Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 785 - Oklahoma Water Resources Board › Chapter 25 - Dams and Reservoirs › Subchapter 1 - General Provisions › Section 785:25-1-2 - Definitions

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the
											  following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agriculture-exempt dam"
means
a low hazard
											  potential
dam which is less than 25 feet in height, has a normal storage capacity of less than 100
											  acre-feet of water
that will be used primarily for agriculture purposes
as defined in
											  785:20-1-2, and was or
will be designed or
											  constructed with the assistance of a local conservation district or federal agriculture related
											  agency
[82:110.5].
"Alteration"
means only such alteration as may affect the
											  safety of a dam or reservoir.
"Application"
means a formal request to the Board and the
											  first step required by law to acquire the right to perform or engage in activities regulated by the
											  Board.
"Board"
means and refers to the Oklahoma Water Resources
											  Board or any employee or agent or staff member thereof.
"Breach"
means an unintentional opening through a dam that
											  allows the uncontrolled draining of a lake or reservoir.
"Breach analysis"
means an engineering analysis to determine
											  the area that would be inundated by the failure of a dam.
"Controlled breach"
means a constructed opening through a
											  dam to drain or partially drain a lake or reservoir.
"Dam"
means any artificial barrier, together with
											  appurtenant works, which does or may impound or divert water.
"Decommission"
means to render a dam incapable of impounding
											  water by breaching the dam embankment in such a manner that water cannot be stored or impounded, to stabilize
											  the sediment in the lake bed and remaining embankment with grass or other vegetation to prevent erosion and
											  control sediment, and to restore the stream channel to natural conditions.
"Enlargement"
means any change in or addition to an existing
											  dam or reservoir which raises or may raise the water storage elevation of the water impounded by the dam or
											  reservoir.
"Failure"
with respect to a dam means any uncontrolled
											  release of water.
"Gully plug"
means any grade stabilization structure that
											  has less than five acre-feet of water storage available below the principal spillway elevation and less than
											  50 acre-feet of storage volume below the emergency spillway elevation.
"Interested party"
means party.
"Loss of human life"
means the human fatalities that would
											  result from a failure of the dam, excluding the occasional passer-by or recreationist and without considering
											  evacuation or other emergency actions.
"Maximum storage"
means the amount of water which may be
											  stored behind a dam with the lake level at the top of the dam embankment.
"Notice by publication"
means unless otherwise specifically
											  provided, publication in a daily or weekly newspaper of general circulation once a week or two (2)
											  consecutive weeks (minimum seven day interval).
"Owner"
means any person who, jointly or severally,
											  owns, controls, maintains, manages, or proposes to construct a dam or reservoir, and includes those shown by
											  records of the county registrar of deeds to have some interest, fee, easement, or otherwise, in the land on
											  which the dam and lake lie and may also include those persons who may derive a direct pecuniary benefit from
											  the existence of the lake
[82:110.3].
"Party"
means a person or agency named and participating, or
											  properly seeking and entitled by law to participate, in hearings other than hearings on Board rules,
											  regulations and standards.
"Person"
means any individual, firm, partnership,
											  association, corporation, any trust formed for the benefit of an individual, business or any public entity,
											  federal agency, state agency, the State or any political subdivision thereof, municipalities, and any other
											  legal entity
[82:110.3].
"Removal"
means complete elimination of the dam embankment,
											  spillways, and structures whereby the area is restored to the approximate topographic contours original to
											  the area before the dam was constructed.
"Repairs"
means only such repairs as may affect the safety
											  of a dam or reservoir.
"Reservoir"
means any surface depression which contains or
											  will contain the water impounded by a dam.
"Statistical twenty-four (24) hour, fifty (50) year storm"
means a storm of twenty-four (24) hour duration with a probable recurrence interval of once in fifty (50)
											  years as defined by the National Weather Service in Technical Paper Number 40, "Rainfall Frequency Atlas of
											  the United States," May 1961, and subsequent amendments, or equivalent regional or state rainfall probability
											  information developed therefrom.
"Water storage elevation"
means that elevation of water
											  surface which may be obtained by the temporary or permanent storage of water. This elevation is normally the
											  lowest point on the top of the dam.
Amended at 10 Ok Reg 3287, eff 6-25-93 ; Amended at 11 Ok Reg 2931,
													 eff 6-13-94 ; Amended at 27 Ok Reg 1300, eff 5-27-10 ; Amended at 30 Ok Reg 880, eff
													 6-13-13