The definitions in this section govern the construction of this chapter.

(a) “Enclosed bays” means indentations along the coast which enclose an area of oceanic water within distinct headlands or harbor works. “Enclosed bays” include all bays where the narrowest distance between the headlands or outermost harbor works is less than 75 percent of the greatest dimension of the enclosed portion of the bay. “Enclosed bays” include, but are not limited to, Humboldt Bay, Bodega Harbor, Tomales Bay, Drake’s Estero, San Francisco Bay, Morro Bay, Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor, Upper and Lower Newport Bay, Mission Bay, and San Diego Bay. For the purposes of identifying, characterizing, and ranking toxic hot spots pursuant to this chapter, Monterey Bay and Santa Monica Bay shall also be considered to be enclosed bays.

(b) “Estuaries” means waters, including coastal lagoons, located at the mouths of streams which serve as mixing zones for fresh and ocean waters. Coastal lagoons and mouths of streams which are temporarily separated from the ocean by sandbars shall be considered as estuaries. Estuarine waters shall be considered to extend from a bay or the open ocean to a point upstream where there is no significant mixing of fresh water and sea water. Estuarine waters include, but are not limited to, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as defined in Section 12220, Suisun Bay, Carquinez Strait downstream to the Carquinez Bridge, and appropriate areas of the Smith, Mad, Eel, Noyo, Russian, Klamath, San Diego, and Otay Rivers.

(c) “Health risk assessment” means an analysis which evaluates and quantifies the potential human exposure to a pollutant that bioaccumulates or may bioaccumulate in edible fish, shellfish, or wildlife. “Health risk assessment” includes an analysis of both individual and population wide health risks associated with anticipated levels of human exposure, including potential synergistic effects of toxic pollutants and impacts on sensitive populations.

(d) “Sediment quality objective” means that level of a constituent in sediment which is established with an adequate margin of safety, for the reasonable protection of the beneficial uses of water or the prevention of nuisances.

(e) “Toxic hot spots” means locations in enclosed bays, estuaries, or any adjacent waters in the “contiguous zone” or the “ocean,” as defined in Section 502 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1362), the pollution or contamination of which affects the interests of the state, and where hazardous substances have accumulated in the water or sediment to levels which (1) may pose a substantial present or potential hazard to aquatic life, wildlife, fisheries, or human health, or (2) may adversely affect the beneficial uses of the bay, estuary, or ocean waters as defined in water quality control plans, or (3) exceeds adopted water quality or sediment quality objectives.

(f) “Hazardous substances” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (h) of § 25281 of the Health and Safety Code.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 999, Sec. 66. Effective January 1, 2003.)