Section 12-5-372. Definitions

   As used in this part, the term:

   (1) "Board" means the Board of Natural Resources.

   (2) "Commission" means the State Soil and Water Conservation Commission.

   (3) "Construct" or "construction" means the building of any artificial barrier, together with appurtenant works, for the impoundment or diversion of water or liquid substances and shall include any activity which, other than routinely as part of an approved maintenance program, repairs or restores such artificial barrier, or alters its design, shape, or structural characteristics, and shall also include any enlargement of such artificial barrier.

   (4) (A) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, "dam" means any artificial barrier, including appurtenant works, which impounds or diverts water and which:

         (i) Is 25 feet or more in height from the natural bed of the stream or watercourse measured at the downstream toe of the barrier, or from the lowest elevation of the outside limit of the barrier, if the barrier is not across a stream channel or watercourse, to the maximum water storage elevation; or

         (ii) Has an impounding capacity at maximum water storage elevation of 100 acre-feet or more.

      (B) The word "dam" shall not include:

         (i) Any dam owned and operated by any department or agency of the United States government;

         (ii) Any dam constructed or financially assisted by the United States Soil Conservation Service or any other department or agency of the United States government when such department or agency designed or approved plans and supervised construction and maintains a regular program of inspection of the dam; provided, however, that this exemption shall cease on November 1, 2000, only if funds are specifically appropriated on or before November 1, 1995, for purposes of inspection, reconstruction, and financial assistance with respect to such dams in an appropriations Act making specific reference to this division; otherwise this exemption shall cease on November 1, 1995, for all such dams over which the supervising federal agency has relinquished authority for the operation and maintenance of such a dam to a person unless the supervising federal agency certifies by said date and at least biannually thereafter to the director that such dams are in compliance with requirements of this part, including minimum spillway design, and with the maintenance standards of the supervising federal agency;

         (iii) Any dam licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or for which a license application is pending with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;

         (iv) Any dam classified by the director as a category II dam pursuant to Code Section 12-5-375, except that such category II dams shall be subject to the provisions of this part for the purposes of said Code Section 12-5-375 and for the purposes of subsection (b) of Code Section 12-5-376; or

         (v) Any artificial barrier which is not in excess of six feet in height regardless of storage capacity, or which has a storage capacity at maximum water storage elevation not in excess of 15 acre-feet regardless of height.

   (5) "Director" means the director of the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, or his designee.

   (6) "Division" means the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources.

   (7) "Enlargement" means any change in or addition to an existing dam or impoundment, which change or addition raises or may raise the water storage elevation of the water impounded by the dam or reservoir.

   (8) "Impoundment" means the water or liquid substance that is or will be stored by a dam and which may be commonly referred to as the reservoir.

   (9) "Local unit of government" means a municipal corporation or county, or any legal consolidation thereof.

   (10) "Operate" or "operation" means the impoundment or diversion of water or liquid substance by a dam.

   (11) "Person" means any municipal corporation or county, or legal consolidation thereof; individual; partnership; corporation; or public or private authority and shall include the State of Georgia and all its departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, authorities, and any other agencies or instrumentalities.

Ga. L. 1978, p. 795, § 3; Ga. L. 1982, p. 2339, §§ 1, 8; Ga. L. 1983, p. 3, § 9; Ga. L. 1984, p. 454, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 196, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 269, § 20; Ga. L. 1990, p. 326, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 987, § 1.