§ 35-4-201 — Department of health to cooperate with municipal authorities, corporations and persons as to water, drainage and sewage; definitions of "drainage" and "sewage"

The department shall consult with and advise the authorities of
cities and towns and persons having or about to have systems of
water supply, drainage and sewage as to the most appropriate
source of water supply and the best method assuring its purity
or as to the best method of disposing of their drainage or
sewage with reference to the existing and future needs of other
cities, towns or persons which may be affected thereby. It shall
also consult with and advise all corporations, companies or
persons engaged or intending to engage in any manufacturing or
other business whose drainage or sewage may tend to pollute any
inland water as to the best method of preventing such pollution,
and it may conduct experiments to determine the best methods of
the purification or disposal of drainage or sewage. Cities,
towns and all other corporations, companies or persons shall
submit to the department for its advice and approval their
proposed system of water supply or of the disposal of drainage
or sewage, and no city, town or persons or company shall proceed
to build or install or enlarge or extend any system of water
supply, drainage or sewage disposal, without first obtaining the
approval of the state department of health. In this section the
term "drainage" means rainfall, surface and subsoil water only,
and "sewage" means domestic and industrial filth and waste.