,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ddfb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #f1 #bjbj,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself and ,mr4 ,peters7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to establish a national integrated flood information system within the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,flood ,level ,observation1 ,operations1 and ,decision ,support ,act or the ,,floods ,act4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4,sec4 #b4 ,definitions4,sec4 #c4 ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system4,sec4 #d4 ,observations and modeling for total water prediction4,sec4 #e4 ,service coordination hydrologists at ,river ,forecast ,centers of the ,national ,weather ,service4,sec4 #f4 ,improving ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration communication of future flood risks and hazardous flash flood events4,sec4 #g4 ,freshwater monitoring along the coast4,sec4 #h4 ,tornado warning improvement4,sec4 #i4 ,hurricane forecast improvement program4,sec4 #aj4 ,weather and water research and development planning4,sec4 #aa4 ,forecast communication coordinators4,sec4 #ab4 ,estimates of precipitation frequency in the ,united ,states4,sec4 #ac4 ,interagency ,coordinating ,committee on ,water ,management4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,state ,the term ,state means each ,state of the ,united ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the ,virgin ,islands of the ,united ,states1 and any other territory or possession of the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,under ,secretary ,the term ,under ,secretary means the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere4 #c4 ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system 7a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall establish a system1 to be known as the ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system1 to better inform and provide for more timely decision making to reduce flood-related effects and costs4 7b7 ,system functions ,the ,under ,secretary1 through the ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system1 shall-- 7#a7 provide an effective flood early warning system that-- 7,a7 collects and integrates information on the key indicators of floods and flood impacts1 including streamflow1 reservoir release and diversion1 precipitation1 soil moisture1 snow water equivalent1 land cover1 and evaporative demand2 7,b7 makes usable1 reliable1 and timely forecasts of floods2 7,c7 assesses the severity of flood conditions and effects2 7,d7 issues flood watches and warnings when necessary2 7,e7 provides information described in subparagraph 7,a71 forecasts described in subparagraph 7,b71 and assessments described in subparagraph 7,c7 at the national1 regional1 and local levels1 as appropriate2 and 7,f7 communicates flood forecasts1 flood conditions1 and flood impacts to public and private entities engaged in flood planning1 preparedness1 and response1 including-- 7i7 decision makers at the ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal levels of government2 7ii7 the private sector2 and 7iii7 the public2 7#b7 provide timely data1 information1 and products that reflect differences in flood conditions among localities1 regions1 watersheds1 and ,states2 7#c7 coordinate and integrate1 through interagency agreements as practicable1 ,federal research and monitoring in support of the flood early warning information system provided under paragraph 7#a72 7#d7 use existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships2 7#e7 make improvements in seasonal precipitation and temperature1 subseasonal precipitation and temperature1 and flood water prediction2 and 7#f7 continue ongoing research and monitoring activities relating to floods1 including research activities relating to-- 7,a7 the prediction1 length1 severity1 and impacts of floods and improvement of the accuracy1 timing1 and specificity of flash flood warnings2 7,b7 the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in floods2 and 7,c7 how water travels over and through surfaces4 7c7 ,partnerships ,the ,under ,secretary1 through the ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system1 may-- 7#a7 engage with the private sector to improve flood monitoring1 forecasts1 land and topography data1 and communication1 if the ,under ,secretary determines that such engagement is appropriate1 cost effective1 and beneficial to the public and decision makers described in subsection 7b77#a77;,f77i72 7#b7 facilitate the development of #a or more academic cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the functions of the ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system described in subsection 7b72 and 7#c7 use and support monitoring by citizen scientists1 including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum data integration1 as the ,under ,secretary considers appropriate4 7d7 ,consultation ,in developing and maintaining the ,national ,integrated ,flood ,information ,system1 the ,under ,secretary shall consult with relevant ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government agencies1 research institutions1 and the private sector4 7e7 ,cooperation from other ,federal agencies ,each ,federal agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the ,under ,secretary in carrying out this section4 #d4 ,observations and modeling for total water prediction 7a7 ,partnerships 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,under ,secretary shall establish partnerships with #a or more institutions of higher education 7as defined in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja77 to evaluate observations that would improve total water prediction4 7#b7 ,priority observations ,in establishing partnerships under paragraph 7#a71 the ,under ,secretary shall prioritize partnerships to evaluate observations from unmanned aerial systems4 7b7 ,maintained observations ,if the ,under ,secretary determines that incorporating additional observations improves total water prediction1 the ,under ,secretary shall1 to the extent practicable1 continue incorporating those observations4 7c7 ,modeling ,improvements ,the ,under ,secretary shall advance geographic coverage1 resolution1 skill1 and efficiency of coastal oceanographic modeling1 including efforts that improve the coupling of and interoperability between hydrological models and coastal ocean models4 7d7 ,geospatial data ,the ,under ,secretary shall advance the development of models to vertically transform geospatial data into a common system for use as the ,federal standard for surveys and mapping4 #e4 ,service coordination hydrologists at ,river ,forecast ,centers of the ,national ,weather ,service 7a7 ,designation of service coordination hydrologists 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,national ,weather ,service 7in this section referred to as the ,director7 shall designate at least #a service coordination hydrologist at each ,river ,forecast ,center of the ,national ,weather ,service4 7#b7 ,performance by other employees ,performance of the responsibilities outlined in this section is not limited to the service coordination hydrologist position4 7b7 ,primary ,role of ,service ,coordination ,hydrologists ,the primary role of the service coordination hydrologist shall be to carry out the responsibilities required by this section4 7c7 ,responsibilities 7#a7 ,in general ,subject to paragraph 7#b71 consistent with the analysis described in section #dji of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7,public ,law #aae-be2 #aca ,stat4 #aab71 and in order to increase impact-based decision support services1 each service coordination hydrologist designated under subsection 7a7 shall1 with respect to hydrology-- 7,a7 be responsible for providing service to the geographic area of responsibility covered by the ,river ,forecast ,center at which the service coordination hydrologist is employed to help ensure that users of products and services of the ,national ,weather ,service can respond effectively to improve outcomes from flood events2 7,b7 liaise with users of products and services of the ,national ,weather ,service1 such as the public1 academia1 media outlets1 users in the hydropower1 transportation1 recreation1 and agricultural communities1 and forestry1 land1 fisheries1 and water management interests1 to evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the products and services of the ,national ,weather ,service2 7,c7 collaborate with such ,river ,forecast ,centers and ,weather ,forecast ,offices and ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government agencies as the ,director considers appropriate in developing1 proposing1 and implementing plans to develop1 modify1 or tailor products and services of the ,national ,weather ,service to improve the usefulness of such products and services2 7,d7 engage in interagency partnerships with ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government agencies to explore the use of forecast-informed reservoir operations to reduce flood risk2 7,e7 ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding call lists1 appropriate office flooding policy or procedures1 and other flooding information or dissemination methodologies or strategies2 and 7,f7 work closely with ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal emergency management agencies1 and other agencies relating to disaster management1 to ensure a planned1 coordinated1 and effective preparedness and response effort4 7#b7 ,other staff ,the ,director may assign a responsibility set forth in paragraph 7#a7 to such other staff as the ,director considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility4 7d7 ,additional responsibilities 7#a7 ,in general ,subject to paragraph 7#b71 a service coordination hydrologist designated under subsection 7a7 may1 with respect to hydrology-- 7,a7 work with a ,state agency to develop plans for promoting more effective use of products and services of the ,national ,weather ,service throughout the ,state2 7,b7 identify priority community preparedness objectives2 7,c7 develop plans to meet the objectives identified under subparagraph 7,b72 and 7,d7 conduct flooding event preparedness planning and citizen education efforts with and through various ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government agencies and other disaster management-related organizations4 7#b7 ,other staff ,the ,director may assign a responsibility set forth in paragraph 7#a7 to such other staff as the ,director considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility4 7e7 ,placement with ,state and local emergency managers 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director may place a service coordination hydrologist designated under subsection 7a7 with a ,state or local emergency manager1 if the ,director determines that such placement is necessary or convenient to carry out this section4 7#b7 ,treatment ,if the ,director determines that the placement of a service coordination hydrologist with a ,state or local emergency manager under paragraph 7#a7 is near a ,river ,forecast ,center of the ,national ,weather ,service1 such placement shall be treated as designation of the service coordination hydrologist at such ,river ,forecast ,center for purposes of subsection 7a74 #f4 ,improving ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration communication of future flood risks and hazardous flash flood events 7a7 ,assessment of flash flood watches and warnings 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,under ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 conduct an assessment of-- 7i7 the flash flood watches and warnings of the ,national ,weather ,service2 and 7ii7 the information delivery to support preparation and responses to floods2 and 7,b7 submit to ,congress a report on the findings of the ,under ,secretary with respect to the assessment required by subparagraph 7,a74 7#b7 ,elements ,the assessment required by paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall include the following3 7,a7 ,an evaluation of whether the watches1 warnings1 and information described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7-- 7i7 communicate risk to the general public2 7ii7 inform action to prevent loss of life and property2 7iii7 inform action to support flood preparation and response2 and 7iv7 deliver information in a manner designed to lead to appropriate action4 7,b7 ,subject to subsection 7b77#b71 such recommendations as the ,under ,secretary may have for-- 7i7 legislative and administrative action to improve the watches and warnings described in paragraph 7#a77;,a77i72 and 7ii7 such research as the ,under ,secretary considers necessary to address the focus areas described in paragraph 7#c74 7#c7 ,focus areas ,the assessment required by paragraph 7#a77;,a7 shall focus on the following areas3 7,a7 ,ways to communicate the risks posed by hazardous flash flood events to the public that are most likely to result in informed decision making regarding the mitigation of those risks4 7,b7 ,ways to provide actionable geographic information to the recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood1 including partnering with emergency response agencies1 as appropriate4 7,c7 ,evaluation of information delivery to support the preparation for and response to floods4 7#d7 ,consultation ,in conducting the assessment required by paragraph 7#a77;,a71 the ,under ,secretary shall consult with-- 7,a7 such line offices of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration as the ,under ,secretary considers relevant1 including-- 7i7 the ,national ,ocean ,service2 7ii7 the ,national ,weather ,service2 and 7iii7 the ,office of ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,research2 7,b7 individuals in the academic sector1 including individuals in the field of social and behavioral sciences2 7,c7 other weather services2 7,d7 media outlets and other entities that distribute the watches and warnings described in paragraph 7#a77;,a77i72 7,e7 emergency planners and responders1 including ,state1 local1 and ,tribal emergency management agencies2 7,f7 other government users of the watches and warnings described in paragraph 7#a77;,a77i71 including the ,federal ,highway ,administration2 and 7,g7 such other ,federal agencies as the ,under ,secretary determines rely on watches and warnings regarding flash floods for operational decisions4 7#e7 ,national ,academy of ,sciences ,the ,under ,secretary shall engage with the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 as the ,under ,secretary considers necessary and practicable1 including by contracting with the ,national ,research ,council to review the scientific and technical soundness of the assessment required by paragraph 7#a77;,a71 including the recommendations under paragraph 7#b77;,b74 7#f7 ,methodologies ,in conducting the assessment required by paragraph 7#a77;,a71 the ,under ,secretary shall use such methodologies as the ,under ,secretary considers are generally accepted by the weather enterprise1 including social and behavioral sciences4 7b7 ,improvements to flash flood watches and warnings 7#a7 ,in general ,based on the assessment required by subsection 7a77#a77;,a71 the ,under ,secretary shall make such improvements to the watches and warnings described in that subsection as the ,under ,secretary considers necessary-- 7,a7 to improve the communication of the risks posed by hazardous flash flood events2 and 7,b7 to provide actionable geographic information to the recipient of a watch or warning for a flash flood4 7#b7 ,requirements regarding recommendations ,in conducting the assessment required by subsection 7a77#a77;,a71 the ,under ,secretary shall ensure that any recommendation under subsection 7a77#b77;,b7 that the ,under ,secretary considers a major change-- 7,a7 is validated by social and behavioral science using a generalizable sample2 7,b7 accounts for the needs of various demographics1 vulnerable populations1 and geographic regions2 7,c7 responds to the needs of ,federal1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal government partners and media partners2 and 7,d7 accounts for necessary changes to federally operated watch and warning propagation and dissemination infrastructure and protocols4 7c7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,watch2 warning 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 the terms watch and warning1 with respect to a hazardous flash flood event1 mean products issued by the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 intended for use by the general public-- 7i7 to alert the general public to the potential for or presence of the event2 and 7ii7 to inform action to prevent loss of life and property4 7,b7 ,exclusion ,the terms watch and warning do not include technical or specialized meteorological and hydrological forecasts1 outlooks1 or model guidance products4 7#b7 ,weather enterprise ,the term weather enterprise has the meaning given that term in section #b of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heja74 #g4 ,freshwater monitoring along the coast 7a7 ,data availability assessment ,the ,under ,secretary shall assess the availability of short- and long-term data on large-scale freshwater flooding into oceans1 bays1 and estuaries1 including data on-- 7#a7 flow rate1 including discharge2 7#b7 conductivity2 7#c7 oxygen concentration2 7#d7 nutrient load2 7#e7 water temperature2 and 7#f7 sediment load4 7b7 ,data needs assessment ,the ,under ,secretary shall assess the need for additional data to assess and predict the effect of the flooding and freshwater discharge described in subsection 7a74 7c7 ,inventory of data needs ,based on the assessments required by subsections 7a7 and 7b71 the ,under ,secretary shall create an inventory of data needs with respect to the flooding and freshwater discharge described in subsections 7a7 and 7b74 7d7 ,planning ,in planning for the collection of additional data necessary for ecosystem-based modeling of the effect of the flooding and freshwater discharge described in subsections 7a7 and 7b71 the ,under ,secretary shall use the inventory created under subsection 7c74 #h4 ,tornado warning improvement ,section #ajc of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heac7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsections 7c7 and 7d7 as subsections 7d7 and 7e71 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting after subsection 7b7 the following3 7c7 ,innovative observations ,the ,under ,secretary shall ensure that the program periodically examines the value of incorporating innovative observations1 such as acoustic or infrasonic measurements1 observations from phased array radars1 and observations from mesonets1 with respect to the improvement of tornado forecasts1 predictions1 and warnings4 4 #i4 ,hurricane forecast improvement program ,section #ajd7;b7 of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #head7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking 2 and and inserting a semicolon2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#d7 evaluating and incorporating1 as appropriate1 innovative observations1 including acoustic or infrasonic measurements4 4 #aj4 ,weather and water research and development planning ,section #aje7b7 of the ,weather ,research and ,forecasting ,innovation ,act of #bjag 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heae7b77 is amended by inserting and flood-event after operational weather4 #aa4 ,forecast communication coordinators ,section #agfb7;f77#a7 of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #heba7;f77#a77 is amended1 in the second sentence1 by striking may and inserting shall4 #ab4 ,estimates of precipitation frequency in the ,united ,states 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,freely ,associated ,states ,the term ,freely ,associated ,states means the ,republic of ,palau1 the ,republic of the ,marshall ,islands1 and the ,federated ,states of ,micronesia1 which have each entered into a ,compact of ,free ,association with the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,united ,states ,the term ,united ,states means the #ej ,states of the ,united ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1 ,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and the ,freely ,associated ,states4 7b7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,,noaa ,precipitation ,frequency ,atlas of the ,united ,states1 to estimate and communicate the frequency of precipitation in the ,united ,states4 7c7 ,functions ,the ,,noaa ,precipitation ,frequency ,atlas of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 shall better inform the public and provide information on-- 7,a7 temporal and spatial distribution of heavy precipitation2 7,b7 analyses of seasonality in precipitation2 and 7,c7 trends in annual maximum series data2 and 7#b7 may serve as the official source of the ,federal ,government on estimates of precipitation frequency and associated information with respect to the ,united ,states4 7d7 ,requirements 7#a7 ,coverage ,the ,,noaa ,precipitation ,frequency ,atlas of the ,united ,states shall include such estimates of the frequency of precipitation in the ,united ,states as the ,administrator determines appropriate4 7#b7 ,frequency ,such estimates-- 7,a7 shall be conducted not less frequently than once every #aj years2 and 7,b7 may be conducted more frequently if determined appropriate by the ,administrator4 7#c7 ,publication ,such estimates and methodologies used to conduct such estimates shall be-- 7,a7 subject to an appropriate1 scientific process1 as determined by the ,administrator2 and 7,b7 published on a publicly accessible website of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7e7 ,partnerships ,the ,administrator may partner with other ,federal agencies1 members of the private sector1 academic cooperative partnerships1 or nongovernment associations to assist in carrying out the functions described in subsection 7c74 7f7 ,consultation ,in carrying out this section1 the ,administrator may consult with relevant ,federal1 ,state1 local1 ,tribal1 and ,territorial government agencies1 research institutions1 and the private sector1 as the ,administrator determines necessary4 7g7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this section1 the ,administrator may coordinate with other ,federal agencies4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section1 from amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to the ,administrator to carry out this ,act1 #c1ejj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjcj4 #ac4 ,interagency ,coordinating ,committee on ,water ,management 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established a committee1 to be known as the ,interagency ,coordinating ,committee on ,water ,management 7in this section referred to as the ,committee74 7b7 ,membership ,the ,committee shall be composed of the following members3 7#a7 ,the ,under ,secretary4 7#b7 ,the ,assistant ,secretary for ,water and ,science of the ,department of the ,interior4 7#c7 ,the head of each of the following3 7,a7 ,the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency4 7,b7 ,the ,army ,corps of ,engineers4 7,c7 ,the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7,d7 ,the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy4 7,e7 ,the ,council on ,environmental ,quality4 7,f7 ,the ,department of ,energy4 7,g7 ,the ,department of ,agriculture4 7,h7 ,any other ,federal agency1 as the co-chairs consider appropriate4 7c7 ,co-,chairs ,the ,committee shall be co-chaired by the ,secretary of the ,interior and the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 7d7 ,meetings ,the ,committee shall meet not less frequently than once each year at the call of the co-chairs4 7e7 ,general purpose and duties ,the ,committee shall ensure that agencies across the ,federal ,government that engage in water-related matters1 including water storage and supplies1 water quality and restoration activities1 water infrastructure1 transportation on ,united ,states rivers and inland waterways1 and water forecasting1 work together where such agencies have joint or overlapping responsibilities to-- 7#a7 improve interagency coordination by ,federal agencies on water resource management and water-related infrastructure issues2 7#b7 coordinate and consolidate existing water-related ,federal task forces1 working groups1 and other formal cross-agency initiatives1 as appropriate2 7#c7 designate and consolidate repositories responsible for archiving and managing water-related matters2 7#d7 improve interagency coordination of data management1 access1 modeling1 and visualization with respect to water-related matters2 7#e7 conduct integrated planning for ,federal investments in water-related infrastructure2 and 7#f7 support workforce development and efforts to recruit1 train1 and retain professionals to operate and maintain essential water facilities in the ,united ,states4 7f7 ,cross-,agency priority research needs ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,committee shall develop and submit to ,congress a list of research needs that includes needs for cross-agency research and coordination4