As used in this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

1. "District" means a public nonprofit water district, a nonprofit sewer district, a public nonprofit natural gas distribution district or a nonprofit solid waste management district or a district for the operation of all or a combination of waterworks, sewage facilities, natural gas distribution facilities and solid waste management systems, created pursuant to this act;

2. "Board" means the governing body of a district;

3. The terms "board of county commissioners" and "county clerk" shall mean, respectively, the board of county commissioners and county clerk of the county in which the greatest portion of the territory of any proposed rural water district, rural sewer district, rural natural gas distribution district or rural solid waste management district is located;

4. "Corporation" means a not-for-profit corporation organized:

a.pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma General Corporation Act for a purpose not involving pecuniary gain to its shareholders or members, paying no dividends or other pecuniary remuneration, directly or indirectly to its shareholders or members as such and having no capital stock, and

b.for the purpose of developing and providing rural water supplies to serve rural residents.

5. "Rural resident" means any natural person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, federal agency, state agency, state or political subdivision thereof, municipality of ten thousand (10,000) persons or less, or any other legal entity, owning or having an interest in lands within the rural area located within the boundaries of the district;

6. "Rural area" means any area lying outside the corporate limits of any municipal corporation and includes any areas of open country, unincorporated communities, and, with the consent of the governing body thereof by ordinance duly adopted, may include the area within the corporate limits of any municipality having a population of less than ten thousand (10,000) persons according to the last decennial census, when said municipality is one of the petitioners for creation of a district or for the annexation of additional territory as provided by Section 1324.13 of this title; provided, further, that when a water, sewer, natural gas or solid waste management district is totally within the municipal city limits of a city with ten thousand (10,000) population or less, the board of directors of the sewer, natural gas, water or solid waste management district shall be the governing body of the town. Provided, further, that when a city or town with a population of ten thousand (10,000) or less receives the majority of its water from a rural water, natural gas, sewer or solid waste management district, any resident of said city or town shall be eligible to serve on the board of directors. Provided, further, that areas lying within the corporate limits of any municipality having a population of more than ten thousand (10,000) persons according to the last decennial census may be included in a water, sewer, natural gas or solid waste management district with the consent of the governing body by ordinance duly adopted when such water, sewer, natural gas or solid waste services are not and cannot be provided in a reasonable time by other sources;

7. "Benefit unit" means a legal right to one service connection to the district's facilities and to participate in the affairs of the district;

8. "Participating member" means any rural resident who has subscribed to one or more benefit units;

9. "Sewage facilities" means the necessary facilities of collection, transportation, storage, treatment or processing and disposal or release of sewage;

10. "Solid waste management system" means the entire process of collection, transportation, storage, processing and disposal of solid wastes;

11. "Water works" means the necessary facilities from the initial source to the place for consumer utilization, and includes supply, storage, treatment, transportation and distribution;

12. "Solid waste" means all putrescible and nonputrescible refuse in solid or semisolid form including, but not limited to, garbage, rubbish, ashes or incinerator residue, street refuse, dead animals, demolition wastes, construction wastes, solid or semisolid commercial and industrial wastes and hazardous wastes including explosives, pathological wastes, chemical wastes, herbicide and pesticide wastes; and

13. "Gas distribution facilities" means the necessary facilities from the initial source to the place for consumer utilization and includes supply, transportation and distribution.

Added by Laws 1972, c. 254, § 2. Amended by Laws 1975, c. 170, § 2, emerg. eff. May 21, 1975; Laws 1981, c. 117, § 1, emerg. eff. April 28, 1981; Laws 1994, c. 175, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.