and streams. Water moves through a pervious surface into the ground where it is absorbed. Learn more.

Public Act 490 - A CT law providing for the valuation of qualifying land based on its current use. When land is classified as farm, forest or open space the assessment is based on its lower use value, rather than on its open market value. The owners of such land receive preferential property tax treatment. Often referred to as '490 land or property.'

Rod - Colonial records often use the Rod as a unit of measurement. A Rod is 16.5 feet and there are 320 Rods to a mile.

Satinet - A fabric with a finish resembling satin, but made partly or wholly from cotton or synthetic fiber.

Spirit of Place - Recognized by many cultures the Romans called it 'genius loci.' It refers to the unique, distinctive and cherished aspects of a place. It is as much in the invisible weave of culture (stories, art, memories, beliefs, histories, etc.) as it is the tangible physical aspects of a place (monuments, boundaries, rivers, woods, pathways, views, and so on). Learn more.

Union Cassimere - Cassimere was a fine woolen cloth with a twill weave. The use of the term "union" here suggests that the cloth was made from a mixture of cotton and wool, either in the fiber or the yarn.