II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 558 

To establish a national integrated flood information system within the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 3, 2021 

Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mr. PETERS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish a national integrated flood information system 

within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Sup6 port Act’’ or the ‘‘FLOODS Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 558 IS

Sec. 3. National Integrated Flood Information System. 

Sec. 4. Observations and modeling for total water prediction. 

Sec. 5. Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of the National Weather Service. 

Sec. 6. Improving National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration communication of future flood risks and hazardous flash flood events. 

Sec. 7. Freshwater monitoring along the coast. 

Sec. 8. Tornado warning improvement. 

Sec. 9. Hurricane forecast improvement program. 

Sec. 10. Weather and water research and development planning. 

Sec. 11. Forecast communication coordinators. 

Sec. 12. Estimates of precipitation frequency in the United States. 

Sec. 13. Interagency Committee on Water Management and Infrastructure. 

Sec. 14. National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship program. 

Sec. 15. Identification and support of consistent, Federal set of forward-looking, long-term meteorological information. 

Sec. 16. Gap analysis on availability of snow-related data to assess and predict 

flood and flood impacts. 

Sec. 17. Availability to the public of flood-related data. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis4 trator’’ means the Administrator of the National 

5 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

6 (2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each 

7 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

8 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American 

9 Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

10 Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 

11 States, and any other territory or possession of the 

12 United States. 

13 SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED FLOOD INFORMATION SYS14 TEM. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish 

16 a system, to be known as the ‘‘National Integrated Flood 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 558 IS

1 Information System’’, to better inform and provide for 

2 more timely decision making to reduce flood-related effects 

3 and costs. 

4 (b) SYSTEM FUNCTIONS.—The Administrator, 

5 through the National Integrated Flood Information Sys6 tem, shall— 

7 (1) provide an effective flood early warning sys8 tem that— 

9 (A) collects and integrates information on 

10 the key indicators of floods and flood impacts, 

11 including streamflow, reservoir release and di12 version, precipitation, soil moisture, snow water 

13 equivalent, land cover, and evaporative demand; 

14 (B) makes usable, reliable, and timely fore15 casts of floods; 

16 (C) assesses the severity of flood conditions 

17 and effects; 

18 (D) issues flood watches and warnings 

19 when necessary; 

20 (E) provides information described in sub21 paragraph (A), forecasts described in subpara22 graph (B), and assessments described in sub23 paragraph (C) at the national, regional, and 

24 local levels, as appropriate; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 558 IS

1 (F) communicates flood forecasts, flood 

2 conditions, and flood impacts to public and pri3 vate entities engaged in flood planning, pre4 paredness, and response and post-event flood 

5 extent, including— 

6 (i) decision makers at the Federal, 

7 State, local, and Tribal levels of govern8 ment; 

9 (ii) the private sector; and 

10 (iii) the public; 

11 (2) provide timely data, information, and prod12 ucts that reflect differences in flood conditions 

13 among localities, regions, watersheds, and States; 

14 (3) coordinate and integrate, through inter15 agency agreements as practicable, Federal research 

16 and monitoring in support of the flood early warning 

17 information system provided under paragraph (1); 

18 (4) use existing forecasting and assessment pro19 grams and partnerships; 

20 (5) make improvements in seasonal precipita21 tion and temperature, subseasonal precipitation and 

22 temperature, and flood water prediction; and 

23 (6) continue ongoing research and monitoring 

24 activities relating to floods, including research activi25 ties relating to— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 558 IS

1 (A) the prediction, length, severity, and 

2 impacts of floods and improvement of the accu3 racy, timing, and specificity of flash flood warn4 ings; 

5 (B) the role of extreme weather events and 

6 climate variability in floods; and 

7 (C) how water travels over and through 

8 surfaces. 

9 (c) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Administrator, through the 

10 National Integrated Flood Information System, may— 

11 (1) engage with the private sector to improve 

12 flood monitoring, forecasts, land and topography 

13 data, and communication, if the Administrator de14 termines that such engagement is appropriate, cost 

15 effective, and beneficial to the public and decision 

16 makers described in subsection (b)(1)(F)(i); 

17 (2) facilitate the development of 1 or more aca18 demic cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying 

19 out the functions of the National Integrated Flood 

20 Information System described in subsection (b); 

21 (3) use and support monitoring by citizen sci22 entists, including by developing best practices to fa23 cilitate maximum data integration, as the Adminis24 trator considers appropriate; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 558 IS

1 (4) engage with, and leverage the resources of, 

2 entities within the National Oceanic and Atmos3 pheric Administration in existence as of the date of 

4 the enactment of this Act, such as the National 

5 Weather Service with respect to forecast and warn6 ing functions, the National Integrated Drought In7 formation System, the Regional Climate Center, and 

8 the National Mesonet Program, to improve coordina9 tion of water monitoring, forecasting, and manage10 ment; and 

11 (5) engage with and support water monitoring 

12 by the United States Geological Survey— 

13 (A) to improve the availability and con14 tinuity of streamflow data at critical locations 

15 through the deployment of rapid deployment 

16 gages and the flood-hardening of at-risk 

17 streamflow gauges; and 

18 (B) to increase storm surge monitoring 

19 data through the deployment of additional 

20 storm surge sensors. 

21 (d) CONSULTATION.—In developing and maintaining 

22 the National Integrated Flood Information System, the 

23 Administrator shall consult with relevant Federal, State, 

24 local, and Tribal government agencies, research institu25 tions, and the private sector. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 558 IS

1 (e) COOPERATION FROM OTHER FEDERAL AGEN2 CIES.—Each Federal agency shall cooperate as appro3 priate with the Administrator in carrying out this section. 

4 SEC. 4. OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING FOR TOTAL WATER 

5 PREDICTION. 

6 (a) PARTNERSHIPS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es8 tablish partnerships with 1 or more institutions of 

9 higher education (as defined in section 101 of the 

10 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) to 

11 evaluate observations that would improve total water 

12 prediction. 

13 (2) PRIORITY OBSERVATIONS.—In establishing 

14 partnerships under paragraph (1), the Administrator 

15 shall prioritize partnerships to evaluate observations 

16 from uncrewed aerial systems. 

17 (b) MAINTAINED OBSERVATIONS.—If the Adminis18 trator determines that incorporating additional observa19 tions improves total water prediction, the Administrator 

20 shall, to the extent practicable, continue incorporating 

21 those observations. 

22 (c) MODELING IMPROVEMENTS.—The Administrator 

23 shall advance geographic coverage, resolution, skill, and 

24 efficiency of coastal oceanographic modeling, including efVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S558.IS S558

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 558 IS

1 forts that improve the coupling of and interoperability be2 tween hydrological models and coastal ocean models. 

3 SEC. 5. SERVICE COORDINATION HYDROLOGISTS AT RIVER 

4 FORECAST CENTERS OF THE NATIONAL 

5 WEATHER SERVICE. 

6 (a) DESIGNATION OF SERVICE COORDINATION HY7 DROLOGISTS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 

9 Weather Service (in this section referred to as the 

10 ‘‘Director’’) shall designate at least 1 service coordi11 nation hydrologist at each River Forecast Center of 

12 the National Weather Service. 

13 (2) PERFORMANCE BY OTHER EMPLOYEES.— 

14 Performance of the responsibilities outlined in this 

15 section is not limited to the service coordination hy16 drologist position. 

17 (b) PRIMARY ROLE OF SERVICE COORDINATION HY18 DROLOGISTS.—The primary role of the service coordina19 tion hydrologist shall be to carry out the responsibilities 

20 required by this section. 

21 (c) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

23 consistent with the analysis described in section 409 

24 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation 

25 Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–25; 131 Stat. 112), 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 558 IS

1 and in order to increase impact-based decision sup2 port services, each service coordination hydrologist 

3 designated under subsection (a) shall, with respect 

4 to hydrology— 

5 (A) be responsible for providing service to 

6 the geographic area of responsibility covered by 

7 the River Forecast Center at which the service 

8 coordination hydrologist is employed to help en9 sure that users of products and services of the 

10 National Weather Service can respond effec11 tively to improve outcomes from flood events; 

12 (B) liaise with users of products and serv13 ices of the National Weather Service, such as 

14 the public, academia, media outlets, users in the 

15 hydropower, transportation, recreation, and ag16 ricultural communities, and forestry, land, fish17 eries, and water management interests, to 

18 evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the 

19 products and services of the National Weather 

20 Service; 

21 (C) collaborate with such River Forecast 

22 Centers and Weather Forecast Offices and Fed23 eral, State, local, and Tribal government agen24 cies as the Director considers appropriate in de25 veloping, proposing, and implementing plans to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 558 IS

1 develop, modify, or tailor products and services 

2 of the National Weather Service to improve the 

3 usefulness of such products and services; 

4 (D) engage in interagency partnerships 

5 with Federal, State, local, and Tribal govern6 ment agencies to explore the use of forecast-in7 formed reservoir operations to reduce flood risk; 

8 (E) ensure the maintenance and accuracy 

9 of flooding call lists, appropriate office flooding 

10 policy or procedures, and other flooding infor11 mation or dissemination methodologies or strat12 egies; and 

13 (F) work closely with Federal, State, local, 

14 and Tribal emergency and floodplain manage15 ment agencies, and other agencies relating to 

16 disaster management, to ensure a planned, co17 ordinated, and effective preparedness and re18 sponse effort. 

19 (2) OTHER STAFF.—The Director may assign a 

20 responsibility set forth in paragraph (1) to such 

21 other staff as the Director considers appropriate to 

22 carry out such responsibility. 

23 (d) ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 558 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 

2 service coordination hydrologist designated under 

3 subsection (a) may, with respect to hydrology— 

4 (A) work with a State agency to develop 

5 plans for promoting more effective use of prod6 ucts and services of the National Weather Serv7 ice throughout the State; 

8 (B) identify priority community prepared9 ness objectives; 

10 (C) develop plans to meet the objectives 

11 identified under subparagraph (B); and 

12 (D) conduct flooding event preparedness 

13 planning and citizen education efforts with and 

14 through various State, local, and Tribal govern15 ment agencies and other disaster management16 related organizations. 

17 (2) OTHER STAFF.—The Director may assign a 

18 responsibility set forth in paragraph (1) to such 

19 other staff as the Director considers appropriate to 

20 carry out such responsibility. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 558 IS

1 SEC. 6. IMPROVING NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOS2 PHERIC ADMINISTRATION COMMUNICATION 

3 OF FUTURE FLOOD RISKS AND HAZARDOUS 

4 FLASH FLOOD EVENTS. 

5 (a) ASSESSMENT OF FLASH FLOOD WATCHES AND

6 WARNINGS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

8 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis9 trator shall— 

10 (A) conduct an assessment of— 

11 (i) the flash flood watches and warn12 ings of the National Weather Service; and 

13 (ii) the information delivery to sup14 port preparation and responses to floods; 

15 and 

16 (B) submit to Congress a report on the 

17 findings of the Administrator with respect to 

18 the assessment required by subparagraph (A). 

19 (2) ELEMENTS.—The assessment required by 

20 paragraph (1)(A) shall include the following: 

21 (A) An evaluation of whether the watches, 

22 warnings, and information described in para23 graph (1)(A) effectively— 

24 (i) communicate risk to the general 

25 public; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 558 IS

1 (ii) inform action to prevent loss of 

2 life and property; 

3 (iii) inform action to support flood 

4 preparation and response; and 

5 (iv) deliver information in a manner 

6 designed to lead to appropriate action. 

7 (B) Subject to subsection (b)(2), such rec8 ommendations as the Administrator may have 

9 for— 

10 (i) legislative and administrative ac11 tion to improve the watches and warnings 

12 described in paragraph (1)(A)(i); and 

13 (ii) such research as the Adminis14 trator considers necessary to address the 

15 focus areas described in paragraph (3). 

16 (3) FOCUS AREAS.—The assessment required 

17 by paragraph (1)(A) shall focus on the following 

18 areas: 

19 (A) Ways to communicate the risks posed 

20 by hazardous flash flood events to the public 

21 that are most likely to result in informed deci22 sion making regarding the mitigation of those 

23 risks. 

24 (B) Ways to provide actionable geographic 

25 information to the recipient of a watch or warnVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S558.IS S558

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 558 IS

1 ing for a flash flood, including partnering with 

2 emergency response agencies, as appropriate. 

3 (C) Evaluation of information delivery to 

4 support the preparation for and response to 

5 floods. 

6 (4) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the assess7 ment required by paragraph (1)(A), the Adminis8 trator shall consult with— 

9 (A) individuals in the academic sector, in10 cluding individuals in the field of social and be11 havioral sciences; 

12 (B) other weather services; 

13 (C) media outlets and other entities that 

14 distribute the watches and warnings described 

15 in paragraph (1)(A)(i); 

16 (D) floodplain managers and emergency 

17 planners and responders, including State, local, 

18 and Tribal emergency management agencies; 

19 (E) other government users of the watches 

20 and warnings described in paragraph (1)(A)(i), 

21 including the Federal Highway Administration; 

22 and 

23 (F) such other Federal agencies as the Ad24 ministrator determines rely on watches and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 558 IS

1 warnings regarding flash floods for operational 

2 decisions. 

3 (5) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.—The 

4 Administrator shall engage with the National Acad5 emy of Sciences, as the Administrator considers nec6 essary and practicable, including by contracting with 

7 the National Research Council to review the sci8 entific and technical soundness of the assessment re9 quired by paragraph (1)(A), including the rec10 ommendations under paragraph (2)(B). 

11 (6) METHODOLOGIES.—In conducting the as12 sessment required by paragraph (1)(A), the Admin13 istrator shall use such methodologies as the Admin14 istrator considers are generally accepted by the 

15 weather enterprise, including social and behavioral 

16 sciences. 

17 (b) IMPROVEMENTS TO FLASH FLOOD WATCHES

18 AND WARNINGS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Based on the assessment re20 quired by subsection (a)(1)(A), the Administrator 

21 shall make such improvements to the watches and 

22 warnings described in that subsection as the Admin23 istrator considers necessary— 

24 (A) to improve the communication of the 

25 risks posed by hazardous flash flood events; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 558 IS

1 (B) to provide actionable geographic infor2 mation to the recipient of a watch or warning 

3 for a flash flood. 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS REGARDING RECOMMENDA5 TIONS.—In conducting the assessment required by 

6 subsection (a)(1)(A), the Administrator shall ensure 

7 that any recommendation under subsection (a)(2)(B) 

8 that the Administrator considers a major change— 

9 (A) is validated by social and behavioral 

10 science using a generalizable sample; 

11 (B) accounts for the needs of various de12 mographics, vulnerable populations, and geo13 graphic regions; 

14 (C) responds to the needs of Federal, 

15 State, local, and Tribal government partners 

16 and media partners; and 

17 (D) accounts for necessary changes to fed18 erally operated watch and warning propagation 

19 and dissemination infrastructure and protocols. 

20 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) WATCH; WARNING.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

23 subparagraph (B), the terms ‘‘watch’’ and 

24 ‘‘warning’’, with respect to a hazardous flash 

25 flood event, mean products issued by the NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S558.IS S558

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 558 IS

1 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

2 intended for use by the general public— 

3 (i) to alert the general public to the 

4 potential for or presence of the event; and 

5 (ii) to inform action to prevent loss of 

6 life and property. 

7 (B) EXCLUSION.—The terms ‘‘watch’’ and 

8 ‘‘warning’’ do not include technical or special9 ized meteorological and hydrological forecasts, 

10 outlooks, or model guidance products. 

11 (2) WEATHER ENTERPRISE.—The term 

12 ‘‘weather enterprise’’ has the meaning given that 

13 term in section 2 of the Weather Research and 

14 Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 

15 8501). 

16 SEC. 7. FRESHWATER MONITORING ALONG THE COAST. 

17 (a) DATA AVAILABILITY ASSESSMENT.—The Admin18 istrator shall assess the availability of short- and long19 term data on large-scale freshwater flooding into oceans, 

20 bays, and estuaries, including data on— 

21 (1) flow rate, including discharge; 

22 (2) conductivity; 

23 (3) oxygen concentration; 

24 (4) nutrient load; 

25 (5) water temperature; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 558 IS

1 (6) sediment load. 

2 (b) DATA NEEDS ASSESSMENT.—The Administrator 

3 shall assess the need for additional data to assess and pre4 dict the effect of the flooding and freshwater discharge 

5 described in subsection (a). 

6 (c) INVENTORY OF DATA NEEDS.—Based on the as7 sessments required by subsections (a) and (b), the Admin8 istrator shall create an inventory of data needs with re9 spect to the flooding and freshwater discharge described 

10 in subsections (a) and (b). 

11 (d) PLANNING.—In planning for the collection of ad12 ditional data necessary for ecosystem-based modeling of 

13 the effect of the flooding and freshwater discharge de14 scribed in subsections (a) and (b), the Administrator shall 

15 use the inventory created under subsection (c). 

16 SEC. 8. TORNADO WARNING IMPROVEMENT. 

17 Section 103 of the Weather Research and Fore18 casting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8513) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

21 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 

22 (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(c) INNOVATIVE OBSERVATIONS.—The Under Sec25 retary shall ensure that the program periodically examines 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 558 IS

1 the value of incorporating innovative observations, such as 

2 acoustic or infrasonic measurements, observations from 

3 phased array radars, and observations from mesonets, 

4 with respect to the improvement of tornado forecasts, pre5 dictions, and warnings.’’. 

6 SEC. 9. HURRICANE FORECAST IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. 

7 Section 104(b) of the Weather Research and Fore8 casting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8514(b)) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

11 inserting a semicolon; 

12 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

13 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(4) evaluating and incorporating, as appro16 priate, innovative observations, including acoustic or 

17 infrasonic measurements.’’. 

18 SEC. 10. WEATHER AND WATER RESEARCH AND DEVELOP19 MENT PLANNING. 

20 Section 105(2) of the Weather Research and Fore21 casting Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8515(2)) is 

22 amended by inserting ‘‘and flood-event’’ after ‘‘operational 

23 weather’’. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 558 IS

1 SEC. 11. FORECAST COMMUNICATION COORDINATORS. 

2 Section 1762(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 

3 (15 U.S.C. 8521(f)(1)) is amended, in the second sen4 tence, by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’. 

5 SEC. 12. ESTIMATES OF PRECIPITATION FREQUENCY IN 

6 THE UNITED STATES. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.—The term 

9 ‘‘Freely Associated States’’ means the Republic of 

10 Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 

11 Federated States of Micronesia, which have each en12 tered into a Compact of Free Association with the 

13 United States. 

14 (2) UNITED STATES.—The term ‘‘United 

15 States’’ means the 50 States of the United States, 

16 the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

17 Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, 

18 Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

19 Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associ20 ated States. 

21 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall establish 

22 a program, to be known as the ‘‘NOAA Precipitation Fre23 quency Atlas of the United States’’, to compile, estimate, 

24 analyze, and communicate the frequency of precipitation 

25 in the United States. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 558 IS

1 (c) FUNCTIONS.—The NOAA Precipitation Fre2 quency Atlas of the United States— 

3 (1) shall better inform the public and provide 

4 information on— 

5 (A) temporal and spatial distribution of 

6 heavy precipitation; 

7 (B) analyses of seasonality in precipitation; 

8 and 

9 (C) trends in annual maximum series data; 

10 and 

11 (2) may serve as the official source of the Fed12 eral Government on estimates of precipitation fre13 quency and associated information with respect to 

14 the United States. 

15 (d) REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 (1) COVERAGE.—The NOAA Precipitation Fre17 quency Atlas of the United States shall include such 

18 estimates of the frequency of precipitation in the 

19 United States as the Administrator determines ap20 propriate. 

21 (2) FREQUENCY.—Such estimates— 

22 (A) shall be conducted not less frequently 

23 than once every 10 years; and 

24 (B) may be conducted more frequently if 

25 determined appropriate by the Administrator. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 558 IS

1 (3) PUBLICATION.—Such estimates and meth2 odologies used to conduct such estimates shall be— 

3 (A) subject to an appropriate, scientific 

4 process, as determined by the Administrator; 

5 and 

6 (B) published on a publicly accessible 

7 website of the National Oceanic and Atmos8 pheric Administration. 

9 (e) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Administrator may partner 

10 with other Federal agencies, members of the private sec11 tor, academic cooperative partnerships, or nongovernment 

12 associations to assist in carrying out the functions de13 scribed in subsection (c). 

14 (f) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

15 Administrator may consult with relevant Federal, State, 

16 local, Tribal, and Territorial government agencies, re17 search institutions, and the private sector, as the Adminis18 trator determines necessary. 

19 (g) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

20 Administrator may coordinate with other Federal agen21 cies. 

22 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

24 from amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 558 IS

1 the Administrator to carry out this Act, $3,500,000 for 

2 each of fiscal years 2021 through 2030. 

3 SEC. 13. INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON WATER MANAGE4 MENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a com6 mittee, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Committee on 

7 Water Management and Infrastructure’’ (in this section 

8 referred to as the ‘‘Water Policy Committee’’). 

9 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Water Policy Committee 

10 shall be composed of the following members: 

11 (1) The Administrator. 

12 (2) The Secretary of the Interior. 

13 (3) The Administrator of the Environmental 

14 Protection Agency. 

15 (4) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

16 (5) The Secretary of Commerce. 

17 (6) The Secretary of Energy. 

18 (7) The Secretary of the Army. 

19 (8) The heads of such other agencies as the co20 chairs consider appropriate. 

21 (c) CO-CHAIRS.—The Water Policy Committee shall 

22 be co-chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the Ad23 ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 558 IS

1 (d) MEETINGS.—The Water Policy Committee shall 

2 meet not less frequently than 6 times each year, at the 

3 call of the co-chairs. 

4 (e) GENERAL PURPOSE AND DUTIES.—The Water 

5 Policy Committee shall ensure that agencies and depart6 ments across the Federal Government that engage in 

7 water-related matters, including water storage and sup8 plies, water quality and restoration activities, water infra9 structure, transportation on United States rivers and in10 land waterways, and water forecasting, work together 

11 where such agencies and departments have joint or over12 lapping responsibilities to— 

13 (1) improve interagency coordination among 

14 Federal agencies and departments on water resource 

15 management and water infrastructure issues; 

16 (2) coordinate existing water-related Federal 

17 task forces, working groups, and other formal cross18 agency initiatives, as appropriate; 

19 (3) prioritize managing the water resources of 

20 the United States and promoting resilience of the 

21 water-related infrastructure of the United States, in22 cluding— 

23 (A) increasing water storage, water supply 

24 reliability, and drought resiliency; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 558 IS

1 (B) improving water quality, source water 

2 protection, and nutrient management; 

3 (C) promoting restoration activities; 

4 (D) improving water systems, including 

5 with respect to drinking water, desalination, 

6 water reuse, wastewater, and flood control; and 

7 (E) improving water data management, re8 search, modeling, and forecasting; 

9 (4) improve interagency coordination of data 

10 management, access, modeling, and visualization 

11 with respect to water-related matters; 

12 (5) promote integrated planning for Federal in13 vestments in water-related infrastructure to enhance 

14 coordination and protect taxpayer investment; and 

15 (6) support workforce development and efforts 

16 to recruit, train, and retain professionals to operate 

17 and maintain essential drinking water, wastewater, 

18 flood control, hydropower, water delivery, and water 

19 storage facilities in the United States. 

20 (f) CROSS-AGENCY PRIORITY RESEARCH NEEDS.— 

21 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 

22 this Act, the Water Policy Committee shall develop and 

23 submit to Congress a list of research needs that includes 

24 needs for cross-agency research and coordination. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 558 IS

1 SEC. 14. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HYDROLOGIC RE2 SEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR.—The term 

5 ‘‘Assistant Administrator’’ means the Assistant Ad6 ministrator for Weather Services of the National 

7 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

8 (2) DECISION SUPPORT SERVICES.—The term 

9 ‘‘decision support services’’ means information, in10 cluding data and refined products, that supports 

11 water resources-related decision-making processes. 

12 (3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

13 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

14 meaning given that term in section 101 of the High15 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

16 (4) NOAA LINE OFFICES.—The term ‘‘NOAA 

17 line offices’’ means the following offices of the Na18 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 

19 (A) The National Ocean Service. 

20 (B) The National Environmental Satellite, 

21 Data, and Information Service. 

22 (C) The National Marine Fisheries Service. 

23 (D) The Office of Oceanic and Atmos24 pheric Research. 

25 (E) The Office of Marine and Aviation Op26 erations. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 558 IS

1 (b) HYDROLOGIC RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PRO2 GRAM.— 

3 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 

4 establish a hydrologic research fellowship program 

5 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘program’’) for 

6 qualified individuals. 

7 (2) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL.—For purposes of 

8 this section, a qualified individual is an individual 

9 who is— 

10 (A) a citizen of the United States; and 

11 (B) enrolled in a research-based graduate 

12 program, at an institution of higher education, 

13 in a field that advances the research priorities 

14 developed by the Assistant Administrator under 

15 paragraph (7), such as— 

16 (i) hydrology; 

17 (ii) earth sciences; 

18 (iii) atmospheric sciences; 

19 (iv) computer sciences; 

20 (v) engineering; 

21 (vi) environmental sciences; 

22 (vii) geosciences; 

23 (viii) urban planning; or 

24 (ix) related social sciences. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 558 IS

1 (3) AWARD GUIDELINES.—Fellowships under 

2 the program shall be awarded pursuant to guidelines 

3 established by the Assistant Administrator. 

4 (4) SELECTION PREFERENCE.—In selecting 

5 qualified individuals for participation in the pro6 gram, the Assistant Administrator shall give pref7 erence to applicants from historically Black colleges 

8 and universities and minority-serving institutions. 

9 (5) PLACEMENT.—The program shall support 

10 the placement of qualified individuals in positions 

11 within the executive branch of the Federal Govern12 ment where such individuals can address and ad13 vance the research priorities developed by the Assist14 ant Administrator under paragraph (7). 

15 (6) FELLOWSHIP TERM.—A fellowship under 

16 the program shall be for a period of up to 2 years. 

17 (7) FELLOWSHIP RESEARCH PRIORITIES.—The 

18 Assistant Administrator, in consultation with rep19 resentatives from the NOAA line offices, the United 

20 States Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency 

21 Management Agency, and the Army Corps of Engi22 neers, as appropriate, shall develop and publish pri23 orities for the conduct of research by fellows, which 

24 may include the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 558 IS

1 (A) Advance the collaborative development 

2 of a flexible community-based water resources 

3 modeling system. 

4 (B) Apply artificial intelligence and ma5 chine learning capabilities to advance existing 

6 hydrologic modeling capabilities. 

7 (C) Support the evolution and integration 

8 of hydrologic modeling within an Earth Systems 

9 Modeling Framework. 

10 (D) Improve visualizations of hydrologic 

11 model outputs. 

12 (E) Advance the state of coupled fresh13 water and salt water modeling and forecasting 

14 capabilities. 

15 (F) Advance understanding and process 

16 representation of water quality parameters. 

17 (G) Advance the assimilation of in-situ and 

18 remotely sensed observations and data. 

19 (H) Support the integration of social 

20 science to advance decision support services. 

21 (I) Develop methods to study groundwater 

22 sustainability and estimate the efficiency of re23 charge management. 

24 (c) DIRECT HIRING.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 558 IS

1 (1) AUTHORITY.—During fiscal year 2021 and 

2 any fiscal year thereafter, the head of any Federal 

3 agency may appoint, without regard to the provi4 sions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United 

5 States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of 

6 that title, to a position with the Federal agency a re7 cipient of a fellowship under the program who— 

8 (A) earned a degree from a program de9 scribed in subsection (b)(2)(B); 

10 (B) successfully fulfilled the requirements 

11 of the fellowship within the executive branch of 

12 the Federal Government; and 

13 (C) meets qualification standards estab14 lished by the Office of Personnel Management. 

15 (2) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITY.—The direct hire 

16 authority provided by this subsection shall be exer17 cised with respect to an individual described in para18 graph (1) not later than 2 years after the date on 

19 which the individual completed the fellowship under 

20 the program. 

21 SEC. 15. IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT OF CONSISTENT, 

22 FEDERAL SET OF FORWARD-LOOKING, LONG23 TERM METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION. 

24 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 558 IS

1 (1) EXTREME WEATHER.—The term ‘‘extreme 

2 weather’’ includes observed or anticipated severe and 

3 unseasonable atmospheric conditions, including 

4 drought, heavy precipitation, hurricanes, tornadoes 

5 and other windstorms (including derechos), large 

6 hail, extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding, sustained 

7 temperatures or precipitation that deviate substan8 tially from historical averages, and any other weath9 er event that the Administrator determines qualifies 

10 as extreme weather. 

11 (2) LONG-TERM.—The term ‘‘long-term’’ shall 

12 have such meaning as the Director of the National 

13 Institute of Standards and Technology, in consulta14 tion with the Administrator, considers appropriate 

15 for purposes of this section. 

16 (3) OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS.—The 

17 term ‘‘other environmental trends’’ means wildfires, 

18 coastal flooding, inland flooding, land subsidence, 

19 rising sea levels, and any other challenges relating to 

20 changes in environmental systems over time that the 

21 Administrator determines qualify as environmental 

22 challenges other than extreme weather. 

23 (b) IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT OF CONSISTENT, 

24 FEDERAL SET OF FORWARD-LOOKING, LONG-TERM ME25 TEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION.—The Administrator shall 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 558 IS

1 identify, and support research that enables, a consistent, 

2 Federal set of forward-looking, long-term meteorological 

3 information that models future extreme weather events, 

4 other environmental trends, projections, and up-to-date 

5 observations, including mesoscale information as deter6 mined appropriate by the Administrator. 

7 SEC. 16. GAP ANALYSIS ON AVAILABILITY OF SNOW-RE8 LATED DATA TO ASSESS AND PREDICT 

9 FLOOD AND FLOOD IMPACTS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in consulta11 tion with the Department of Agriculture, the Department 

12 of the Interior, and the Army Corps of Engineers, shall 

13 conduct an analysis of gaps in the availability of snow14 related data to assess and predict floods and flood im15 pacts, including data on the following: 

16 (1) Snow water equivalent. 

17 (2) Snow depth. 

18 (3) Snowpack temperature. 

19 (4) Snow and mixed-phase precipitation. 

20 (5) Snow melt. 

21 (6) Rain-snow line. 

22 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub24 mit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans25 portation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 558 IS

1 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

2 a report on— 

3 (1) the findings of the gap analysis required by 

4 subsection (a); and 

5 (2) opportunities for additional collaboration 

6 among Federal agencies to collect snow-related data 

7 to better assess and predict floods and flood im8 pacts. 

9 SEC. 17. AVAILABILITY TO THE PUBLIC OF FLOOD-RE10 LATED DATA. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall make 

12 flood-related data available to the public on the website 

13 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

14 (b) COST.—The Administrator may make the data 

15 under subsection (a) freely accessible or available at a cost 

16 that does not exceed the cost of preparing the data. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS