Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 46-15.3 - Public Drinking Water Supply System Protection

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Commercial agricultural producers: means purveyors of at least two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) of agricultural products during a calendar year. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the 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.
• 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.
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• fund: means the water quality protection funds as described in § 46-15. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• 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.
• Leakage: means the difference between non-billed water and the total of the estimated or measured allowances for fire fighting, meter inaccuracy, theft, system usage, main flushing, sewer cleaning, storm drain cleaning, and other allowances that may be developed by the water resources board. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Non-billed water: means the difference between water produced by a supplier and water sold by the same supplier. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Raw water: means water in its natural state prior to any treatment. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• Sale: means all retail sales of potable water to end users for any purpose in the ordinary course of business by a supplier, except for sales exempt pursuant to § 46-15. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• Source: means the raw water upon which a public water supply system abounds, and refers to both groundwater and surface water. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• Watersheds: means those land areas which, because of their topography, soil type, and drainage patterns, act as collectors of raw waters which replenish or regorge existing or planned public drinking water supplies. See Rhode Island General Laws 46-15.3-4