58:1A-7.2 No tax, fee imposed on diversion of water; exceptions; "aquaculture" defined.

2. The provisions of any law, rule or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, no tax, fee or other charge shall be imposed on the diversion, for agricultural or horticultural purposes, including aquaculture, of any ground or surface water of this State; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall prohibit the imposition of a fee, pursuant to law, for the cost of processing, monitoring and administering a water usage certification program for persons who divert any ground or surface water for agricultural and horticultural purposes, or other agriculturally-related purposes, including aquaculture.

As used in this section, "aquaculture" means the propagation, rearing, and subsequent harvesting of aquatic organisms in controlled or selected environments, and the subsequent processing, packaging and marketing, and shall include, but need not be limited to, activities such as stocking, intervention in the rearing process to increase production, feeding, transplanting, and providing for protection from predators and shall not include the construction of facilities and appurtenant structures that might otherwise be regulated pursuant to any State or federal law or regulation, and "aquatic organism" means and includes, but need not be limited to, finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic plants which are the property of a person engaged in aquaculture.

L.1981,c.277,s.2; amended 1997, c.236, s.31.