Glossary: D

Dangerous Substance Inventory

A list of dangerous substances which have Environmental Quality Standards (EQS), or concentration limits, that must not be exceeded in any controlled watercourse in England and Wales

Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)

This is the government department responsible for formation of UK environmental policy and monitoring of standards and practices.

Designated Environmentally Sensitive Sites

Includes all designated sites and indicates an area of land which is particularly sensitive to pollution and environmental disturbance.

Digital Terrain Model (DTM)

Provides a topographical model of the bare earth / underlying terrain of the earth’s surface.

Dioxins

A general name for a family of chlorinated hydrocarbons, typically used to refer to one isomer, TCDD, a by-product of pesticide manufacture: a toxic compound that is carcinogenic and teratogenic incertain animals.