As used in sections 22a-318 to 22a-322, inclusive, “works of improvement” means any undertaking for: (a) Flood prevention, including structural, nonstructural and land-treatment measures, (b) the conservation, development, utilization and disposal of water, including fish and wildlife or recreational developments, or (c) any multiple purpose or open space use and access thereto for any of the aforementioned uses, in watershed or subwatershed areas not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand acres and not including any single structure which provides more than five thousand acre-feet of flood water detention capacity, and more than twenty-five thousand acre-feet of total capacity. The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection is authorized to act as a local organization, as that term is defined in Public Law 566, 83rd Congress, as amended, for the purpose of cooperating with the Secretary of Agriculture in planning and carrying out any of the works of improvement authorized by said Public Law 566, as amended.

(November, 1955, S. N172; 1957, P.A. 13, S. 79; 218, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 637, S. 2; 1961, P.A. 67; 1963, P.A. 365; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 124; P.A. 81-136, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: 1959 act replaced commissioner of agriculture with commissioner of agriculture, conservation and natural resources; 1961 act dropped “conservation” from commissioner's title; 1963 act made specific reference to conservation, use, etc. of fish, wildlife and to recreational developments and to “multiple purpose or open space land use”; 1971 act replaced commissioner of agriculture and natural resources with commissioner of environmental protection; P.A. 81-136 amended the definition of “works of improvement” to include nonstructural measures for flood prevention; Sec. 25-106 transferred to Sec. 22a-318 in 1983; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011.