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Title 33, Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-102

§1402 Definitions

Title 33 › CHAPTER 27 — OCEAN DUMPING › § 1402

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines the main words used in the Act. "Administrator" means the head of the Environmental Protection Agency. "Ocean waters" means the open sea past the baseline used to measure the territorial sea, as set by the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone. "Material" means any kind of matter, covering many things like dredged material, solid and industrial waste, sewage and sludge, garbage, munitions, chemical, biological, radiological and radioactive materials, wreckage, rock, sand, and excavation debris; it does not mean sewage from vessels under section 1322, and oil counts only if it is taken on board a vessel or aircraft to be dumped. "United States" includes the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, U.S. territories and possessions, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. "Person" means a private person or company, or any officer, employee, agent, department, agency, or instrumentality of U.S., state, local, or foreign governments. "Dumping" means disposing of material, but not effluent covered by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), section 407, or the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), and not routine vessel discharges; it also does not include building fixed structures or placing things in the sea for non-disposal purposes when those actions are otherwise regulated or authorized, nor deposits like oyster shells made for fisheries when regulated. "District court of the United States" includes the district courts for Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and for American Samoa and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Army. "Dredged material" means material dug from navigable U.S. waters. "High-level radioactive waste" means concentrated aqueous waste from reprocessing irradiated reactor fuel. "Medical waste" lists items like isolation wastes, infectious agents, blood, pathological wastes, sharps, body parts, contaminated bedding, surgical and certain lab wastes, dialysis wastes, and other items the Administrator will name. "Transport" means carrying and handling material by vessel or any other vehicle, including aircraft. "Convention" means the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §1402

Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For the purposes of this Act the term—
(a)“Administrator” means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(b)“Ocean waters” means those waters of the open seas lying seaward of the base line from which the territorial sea is measured, as provided for in the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (15 UST 1606; TIAS 5639).
(c)“Material” means matter of any kind or description, including, but not limited to, dredged material, solid waste, incinerator residue, garbage, sewage, sewage sludge, munitions, radiological, chemical, and biological warfare agents, radioactive materials, chemicals, biological and laboratory waste, wreck or discarded equipment, rock, sand, excavation debris, and industrial, municipal, agricultural, and other waste; but such term does not mean sewage from vessels within the meaning of section 1322 of this title. Oil within the meaning of section 1321 of this title shall be included only to the extent that such oil is taken on board a vessel or aircraft for the purpose of dumping.
(d)“United States” includes the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, the territories and possessions of the United States, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
(e)“Person” means any private person or entity, or any officer, employee, agent, department, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal Government, of any State or local unit of government, or of any foreign government.
(f)“Dumping” means a disposition of material: Provided, That it does not mean a disposition of any effluent from any outfall structure to the extent that such disposition is regulated under the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended [33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.], under the provisions of section 407 of this title, or under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended [42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.], nor does it mean a routine discharge of effluent incidental to the propulsion of, or operation of motor-driven equipment on, vessels: Provided, further, That it does not mean the construction of any fixed structure or artificial island nor the intentional placement of any device in ocean waters or on or in the submerged land beneath such waters, for a purpose other than disposal, when such construction or such placement is otherwise regulated by Federal or State law or occurs pursuant to an authorized Federal or State program: And provided further, That it does not include the deposit of oyster shells, or other materials when such deposit is made for the purpose of developing, maintaining, or harvesting fisheries resources and is otherwise regulated by Federal or State law or occurs pursuant to an authorized Federal or State program.
(g)“District court of the United States” includes the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, the District Court of Puerto Rico, the District Court of the Canal Zone, and in the case of American Samoa and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the District Court of the United States for the District of Hawaii, which court shall have jurisdiction over actions arising therein.
(h)“Secretary” means the Secretary of the Army.
(i)“Dredged material” means any material excavated or dredged from the navigable waters of the United States.
(j)“High-level radioactive waste” means the aqueous waste resulting from the operation of the first cycle solvent extraction system, or equivalent and the concentrated waste from subsequent extraction cycles, or equivalent, in a facility for reprocessing irradiated reactor fuels, or irradiated fuel from nuclear power reactors.
(k)“Medical waste” means isolation wastes; infectious agents; human blood and blood products; pathological wastes; sharps; body parts; contaminated bedding; surgical wastes and potentially contaminated laboratory wastes; dialysis wastes; and such additional medical items as the Administrator shall prescribe by regulation.
(l)“Transport” or “transportation” refers to the carriage and related handling of any material by a vessel, or by any other vehicle, including aircraft.
(m)“Convention” means the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in text, means Pub. L. 92–532, which is classified generally to this chapter, chapter 41 (§ 2801 et seq.) of this title, and chapters 32 (§ 1431 et seq.) and 32A (§ 1447 et seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For definition of Canal Zone, referred to in subsec. (d), see section 3602(b) of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, referred to in subsec. (f), is act June 30, 1948, ch. 758, as amended generally by Pub. L. 92–500, § 2, Oct. 18, 1972, 86 Stat. 816, which is classified generally to chapter 26 (§ 1251 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1251 of this title and Tables. The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, referred to in subsec. (f), is act Aug. 1, 1946, ch. 724, as added by act Aug. 30, 1954, ch. 1073, § 1, 68 Stat. 919, which is classified principally to chapter 23 (§ 2011 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 2011 of Title 42 and Tables.

Amendments

1988—Subsecs. (k) to (m). Pub. L. 100–688 added subsec. (k) and redesignated former subsecs. (k) and (l) as (l) and (m), respectively. 1974—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 93–254, § 1(2)(A), substituted “sewage from vessels within the meaning of section 1322 of this title. Oil within the meaning of section 1321 of this title shall be included only to the extent that such oil is taken on board a vessel or aircraft for the purpose of dumping.” for “oil within the meaning of section 11 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and does not mean sewage from vessels within the meaning of section 13 of such Act.” Subsec. (l). Pub. L. 93–254, § 1(2)(C), added subsec. (l).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1974 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 93–254 effective Mar. 22, 1974, see section 2 of Pub. L. 93–254, set out in part as a note under section 1401 of this title. Termination of United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone For termination of the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone at end of the “transition period”, being the 30-month period beginning Oct. 1, 1979, and ending midnight Mar. 31, 1982, see Paragraph 5 of Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and section 2101 and 2201 to 2203 of Pub. L. 96–70, title II, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 493, formerly classified to section 3831 and 3841 to 3843, respectively, of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Executive Documents

Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions. Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone of United States For extension of territorial sea and contiguous zone of United States, see Proc. No. 5928 and Proc. No. 7219, respectively, set out as notes under section 1331 of Title 43, Public Lands.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 1402

Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102