In this chapter:
(1) “City” means any incorporated city or town, whether operating under general law or under its home-rule charter.
(2) “District” means any district or authority created and existing under Article XVI, § 59 or Article III, § 52 of the Texas Constitution, including any river authority.
(3) “Public agency” means any district, city, or other political subdivision or agency of the state which has the power to own and operate waste collection, transportation, treatment, or disposal facilities or systems, and any joint board created under the provisions of Subchapter D or E, Chapter 22, Transportation Code.
(4) “River authority” means any district or authority created by the legislature which contains an area within its boundaries of one or more counties and which is governed by a board of directors appointed or designated in whole or in part by the governor, or by the Texas Water Development Board, including without limitation the San Antonio River Authority.
(5) “River basins” and “coastal basins” mean the river basins and coastal basins now defined and designated by the Texas Water Development Board as separate units for the purposes of water development and inter-watershed transfers, and as they are made certain by contour maps on file in the offices of the Texas Water Development Board, including but not limited to the rivers and their tributaries, streams, water, coastal water, sounds, estuaries, bays, lakes and portions of them, as well as the lands drained by them.
(6) “Waste” means sewage, industrial waste, municipal waste, recreational waste, agricultural waste, waste heat, or other waste that may cause impairment of the quality of water in the state, including storm waters.
(7) The terms “sewage,” “municipal waste,” “recreational waste,” “agricultural waste,” “industrial waste,” “other waste,” “pollution,” “water,” or “water in the state,” and “local government” shall have the meanings defined in § 26.001 of this code.
(8) “Sewer system” means pipelines, conduits, storm sewers, canals, pumping stations, force mains, and all other constructions, devices, and appurtenant appliances used to transport waste.
(9) “Treatment facility” means any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of waste to implement Chapter 26 of this code or necessary to recycle or reuse water at the most economical cost over the estimated life of the works, including intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvements, remodeling, additions, and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply, such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; any works, including sites therefor and acquisition of the land that will be part of or used in connection with the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment; and any plant, disposal field, lagoon, canal, incinerator, area devoted to sanitary landfills, or other facilities installed for the purpose of treating, neutralizing, or stabilizing waste or facilities to provide for the collection, control, and disposal of waste heat.
(10) “Disposal system” means any system for disposing of waste, including sewer systems and treatment facilities.
(11) “Canal” means a man-made navigable channel or waterway of at least two miles in length.