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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Sales history - The previous sales date and price of a property, if available.

Sale-leaseback - A transaction where the property owner sells the property and immediately leases back the same property.

Salt flat - A site with poor drainage where the water evaporates, leaving salt behind.

Santa Claus factor - A slang term used to describe a situation where the repaired property is better than the improvements that were damaged or destroyed.

Saturated zone or zone of saturation - Soils in which all voids are filled with water.

Schools - Elementary, middle or high schools.

SCL: State superfund site

Sea water percolation - Underground sea water that passes through soils and seeps to ground level.

Sedimentation - A prefiltering process for removal of solids by gravity or separation.

Septic tanks - An on-site system or cesspool to process wastes.

SETS: Site Enforcement Tracking System.  EPA database of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs).

Settlement - The sinking of soils, such as those that have not been adequately compacted.

Sewage plant - Proximity to a sewage treatment facility.

Shear strength - An engineering term used to describe a soil or structure to resist applied forces that causes or tends to cause two contiguous parts of a body to slide relative to each other.

Sheen - A glistening appearance on the water surface from oil residue.

Shoreland - A site that is located by a body of water.

Short sale - The sale of a property where the proceeds come short of the outstanding loan balance.

Short-term condition - Any detrimental condition that lasts for a short period of time.

Sick Building Syndrome - See indoor air quality problem.

Sinkhole - An opening in the earth created by either natural or man-made subterranean activities. For example, if a tunnel fails, it may create a sinkhole.

Site grading - The leveling of land for development.

Site conditions - Any property conditions relating to the land or soils.

Slide - The sliding or slippage of soils.

Slope creep - A natural landslide that occurs at a very slow rate.

Slow sand filtration - A process whereby water is drained through a bed of sand at low velocity, removing particles by physical and biological mechanisms.

Sludge - A solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated from a wastewater treatment plant, less the treated effluent.

Smoke - Fire or other smoke that historically or currently impacts a property.

Soft water - Water that contains low levels of dissolved minerals, such as salts, calcium, or magnesium.

Soil - All unconsolidated materials naturally found at the surface of the earth, such as clays, silts, sands, and small rocks.

Soils condition - Any condition related to the on-site or proximity soils conditions of a property.

Soil compaction - Fill soils that have been pressed to avoid subsidence.

Soil contamination - The introduction of a hazardous material into the ground.

Soil excavation - A type of remediation process that involves the digging of contaminated soil from the subsurface, where it is treated or disposed of.

Soils subsidence - Soils that are unstable and sink.

Solder - A metal compound used to seal plumbing joints. Solder compounds containing lead are now banned.

Solid waste - Proximity to a facility that treats non-liquid trash or other disposed materials.

Solvent contamination - The accidental introduction of a cleaning or chemical solution into the soils or groundwater.

Source property - Any site that is the source of discharging a pollutant.

Special bond - A bond which creates a lien against a property and generally requires periodic payments.

Special motivation - A motivation that is unique to a specific buyer, tenant or owner.

SPILLS: State Spill Reports.

SPL & SCL: State Priority List and State "CERCLIS" Lists

Staged removal - The staged removal of contaminants over time (i.e., floor-by-floor, one unit at a time).

State superfund - A property that has been placed on a specific state list of environmentally contaminated properties.

Stigma - See market resistance, project incentive, or uncertainty factor.

Storage tanks - Aboveground or underground tanks that are used for storing fluids, such as gasoline or propane.

Stratum - A sedimentary bed or layer that generally consists of the same kind of soils or rock material.

Stressed vegetation - Plants that have been damaged.

Subsidence - The falling or failure of soils.

Subsidies - Funds provided by the government or other party to supplement construction or operating costs.

Subsurface construction defect - Any soils-related problem that results from a man-made condition.

Suicide - A property where there has been a suicide on the premises.

Sulfates - A potentially corrosive, and naturally forming, substance found within certain soils. May cause concrete foundations to erode.

Superfund site - A property that has been designated under CERCLA to be remedied.

Super-surface construction defect - The failure to properly construct some component of the improvements.

Supply and demand - The fundamental economic forces that drive real estate prices. Some theorize that the supply of real estate is fixed, and that only demand changes.

Surface water - All water that is open to atmosphere.

Surfactant - Wetting agent that enhances the penetration of water.

Surging soil - Soils that are upheaving.

SVOC - Semi-volatile organic compounds.

SWLF: Solid Waste Land Fill (Sites).

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