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3 and #4 being outside of the 25 -foot "top of bank" area, but there is still a dispute as to <br />where that line really is. <br />The general definition of a "bank" in this context is "a rise of land along a river". <br />Webster's New World Dictionary.) Generally the level of a river or creek rises and falls <br />along its dirt and/or rock banks, creating a slope of land on either side of the waterway. <br />Where the sides of the bank are earth, commonly plants, trees or other vegetation will grow <br />above the highest level of the water. <br />But what constitutes the "top" of the bank of the creek? Is it where the water <br />reaches its highest level along the bank? Is it where the slope of the bank levels off to be <br />flat or not steep? Respondent Redwood City enacted a far more nebulous definition: <br />Top ofBank. The line where a distinct change in grade between the <br />ravine of a creek or waterway and the surrounding topography is apparent. <br />Where the top of banks are not distinguishable, the top of banks shall be as <br />determined by the Engineering and Construction Division based on the <br />adjacent slopes and/or the extent of riparian vegetation. <br />Redwood City Zoning Ordinance, Section 2.2. <br />The general definition of a "ravine" is "a long deep hollow in the earth, esp. one <br />worn by a stream." (Webster's) Topography means the "science of representing surface <br />features of a region on maps and charts." (Webster's) So, somewhere between the ditch <br />where the water runs and other "surface features" — not helpful. <br />It appears that the key inquiry is "a distinct change of grade" which "is <br />apparent". "Grade" generally means, in this context, "the degree of rise or descent of a <br />sloping surface." (Webster's) <br />Where there is no distinct change of grade, i.e., "not distinguishable ", then the <br />18 <br />8.B. - Page 77