| Attached Ground: |
1) That portion of ground which is physically attached to the base and bottom of a building. Mitigation Note: 2) Engineered ground which is stable through compaction, excavation or shoring. 3) Ground which was designed to meet a specific density and load-bearing capacities. See Compacted Soil, Contaminated Ground, Soil. |
| Cesspool of Sewage: |
Referring to sewage contamination: Education Note: a) Liquid and decomposing waste found under substructures that has been accumulating there for weeks and months. The attached ground has become an underground sink and cistern disposal area, it is undesirable and extremely unhealthy. Health Note: b) Improperly cleaned up interiors of buildings having coliform bacteria are cesspools of sewage residing in occupant exposures. |
| Compacted Soil: |
The soil which was previously undisturbed earth and has been compacted by a machine to make the soil firm and dense, sufficient enough to carry the weight of a building. Mitigation Note: Once compacted, the pad or ground must continue to maintain its purpose and design for the life of the building. Compacted soil becomes an integral part of the substructure, now called, attached ground to the bottom and base of a building. See Attached Ground, Soil. |
| Hydrogen Sulfide: |
A rotten-egg fowl-smelling gas (H2S) produced during the anaerobic decomposition of organic material by bacteria and by the metabolism of sulfur-producing bacteria. The gasses are highly toxic to humans, and when the smell is present appropriate breathing devices must be worn. Health and Safety Note: Hydrogen sulfide is often found in the attached ground of substructural soil when it has been sewage contaminated with stagnant sewage sludge for some time. Old timers in the mining industry called this condition Stink Damp. |
| Non-Persistant Pollutant: |
A chemical or substance that can cause damage to organisms such as sewage bacteria in soil or attached ground, when added in excessive amounts to counteract the bacteria presence. The chemical or substance is allowed to degrade naturally through decay and bioaugmentation in situ, and they do not pose a health concern to the ground, ground water or human populations. Some chemical substances considered may include detergents and commercial peroxides. |
| Soil: |
The surface layer of the earth. Soil has many uses, including the placement of buildings on soil. Building soil must be compacted earth that will support the foundation of a building. Not all soil is acceptable for foundation use. Some soil has to be removed and replaced with construction grade soil, engineered and compacted. Once the soil has been compacted, arranged and engineered in such a fashion to support a structure, the prepared soil now becomes the attached ground of the foundation building. See Attached Ground. |