Water Project Navigators Act

In this Act:

(1) Disadvantaged community. Except as otherwise defined by the Secretary of the Interior based on current methodologies, theThe term disadvantaged community means a community (including a city, town, county, or reasonably isolated and divisible segment of a larger municipality) with an annual median income that is less than the statewide annual median income for the State in which the community is located, according to the most recent decennial census.

(2) Eligible entity. The term eligible entity means—

(A) a State;

(B) an Indian Tribe;

(C) any acequia, land grant-merced, local government, water supplier, special district, conservation district, or municipal water district located in an eligible State;

(D) any State, regional, or local authority located in an eligible State, the members of which include 1 or more organizations with water or power delivery authority;

(E) a nonprofit conservation organization with a demonstrated history of working in partnership with 1 or more entities described in any of subparagraphs (A) through (D); or

(F) a combination of entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (E).

(3) Eligible State. The term eligible State means—

(A) a State or territory described in the first section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (43 U.S.C. 391; 32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093);

(B) the State of Alaska;

(C) the State of Hawaii; and

(D) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

(4) Indian Tribe. The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

(5) Multi-benefit water project. The term multi-benefit water project means any project in an eligible State that—

(A) enhances the overall resilience of a community or region to climate-related impacts on water supplies, including through activities—

(i) to increase water use efficiency;

(ii) to reduce consumptive use of water;

(iii) to promote system conservation;

(iv) to reduce water supply-demand imbalances;

(v) to promote water recycling and other advanced water treatments to augment water supplies;

(vi) to improve management or delivery of water resources;

(vii) to address risks to water infrastructure from weather-related events and climate changeweather- and climate-related events;

(viii) to provide or improve access to safe drinking water in communities that lack reliable access to adequate clean water supplies;

(ix) to promote investment in the economies of rural communities, Tribal communities, or disadvantaged communities through water projects;

(x) to enhance water-based recreational opportunities for the benefit of community members and the local recreational economy; or

(xi) to encourage sustainable surface water or groundwater management; and

(B) provides benefits to ecosystems and watersheds, including through activities—

(i) to conserve or enhance fish and wildlife habitat;

(ii) to protect or improve water quality;

(iii) to improve watershed health and function;

(iv) to protect against invasive species;

(v) to restore aspects of the natural ecosystem; or

(vi) to maintain sustainable groundwater supplies for multiple uses, including for riparian or wetland ecosystems.

(6) Natural feature. The term natural feature means a feature that is created through the action of physical, geological, biological, and chemical processes over time.

(7) 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.

(8) Program. The term Program means the Water Project Navigators Program established under section 3(a).

(9) Rural community. The term rural community means a community or group of communities, each of which has a population of not more than 50,000 inhabitants, which may include Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, dispersed homesites, and rural areas.

(10) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation).