For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall be applicable:

(1) "Administrator" means the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(2) "Application for coverage" means a form developed by, or approved by the department, which is used by a discharger to apply for coverage under a general permit.

(3) "Best management practices" (BMPs) means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of the waters of the state. BMPs also include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.

(4) "Department" means the Washington state department of ecology.

(5) "Director" means the director of the department of ecology or the director's authorized representative.

(6) "Discharge of pollutant" and "discharge of pollutants" mean the addition of any pollutant or combination of pollutants to waters of the state, respectively.

(7) "Discharger" means the owner or operator of any operation, facility, or activity subject to regulation under chapter 90.48 RCW.

(8) "Domestic wastewater" means water carrying human wastes, including kitchen, bath, and laundry wastes from residences, buildings, industrial establishments, or other places, together with such groundwater infiltration or surface waters as may be present.

(9) "Domestic wastewater facility" means all structures, equipment, or processes required to collect, carry away, treat, reclaim, or dispose of domestic wastewater, together with such industrial waste as may be present.

(10) "Effluent limitation" means any restriction established by the department or the administrator on quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents discharged from point sources into waters of the state.

(11) "FWPCA" means the federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq.

(12) "Existing operation" means an operation that is not a new operation.

(13) "General permit" means a permit that covers multiple dischargers of a point source category within a designated geographical area, in lieu of individual permits being issued to each discharger.

(14) "Individual permit" means a permit for a single point source or a single facility.

(15) "Municipal sewerage system" means a publicly owned domestic wastewater facility or privately owned domestic wastewater facility that is under contract to a municipality.

(16) "New operation" means an operation that begins activities that result in a discharge, or a potential discharge to waters of the state on or after the effective date of the general permit.

(17) "Notice of intent" means an application for a general permit, a request for coverage under a general permit, or a registration form for a general permit.

(18) "NPDES" means the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

(19) "Permit" means an authorization, license, or equivalent control document issued by the director to implement this chapter.

(20) "Person" includes any political subdivision, local, state, or federal government agency, municipality, industry, public or private corporation, partnership, association, firm, individual, or any other entity whatsoever.

(21) "Point source" means any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including, but not limited to, any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture.

(22) "Pollutant" means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. This term does not include sewage from vessels within the meaning of section 312 of the FWPCA nor does it include dredged or fill material discharged in accordance with a permit issued under section 404 of the FWPCA.

(23) "Regional administrator" means the regional administrator of Region X of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or his/her authorized representative.

(24) "Sediment standards" means the state of Washington's Sediment management standards (chapter 173-204 WAC).

(25) "Small business" has the meaning given in RCW 43.31.025(4).

(26) "Surface waters of the state" means all waters defined as "waters of the United States" in 40 C.F.R. 122.2 that are within the boundaries of the state of Washington. This includes lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, inland waters, wetlands, ocean, bays, estuaries, sounds, and inlets.

(27) "Waters of the state" means all waters defined as "surface waters of the state" and all waters defined as "waters of the state" in RCW 90.48.020.

(28) "Water quality standards" means the state of Washington's water quality standards for groundwaters of the state (chapter 173-200 WAC) and the state of Washington's water quality standards for surface waters of the state (chapter 173-201A WAC).