Section 20: Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"authority" means any person or body appointed or constituted to exercise any power or functions or to whom any power has been delegated pursuant to this Act or any regulations made thereunder;
"bed and bank" with reference to any watercourse as defined in this Act includes the land usually or occasionally inundated by the water thereof, together with such soil, rock or any other material immediately adjacent thereto which in the opinion of the Minister is necessary to support the proper maintenance thereof but does not include any land beyond the above mentioned land, soil, rock or other materials, which is occasionally covered by the flood waters of such watercourse;
"bank" means the relatively steep portions of the first mentioned land;
"bed" means the relatively flat land;
"bore" means a bore, well, gallery, drive or excavation or any artificially constructed or improved underground cavity;
"charge" includes any fee, rate, or charge imposed, levied or made pursuant to this Act;
"domestic use" means the use for drinking, washing, bathing, cooling, gardening or for any other domestic purpose in any residential premises utilised for non-profit motives;
"environment" includes all aspects of the surroundings of man whether affecting him as an individual or in his social and aesthetic factors of those surroundings;
"groundwater" means any water occurring in or obtained from any geological structure or formation or artificial landfill, permeated or capable of being permeated occasionally with water and includes any matter dissolved or suspended in such water;
"non-domestic use" means the use of water from any waterworks for profit or gain;
"Minister" means the Minister charged with responsibility for matters relating to water resources;
"pollution" means any direct or indirect alteration of the physical, thermal, chemical, biological or radioactive properties of any water or groundwater so as to render such water or groundwater less fit for any beneficial purpose for which it is, or may reasonably be used, or to cause a condition which is hazardous or potentially hazardous to public health, safety, welfare to animals, birds, wildlife, fish or aquatic life, or to plants;
"public authority" includes the Minister or any member of the civil service of the Federation, State or Local Government or of any Commission, Authority or Statutory Corporation established by the Government of the Federation, State or Local Government;
"public use" means any non-domestic or agricultural use from any waterworks provided through any fountain, standpipe, valve, tap or appliance used by the public;
"small irrigation schemes" means irrigation infrastructural development covering not more than thirty hectares;
"watercourse" includes any river, creek, stream, spring, lake, lagoon, swamp, marsh or any other course for water in which water flows or is contained either usually or occasionally and includes any natural channel artificially improved, or any artificial channel artificially improved, or any artificial channel of work which has changed the course of boundaries of any river, creek, stream, watercourse, spring, lake, lagoon, swamp, marsh or any other course for water;
"waterworks" means reservoir, dam, tank, cistern, tunnel, treatment plant, conduit, main, pipe, fountain, valve, pump, engine or other source of supply and such structures or appliances as are used or constructed for the storage, conveyance, supply, measurement or regulation of water.