42 U.S.C. § 10362 — Definitions

In this chapter: (1) **Administrator** — The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2) **Advisory Committee** — The term “Advisory Committee” means the National Advisory Committee on Water Information established— (A) under the Office of Management and Budget Circular 92–01; and (B) to coordinate water data collection activities. (3) **Assessment program** — The term “assessment program” means the water availability and use assessment program established by the Secretary under [section 10368(a) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section10368/a&num=0&edition=prelim). (4) **Climate division** — The term “climate division” means 1 of the 359 divisions in the United States that represents 2 or more regions located within a State that are as climatically homogeneous as possible, as determined by the Administrator. (5) **Commissioner** — The term “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Reclamation. (6) **Director** — The term “Director” means the Director of the United States Geological Survey. (7) **Eligible applicant** — The term “eligible applicant” means— (A) any State, Indian tribe, irrigation district, or water district; (B) any State, regional, or local authority, the members of which include 1 or more organizations with water or power delivery authority; (C) any other organization with water or power delivery authority; and (D) any nonprofit conservation organization, if— (i) the nonprofit conservation organization is acting in partnership with and with the agreement of an entity described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C); or (ii) in the case of an application for a project to improve the condition of a natural feature or nature-based feature on Federal land, the entities described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) from the applicable service area have been notified of the project application and there is no written objection to the project. (8) **Federal Power Marketing Administration** — The term “Federal Power Marketing Administration” means— (A) the Bonneville Power Administration; (B) the Southeastern Power Administration; (C) the Southwestern Power Administration; and (D) the Western Area Power Administration. (9) **Hydrologic accounting unit** — The term “hydrologic accounting unit” means 1 of the 352 river basin hydrologic accounting units used by the United States Geological Survey. (10) **Indian tribe** — The term “Indian tribe” has the meaning given the term in [section 5304 of title 25](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title25-section5304&num=0&edition=prelim). (11) **Major aquifer system** — The term “major aquifer system” means a groundwater system that is— (A) identified as a significant groundwater system by the Director; and (B) included in the Groundwater Atlas of the United States, published by the United States Geological Survey. (12) **Major reclamation river basin** (A) *In general* — The term “major reclamation river basin” means each major river system (including tributaries)— (i) that is located in a service area of the Bureau of Reclamation; and (ii) at which is located a federally authorized project of the Bureau of Reclamation. (B) *Inclusions* — The term “major reclamation river basin” includes— (i) the Colorado River; (ii) the Columbia River; (iii) the Klamath River; (iv) the Missouri River; (v) the Rio Grande; (vi) the Sacramento River; (vii) the San Joaquin River; and (viii) the Truckee River. (13) **Natural feature** — The term “natural feature” means a feature that is created through the action of physical, geological, biological, and chemical processes over time. (14) **Nature-based feature** — The term “nature-based feature” means a feature that is created by human design, engineering, and construction to provide a means to reduce water supply and demand imbalances or drought or flood risk by acting in concert with natural processes. (15) **Non-Federal participant** — The term “non-Federal participant” means— (A) a State, regional, or local authority; (B) an Indian tribe or tribal organization; or (C) any other qualifying entity, such as a water conservation district, water conservancy district, or rural water district or association, or a nongovernmental organization. (16) **Panel** — The term “panel” means the climate change and water intragovernmental panel established by the Secretary under [section 10366(a) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title42-section10366/a&num=0&edition=prelim). (17) **Program** — The term “program” means the regional integrated sciences and assessments program— (A) established by the Administrator; and (B) that is comprised of 8 regional programs that use advances in integrated climate sciences to assist decisionmaking processes. (18) **Secretary** (A) *In general* — Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior. (B) *Exceptions* — The term “Secretary” means— (i) in the case of sections 10363, 10364, and 10369 of this title, the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner); and (ii) in the case of sections 10367 and 10368 of this title, the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Director). (19) **Service area** — The term “service area” means any area that encompasses a watershed that contains a federally authorized reclamation project that is located in any State or area described in [section 391 of title 43](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title43-section391&num=0&edition=prelim).