§2902 — Title 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters | U.S. Code

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter. Council means the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council created under section 2904. Estuary means a part of a river, stream, or other water body that stays connected to the open sea and where seawater mixes with freshwater from land; it also covers near-coastal waters and Great Lakes wetlands that act like estuaries, including areas in the Great Lakes biogeographic region named National Estuarine Research Reserves under the Coastal Zone Management Act as of November 7, 2000. Estuary habitat means the physical, biological, and chemical parts of an estuary and nearby ecosystems. Estuary habitat restoration activity means work to improve damaged estuaries or create new estuary habitat so the system becomes self-sustaining; it includes restoring physical/chemical/hydrologic/biological features, cleaning pollution (with some exceptions), controlling invasive nonnative species, reintroducing native species, building reefs, and other habitat-improving actions. It does not include mitigation required by federal or state law for harms from regulated activities, or restoration required for natural resource damages under federal or state law. Estuary habitat restoration project means a project that carries out such activities. Estuary habitat restoration plan means a federal, state, or regional plan made with strong stakeholder involvement and includes restoration parts of certain plans (for example, plans under sections 1330 and 1268, Coastal Zone Management Act plans, and the Chesapeake Bay interstate plan under section 1267). Indian tribe has the meaning given in 25 U.S.C. 5304. Non-Federal interest means a State, a political subdivision of a State, an Indian tribe, a regional or interstate agency, or, as provided in section 2903(f)(2), a nongovernmental organization. Secretary means the Secretary of the Army. State means the States of Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Title 33, §2902

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(1)The term “Council” means the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council established by section 2904 of this title.

(2)The term “estuary” means a part of a river or stream or other body of water that has an unimpaired connection with the open sea and where the sea water is measurably diluted with fresh water derived from land drainage. The term also includes near coastal waters and wetlands of the Great Lakes that are similar in form and function to estuaries, including the area located in the Great Lakes biogeographic region and designated as a National Estuarine Research Reserve under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) as of November 7, 2000.

(3)The term “estuary habitat” means the physical, biological, and chemical elements associated with an estuary, including the complex of physical and hydrologic features and living organisms within the estuary and associated ecosystems.

(4)(A)The term “estuary habitat restoration activity” means an activity that results in improving degraded estuaries or estuary habitat or creating estuary habitat (including both physical and functional restoration), with the goal of attaining a self-sustaining system integrated into the surrounding landscape.

(B)The term “estuary habitat restoration activity” includes—

(i)the reestablishment of chemical, physical, hydrologic, and biological features and components associated with an estuary;

(ii)except as provided in subparagraph (C), the cleanup of pollution for the benefit of estuary habitat;

(iii)the control of nonnative and invasive species in the estuary;

(iv)the reintroduction of species native to the estuary, including through such means as planting or promoting natural succession;

(v)the construction of reefs to promote fish and shellfish production and to provide estuary habitat for living resources; and

(vi)other activities that improve estuary habitat.

(C)The term “estuary habitat restoration activity” does not include an activity that—

(i)constitutes mitigation required under any Federal or State law for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by Federal or State law; or

(ii)constitutes restoration for natural resource damages required under any Federal or State law.

(5)The term “estuary habitat restoration project” means a project to carry out an estuary habitat restoration activity.

(6)(A)The term “estuary habitat restoration plan” means any Federal, State, or regional plan for restoration of degraded estuary habitat that was developed with the substantial participation of appropriate public and private stakeholders.

(B)The term “estuary habitat restoration plan” includes estuary habitat restoration components of—

(i)a comprehensive conservation and management plan approved under section 1330 of this title;

(ii)a lakewide management plan or remedial action plan developed under section 1268 of this title;

(iii)a management plan approved under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.); and

(iv)the interstate management plan developed pursuant to the Chesapeake Bay program under section 1267 of this title.

(7)The term “Indian tribe” has the meaning given such term by section 5304 of title 25.

(8)The term “non-Federal interest” means a State, a political subdivision of a State, an Indian tribe, a regional or interstate agency, or, as provided in section 2903(f)(2) of this title, a nongovernmental organization.

(9)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Army.

(10)The term “State” means the States of Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, referred to in pars. (2) and (6)(B)(iii), is title III of Pub. L. 89–454 as added by Pub. L. 92–583, Oct. 27, 1972, 86 Stat. 1280, as amended, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1451 et seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1451 of Title 16 and Tables.

Amendments

2007—Par. (6)(A). Pub. L. 110–114 substituted “Federal, State, or regional” for “Federal or State”.

§2902 Definitions