Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes > Chapter 143 > Article 38 - Water Resources

• Commission: means the Environmental Management Commission. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means the Department of Environmental Quality. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Essential water use: means the use of water necessary for firefighting, health, and safety; water needed to sustain human and animal life; and water necessary to satisfy federal, State, and local laws for the protection of public health, safety, welfare, the environment, and natural resources; and a minimum amount of water necessary to support and sustain the economy of the State, region, or area. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Gray water: means water that is discharged as waste from bathtubs, showers, wash basins, and clothes washers. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• in writing: may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Large community water system: means a community water system, as defined in N. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• month: shall be construed to mean a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year" a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and the word "year" alone shall be equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Pretreatment mixing basin: means a basin created from lands that do not include waters of the State and in which raw water is mixed with reclaimed water before it is treated to the standards to make it suitable for potable water supply. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Unit of local government: means a county, city, consolidated city-county, sanitary district, or other local political subdivision or authority or agency of local government. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350
• United States: shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Water shortage emergency: means a water shortage resulting from prolonged drought, contamination of the water supply, damage to water infrastructure, or other unforeseen causes that presents an imminent threat to public health, safety, and welfare or to the environment. See North Carolina General Statutes 143-350