Water terms starting with N

73 terms

Name plate capacity Equipment rating as required by the purchaser.
Nameplate Power generation capacity of a generator that can be guaranteed under continuous operation.
Nanometer (millimicron) One millionth of a millimeter.
National disaster medical system A system designed to deal with extensive medical care needs in very large disasters or emergencies.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) A comprehensive federal law requiring analysis of the environmental impacts of federal actions such as the approval of grants; also requiring preparation…
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) NESDIS collects, processes, stores, analyzes, and disseminates various types of hydrologic, meteorologic, and oceanic data.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) NIOSH is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related disease and injury.
National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) The National Interagency Fire Center is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting.
National Monument An area designated by the President of the United States, under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, to protect objects of scientific and…
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's mission is to describe and predict changes in the Earth's environment, and conserve and wisely…
National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) The National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center. An organization under the National Weather Service Office of Hydrology (OH) that mainly deals…
National Park Service (NPS) The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and…
National Parks (U.S.) A large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) A federal permitting system controlling the discharge of effluents to surface water and regulated through the Clean Water Act, as Amended.
National Register of Historic Places A federally maintained register of districts, sites, buildings, structures, architecture, archeology, and culture.
National Response Center (NRC) Located at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the NRC is a 24-hour national communications center and the single point of contact for…
National Response Team (NRT) NRT consists of representatives from several Federal agencies including the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Bureau of Reclamation.
National System of MPAs The group of MPA sites, networks, and systems established and managed by federal, state, territorial, tribal, and/or local governments that collectively…
National Warning System (NAWAS) A dedicated, commercially leased, nationwide voice telephone warning system operated on a 24-hour basis, with a National Warning Center and an Alternate…
National Water Quality Assessment Program Describes current water quality conditions for a large part of the United States freshwater stream, rivers, and aquifers.
National Weather Service (NWS) The National Weather Service provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and…
Nationwide Rivers Inventory (NRI) The Nationwide Rivers Inventory is a listing of more than 3,400 free-flowing river segments in the United States that are believed to possess one or more…
Natural Control A stream gaging control which is natural to the stream channel, in contrast to an artificial control structure by man.
Natural floodway The channel of a water course and those portions of the adjoining flood plain which are reasonably required to carry a selected probability flood.
Natural frequency (f) The natural frequencies of a structure are the frequencies of free vibration. Free vibration is vibration that occurs in the absence of forced vibration.
Natural period of vibration (T) The period of vibration of a a structure is the time required for one cycle of the simple harmonic motion in one of these characteristic patterns (shapes).
Natural Science The sciences involved in the study of the physical world and its phenomena.
Naturalness Area which generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable.
Navigable waters Waters of the United States including: (a) All waters that are currently used, were used in the past, or may be susceptible to use in interstate or…
Navigation Methods Three basic methods of providing and managing inland waterways - 1) Run-of-the-River: no provision of upstream storage; 2) Slack-Water: locks and dams…
Neatlines (of structure) A line which defines the limits of work, such as an excavation, cut stone, etc.
Needle valve Any of a family of valves which regulate flow through the use of a needle moving into and out of an orifice.
Negative pressure Pressure within a pipe that is less than atmospheric pressure.
Neoprene A synthetic rubber with superior resistance to oils; often used as gasket and washer material.
Neotropic migrant (neotropical) A bird that migrates to tropical regions during the winter.
Nephelometric A means of measuring turbidity in a sample by using an instrument called a nephelometer.
Net capability The maximum load-carrying ability of the equipment, exclusive of station use, under specified conditions for a given time interval, independent of the…
Net cut The cut required, less the fill required, at a particular station or part of a road.
Net economic benefits Economic benefits less economic costs.
Net fill The fill required, less the cut required, at a particular station or part of a road.
Net Rainfall The portion of rainfall which reaches a stream channel or the concentration point as direct surface flow.
Network of MPAs A set of discrete MPAs within a region or ecosystem that are connected through complementary purposes and synergistic protections.
Neutron probe An instrument used to estimate soil moisture. Relates the rate of attenuation in pulsed neutron emissions to soil water content.
New York rod A leveling rod marked with narrow lines, ruler-fashion.
Newton A force which, when applied to a body having a mass of one kilogram, gives it an acceleration of one meter per second squared.
Nipple In anatomy, the small raised area in the center of the breast through which milk can flow to the outside.
No action alternative The projected baseline condition, or future without. The expected future condition if no action is taken (not necessarily the same as the present…
No jeopardy opinion U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) opinion that an action is not likely to jeopardize the continued…
No-Take Zones Areas in which all extractive activities are prohibited.
Nominal diameter An approximate measurement of the diameter of a pipe. Although the nominal diameter is used to describe the size or diameter of a pipe, it is usually not…
Nominal dollars Dollar value in the indicated year, not adjusted for inflation.
Nominal size The approximate dimension(s) of standard materials.
Non-potable Water that may contain objectionable pollution, contamination, minerals, or infective agents and is considered unsafe and/or unpalatable for drinking.
Non-reimbursable Cost of constructing, operating, or maintaining a Reclamation project that is borne by the Federal taxpayer and is not reimbursed by any other individual…
Non-uniform flow The velocity varies with position.
Non-utility generators (NUG's) Facilities for generating electricity that are not owned exclusively by an electric utility and which operate connected to an electric utility system.
Nonconsumptive water uses Water uses that do not substantially deplete water supplies, including swimming, boating, waterskiing, fishing, maintenance of stream related fish and…
Nonfirm commercial energy Energy periodically available for sale at lower than firm power rates. All energy which cannot be considered as firm.
Nonfirm power Power that is not available continuously and may be interruptible. This power may be marketed on a short-term basis.
Nonpoint source A contributing factor to water pollution that cannot be traced to a specific spot.
Nonpreference customer A customer excluded by law from preference in the purchase of federally produced electrical energy.
Nonterritorial communities Networks of associations around shared goals, values, and norms, such as the agricultural, environmental, or recreational community; also known as…
Nonutility power producer A corporation, person, agency, authority, or other legal entity or instrumentality that owns electric generating capacity and is not an electric utility.
Normal depth The depth of flow that would exist for a steady-uniform flow condition.
Normal loading conditions Loading conditions that occur or are anticipated to occur with some degree of regularity or frequency, as constrasted to unusual loading conditions such…
Normal Water Level (Normal Pool Level) For a reservoir with a fixed overflow, the lowest crest level of that overflow.
Normal water surface The highest elevation at which water is normally stored, or that elevation which the reservoir should be operated for conservation purposes.
Normal Water Surface Elevation (Normal Pool Level) The lowest crest level of overflow on a reservoir with a fixed overflow level (spillway crest elevation).
Normal Year A year during which the precipitation or stream flow approximates the average for a long period of record.
North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) A council formed in 1968 by the electric utility industry to promote the reliability and adequacy of bulk power supply in the electric utility systems of…
Notification The third of five Early Warning System components consisting of communicating alerts and warnings about an emergency condition at a dam to appropriate…
Nutrients Animal, vegetable, or mineral substance which sustains individual organisms and ecosystems.
NWSRFS V5.0, or Version 5 (National Weather Service River Forecast Model Version 5) The system of data entry, data preprocessing, and forecast programs which are used by RFCs. To make river forecasts, RFCs run NWSRFS V5.