I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2616 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences 

to conduct a study on urban flooding, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 2, 2015 

Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. 

POLIS, and Mr. PAYNE) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition 

to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently 

determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to enter into an agreement with the 

National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on 

urban flooding, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Urban Flooding 

5 Awareness Act of 2015’’. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2616 IH

1 SEC. 2. URBAN FLOODING DEFINED. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In this Act, the term ‘‘urban 

3 flooding’’ means the inundation of property in a built envi4 ronment, particularly in more densely populated areas, 

5 caused by rain falling on increased amounts of impervious 

6 surface and overwhelming the capacity of drainage sys7 tems, such as storm sewers. 

8 (b) INCLUSIONS.—In this Act, the term ‘‘urban flood9 ing’’ includes— 

10 (1) situations in which stormwater enters build11 ings through windows, doors, or other openings; 

12 (2) water backup through sewer pipes, showers, 

13 toilets, sinks, and floor drains; 

14 (3) seepage through walls and floors; 

15 (4) the accumulation of water on property or 

16 public rights-of-way; and 

17 (5) the overflow from water bodies, such as riv18 ers and lakes. 

19 (c) EXCLUSION.—In this Act, the term ‘‘urban flood20 ing’’ does not include flooding in undeveloped or agricul21 tural areas. 

22 (d) PRIMARY FOCUS OF STUDY.—Although the defi23 nition of the term ‘‘urban flooding’’ in this section ac24 knowledges that flooding may be caused in part by the 

25 overflow of rivers or other bodies of water, the primary 

26 focus of the study under section 3 shall be on urban areas 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2616 IH

1 outside of special flood hazard areas, as that term is de2 fined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

3 SEC. 3. URBAN FLOODING STUDY. 

4 (a) AGREEMENT WITH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF

5 SCIENCES.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

6 Management Agency shall enter into an agreement with 

7 the National Academy of Sciences under which the Na8 tional Academy of Sciences will conduct a study on urban 

9 flooding in accordance with the requirements of this sec10 tion. 

11 (b) CONTENTS.— 

12 (1) GENERAL REVIEW AND EVALUATION.—In 

13 conducting the study, the National Academy of 

14 Sciences shall review and evaluate the latest avail15 able research, laws, regulations, policies, best prac16 tices, procedures, and institutional knowledge re17 garding urban flooding. 

18 (2) SPECIFIC ISSUE AREAS.—The study shall 

19 include, at a minimum, an examination of the fol20 lowing: 

21 (A) The prevalence and costs associated 

22 with urban flooding events across the United 

23 States, with a focus on the largest metropolitan 

24 areas and any clear trends in frequency and se25 verity over the past 2 decades. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2616 IH

1 (B) The adequacy of existing federally pro2 vided flood risk information and the most cost 

3 effective methods and products to identify, map, 

4 or otherwise characterize the risk of property 

5 damage from urban flooding on a property-by6 property basis, whether or not a property is in 

7 or adjacent to a 1-percent (100-year) flood 

8 plain, and the potential for training and certi9 fying local experts in flood risk characterization 

10 as a service to property purchasers and owners 

11 and their communities. 

12 (C) The causes of urban flooding and its 

13 apparent increase over the past 20 years, in14 cluding the impacts of— 

15 (i) global climate change; 

16 (ii) increasing urbanization and the 

17 associated increase in impervious surfaces; 

18 and 

19 (iii) undersized, deteriorating, and 

20 otherwise ineffective stormwater infrastruc21 ture. 

22 (D) The most cost-effective strategies, 

23 practices, technologies, policies, standards, or 

24 rules used to reduce the impacts of urban flood25 ing, with a focus on decentralized, easy-to-inVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jun 03, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2616.IH H2616

asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2616 IH

1 stall, and low-cost approaches, such as non2 structural and natural infrastructure on public 

3 and private property. The examination under 

4 this subparagraph shall include an assessment 

5 of opportunities for implementing innovative 

6 strategies and practices on government-con7 trolled land, such as Federal, State, and local 

8 roads, parking lots, alleys, sidewalks, buildings, 

9 recreational areas, and open space. 

10 (E) The role of the Federal Government 

11 and State governments, as conveners, funders, 

12 and advocates, in spurring market innovations 

13 based on public-private-nonprofit partnerships. 

14 Such innovations may include smart home tech15 nologies for improved flood warning systems 

16 connected to high-resolution weather forecast 

17 data and Internet- and cellular-based commu18 nications systems. 

19 (F) The most sustainable and effective 

20 methods for funding flood risk and flood dam21 age reduction at all levels of government, in22 cluding— 

23 (i) the potential for establishing a 

24 State revolving fund program for flood pre25 vention projects similar to the revolving 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2616 IH

1 fund programs under the Federal Water 

2 Pollution Control Act and the Safe Drink3 ing Water Act; 

4 (ii) stormwater fee programs using 

5 impervious surface as the basis for fee 

6 rates and providing credits for the installa7 tion of flood prevention or other 

8 stormwater management features; 

9 (iii) grant programs; and 

10 (iv) public-private partnerships. 

11 (G) Information and education strategies 

12 and practices, including nontraditional ap13 proaches such as the use of community colleges 

14 and social media, for community leaders, gov15 ernment staff, and property owners on— 

16 (i) flood risks; 

17 (ii) flood risk reduction strategies and 

18 practices; and 

19 (iii) the availability and effectiveness 

20 of different types of flood insurance poli21 cies. 

22 (H) The relevance of the National Flood 

23 Insurance Program and Community Rating 

24 System to urban flooding areas outside tradi25 tional flood plains, and strategies for improving 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2616 IH

1 compliance, broadening coverage, and increas2 ing participation under the programs. 

3 (I) Strategies for protecting communities 

4 in the lower elevations of a watershed or drain5 age area from the flooding impacts of develop6 ment in upstream communities, including a re7 view of— 

8 (i) potential standards for watershed9 wide flood protection planning; and 

10 (ii) cost-effective and equitable legal 

11 options for a downstream community when 

12 upstream communities act in a way that 

13 increases flooding downstream. 

14 (J) Cost-effective strategies for reducing 

15 infiltration/inflow into combined and separate 

16 sewer systems. 

17 (K) Opportunities to increase coordination 

18 between stormwater management programming 

19 under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

20 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) and flood risk man21 agement and mitigation programming under 

22 various laws, including the Robert T. Stafford 

23 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

24 (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and the National 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2616 IH

1 Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 

2 et seq.). 

3 (c) CONSULTATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

5 Federal Emergency Management Agency shall carry 

6 out this section in consultation with the Secretary of 

7 the Army (acting through the Chief of Engineers), 

8 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 

9 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

10 Agency, the Director of the United States Geological 

11 Survey, the Chief of the Natural Resources Con12 servation Service, the Administrator of the Small 

13 Business Administration, State, regional, and local 

14 stormwater management agencies, State insurance 

15 commissioners, and such other interested parties as 

16 the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man17 agement Agency considers appropriate. 

18 (2) COOPERATION.—The head of each Federal 

19 agency referred to in paragraph (1) shall cooperate 

20 with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

21 Management Agency in carrying out this section as 

22 requested by the Administrator. 

23 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Decem24 ber 31, 2016, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

25 Management Agency shall submit to the Committee on FiVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Jun 03, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2616.IH H2616

asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2616 IH

1 nancial Services and the Committee on Appropriations of 

2 the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

3 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee 

4 on Appropriations of the Senate a report containing the 

5 findings of the National Academy of Sciences based on 

6 the results of the study, including recommendations for 

7 implementation of strategies, practices, and technologies 

8 relating to urban flooding by Congress and the executive 

9 branch. 

Æ 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS