§ 143-350. Definitions. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 143‑350.  Definitions.

As used in this Article:

(1)        "Commission"means the Environmental Management Commission.

(2)        "Department"means the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

(3)        "Essentialwater use" means the use of water necessary for firefighting, health, andsafety; water needed to sustain human and animal life; and water necessary tosatisfy federal, State, and local laws for the protection of public health,safety, welfare, the environment, and natural resources; and a minimum amount ofwater necessary to maintain the economy of the State, region, or area.

(4)        "Largecommunity water system" means a community water system, as defined in G.S.130A‑313(10), that regularly serves 1,000 or more service connections or3,000 or more individuals.

(5)        "Unit of localgovernment" means a county, city, consolidated city‑county, sanitarydistrict, or other local political subdivision or authority or agency of localgovernment.

(6)        "U.S. DroughtMonitor" means the national drought map that designates areas of droughtusing the following categories D0‑Abnormally Dry, D1‑Moderate, D2‑Severe,D3‑Extreme, and D4‑Exceptional. The U.S. Drought Monitor isdeveloped and maintained by the Joint Agricultural Weather Facility, theClimate Prediction Center, the National Climatic Data Center, and the NationalDrought Mitigation Center with input from the United States Geological Survey,the National Water and Climate Center, the Climate Diagnostics Center, theNational Weather Service, state climatologists, and state water resourceagencies.

(7)        "Water shortageemergency" means a water shortage resulting from prolonged drought,contamination of the water supply, damage to water infrastructure, or otherunforeseen causes that presents an imminent threat to public health, safety,and welfare or to the environment.  (1959, c. 779, s. 1; 1967, c. 892, s. 12; 1973, c.1262, s. 23; 1977, c. 771, s. 4; 1989, c. 727, s. 218(117); 1989 (Reg. Sess.,1990), c. 1004, s. 18; c. 1024, s. 34; 1991, c. 342, s. 15(a); 1997‑443,s. 11A.119(a); 2008‑143, s. 3.)