§2073. Definitions

           As used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

           (1) "Bordering waters", as used in Pargraph (7) this Section, means any waters of the state as otherwise defined, any part of which is located within the confines of the state, and any waters which touch the coastline of Louisiana as it borders on the Gulf of America, and includes the waters of the Gulf of America.

           (2) "Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (LPDES)" means those portions of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act and the Louisiana Water Control Law and all regulations promulgated under their authority which are deemed equivalent to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, otherwise known as the Clean Water Act, and for which Louisiana is the delegated authority. The LPDES specifically includes but is not limited to authority to issue all permits provided for under Sections 402 and 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as well as the general permits program, the storm water discharge program, the pretreatment program, and the sewage sludge program.

           (3) "LPDES variance" means any mechanism or provision which allows modification to or waiver of permit conditions of state regulatory requirements applicable to discharges of substances to waters of the state or to treatment works but does not include those variances which under federal law may only be granted by the Environmental Protection Agency.

           (4) "Public sanitary sewerage system" means a privately or publicly owned system intended to provide for the collection, conveyance, or treatment of waste water and other sewage for the public or such facilities owned by the public, if the system has at least fifteen service connections or regularly serves an average of at least twenty-five individuals daily at least sixty days out of the year. The term includes:

           (a) Any collection, conveyance, treatment, storage, or discharge facilities under the control of the operator of the system and used primarily in connection with the system.

           (b) Any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with the system.

           (5) "Treatment works" means any plant or other works which accomplishes the treating, stabilizing, or holding of wastes.

           (6) "Untreated wastes" means wastes which have not been treated in treatment works.

           (7) "Wastes" means any material for which no use or reuse is intended and which is to be discarded.

           (8) "Water pollution", except for the purposes of the Louisiana Pollution Discharge Elimination System, means the introduction into waters of the state by any means, including but not limited to dredge and fill operations, of any substance in concentrations which tend to degrade the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of such waters, including but not limited to the discharge of brine from salt domes which are located on the coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of America into any waters off said coastline and extending therefrom three miles into the Gulf of America. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined herein, "water pollution" includes but is not limited to any addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to waters of the state from any source, or any addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to the waters of the contiguous zone or the Gulf of America from any source other than a vessel or other floating craft which is being used as a means of transportation. For the purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, as defined in this Paragraph, the definition of "water pollution" further includes but is not limited to additions of pollutants into waters of the state from surface runoff, which is collected or channelled by man; discharges through pipes, sewers, or other conveyances owned by the state, a municipality, or other person which do not lead to a treatment works; and discharges through pipes, sewers, or other conveyances, leading into privately owned treatment works. This term does not include an addition of pollutants by an indirect discharger to a publicly owned treatment works.

           (9) "Waters of the state" means both the surface and underground waters within the state of Louisiana including all rivers, streams, lakes, groundwaters, and all other water courses and waters within the confines of the state, and all bordering waters and the Gulf of America. However, for purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, "waters of the state" means all surface waters within the state of Louisiana and, on the coastline of Louisiana and the Gulf of America, all surface waters extending therefrom three miles into the Gulf of America. For purposes of the Louisiana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, this includes all surface waters which are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, impoundments of waters within the state of Louisiana otherwise defined as "waters of the United States" in 40 CFR 120.2 and tributaries of all such waters. "Waters of the state" does not include waste treatment systems, including treatment ponds or lagoons designed to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq. "Waters of the state" does not include "fastlands" as defined by R.S. 49:214.23, including "wetlands" that are also defined as "fastlands" and do not bear a continuous surface connection to other waters of the United States. This definition shall not be construed to have any effect on the ownership of lands or water bottoms, whether public or private, in this state nor on any perceived access to private lands or water bottoms due to a continuous surface connection.

           Acts 1979, No. 449, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1984, No. 317, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1993, No. 172, §1; Acts 1993, No. 174, §1; Acts 1995, No. 708, §1; Acts 1997, No. 480, §1, eff. June 30, 1997; Acts 1997, No. 1119, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1461, §1; Acts 2025, No. 105, §1, eff. June 8, 2025.