(a) “Act” shall mean the Metropolitan Area Waste Disposal Act [Sections 21-27-161 through 21-27-191], as originally enacted or as hereafter amended.

(b) “Person” means and includes the State of Mississippi, a municipality as defined herein, any public agency as defined herein or any other city, town or political subdivision or governmental agency of the State of Mississippi or of the United States of America, or any individual, copartnership, association, firm, trust, estate or any other entity whatsoever.

(c) “Waterworks” means all works, plants or other facilities necessary for the purpose of collecting, storing, treating and transporting water for domestic, municipal, commercial, industrial, agricultural and manufacturing purposes, including open channels.

(d) “Water supply system” means pipelines, conduits, pumping stations and all other structures, devices and appliances appurtenant thereto, including land and right-of-way thereto, for use for transporting water to a point of ultimate use.

(e) “Waste” means sewage, industrial waste, municipal waste, recreational waste and agricultural waste, waste heat and any other waste that may cause impairment of the quality of the waters in the state.

(f) “Sewerage system” means pipelines or conduits, canals, pumping stations and force mains, and all other structures, devices, facilities and appliances appurtenant thereto, used for collecting or conducting waste to an ultimate point for treatment or disposal.

(g) “Treatment facilities” means any plant, disposal field, lagoon, pumping station, constructed drainage ditch or surface water intercepting ditch, canal, incinerator, area devoted to sanitary landfills or other works not specifically mentioned herein, installed for the purpose of treating, neutralizing, stabilizing or disposing of waste or facilities to provide cooling water to collect, control and dispose of waste heat.

(h) “Sewage disposal system” means a system for disposing of waste, including but not limited to sewerage systems and treatment facilities, as such terms are defined herein.

(i) The terms “pollution,” “waters” or “waters in the state” shall have meanings as set forth in the Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Law, as now or hereafter amended, appearing as Section 49-17-1 through Section 49-17-70, Mississippi Code of 1972.

(j) “Municipality” means any incorporated city having a population in excess of one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) according to the most recently completed federal decennial census, whether operating under general law or under special charter.

(k) “Metropolitan area” means all of the area or territory lying within the corporate limits of a municipality as herein defined, whether or not such area or territory be contiguous, and all area or territory lying not more than ten (10) miles from the outer boundary of any of the areas or territories comprising a municipality as herein defined, and all of an incorporated city or town, any part of which lies within the aforementioned ten-mile limit.

(l) “Public agency” means any incorporated city or town lying wholly or partially within a metropolitan area, any state board or commission owning or operating properties within a metropolitan area, a district created pursuant to Sections 51-9-101 through 51-9-163, or a political subdivision of the State of Mississippi lying wholly or partially within a metropolitan area and having the power to own and operate waterworks, water supply systems, sewerage systems, treatment facilities or sewage disposal systems or other facilities or systems for the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste.

(m) “Metropolitan area plan” means a comprehensive plan for water quality management and the control and abatement of pollution within the metropolitan area, consistent with applicable water quality standards established pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

(n) “Federal Water Pollution Control Act” shall mean the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, being 33 U.S.C.S. 1151 et seq. as now or hereafter amended, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, being P.L. 92-500, 86 Stat. 816 as now or hereafter amended.