“Accelerated erosion” means any increase over the rate of natural erosion as a result of land-disturbing activity.

“Approval” means approval by the town engineer.

“Buffer zone” means a parcel or strip of land that is required to permanently remain in an undisturbed and untouched condition and within which no building, clearing, grading, or filling is permitted, except for minor maintenance necessary to protect life and property.

“Clearing” means the removal of timber, brush, grass, ground cover, or other vegetative matter from a site, which exposes the earth’s surface on the site or results in the loss of forested areas.

“Clearing and grading permit” means the written permission of the town to the applicant to proceed with the act of clearing, grading, filling, and/or drainage which could disturb the land surface.

“Director” means the director of public works or an authorized agent of the public works department.

“Engineer” means a professional civil engineer, licensed by and in good standing in the state of Washington.

“Environmentally sensitive lands” include, but are not limited to, lands identified as environmentally sensitive or critical areas by the town in accordance with the provisions of the State Environmental Policy Act and the Growth Management Act.

“Erosion” means the land or ground surface is being worn away by the action of wind, water, ice, gravity, or any combination thereof.

“Filling” means the act of transporting or placing (by any manner or mechanism) fill material from, to, or on any soil surface, natural vegetative covering of soil surface, or fill material (including temporary stockpile of material).

“Grading” means any act, which changes the grade or elevation of the ground surface and for the purposes of this chapter also includes the excavation and removal of earth material.

“Land-disturbing activity” means any use of the land that results in change in the natural cover or topography or may cause or contribute to erosion or sedimentation.

“Sedimentation” means the process of deposition of soil and organic particles displaced, transported, and deposited by erosive processes. [Ord. 378 § 2 (Exh. 1), 1999.]