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(F) other related projects that may enhance 
the living resources of the Chattahoochee River 
Basin. 
(b) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in co-
operation with State and local governmental officials 
and affected stakeholders, shall develop a comprehen-
sive Chattahoochee River Basin restoration plan to 
guide the implementation of projects under subsection 
(a)(2). 
(2) COORDINATION.—The restoration plan de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum ex-
tent practicable, consider and avoid duplication of 
any ongoing or planned actions of other Federal, 
State, and local agencies and nongovernmental orga-
nizations. 
(3) PRIORITIZATION.—The restoration plan de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall give priority to 
projects eligible under subsection (a)(2) that will also 
improve water quality or quantity or use natural 
hydrological features and systems. 
(c) AGREEMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Before providing assistance 
under this section, the Secretary shall enter into an
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agreement with a non-Federal interest for the design 
and construction of a project carried out pursuant to 
the comprehensive Chattahoochee River Basin restora-
tion plan described in subsection (b). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Each agreement entered 
into under this subsection shall provide for— 
(A) the development by the Secretary, in 
consultation with appropriate Federal, State, 
and local officials, of a resource protection and 
restoration plan, including appropriate engi-
neering plans and specifications and an estimate 
of expected resource benefits; and 
(B) the establishment of such legal and in-
stitutional structures as are necessary to ensure 
the effective long-term operation and mainte-
nance of the project by the non-Federal interest. 
(d) COST SHARING.— 
(1) FEDERAL
SHARE.—Except as provided in 
paragraph (2)(B), the Federal share of the total 
project costs of each agreement entered into under this 
section shall be 75 percent. 
(2) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(A) VALUE OF LAND, EASEMENTS, RIGHTS- 
OF-WAY, AND RELOCATIONS.—In determining the 
non-Federal contribution toward carrying out an
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agreement entered into under this section, the 
Secretary shall provide credit to a non-Federal 
interest for the value of land, easements, rights- 
of-way, and relocations provided by the non-Fed-
eral interest, except that the amount of credit 
provided for a project under this paragraph may 
not exceed 25 percent of the total project costs. 
(B) 
OPERATION
AND
MAINTENANCE 
COSTS.—The non-Federal share of the costs of 
operation and maintenance of activities carried 
out under an agreement under this section shall 
be 100 percent. 
(e) COOPERATION.—In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall cooperate with— 
(1) the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, 
including— 
(A) the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency; 
(B) the Secretary of Commerce, acting 
through the Administrator of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration; 
(C) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service; and
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(D) the heads of such other Federal agencies 
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; 
and 
(2) agencies of a State or political subdivision of 
a State. 
(f) PROTECTION
OF RESOURCES.—A project estab-
lished under this section shall be carried out using such 
measures as are necessary to protect environmental, his-
toric, and cultural resources. 
(g) PROJECT CAP.—The total cost of a project carried 
out under this section may not exceed $15,000,000. 
(h) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section— 
(1) establishes any express or implied reserved 
water right in the United States for any purpose; 
(2) affects any water right in existence on the 
date of enactment of this Act; 
(3) preempts or affects any State water law or 
interstate compact governing water; or 
(4) affects any Federal or State law in existence 
on the date of enactment of this Act regarding water 
quality or water quantity. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$90,000,000.
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SEC. 406. LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN DEMONSTRA-
TION PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Lower 
Mississippi River Basin’’ means the portion of the Mis-
sissippi River that begins at the confluence of the Ohio 
River and flows to the Gulf of Mexico, and its tributaries 
and distributaries. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a program to provide assistance to non-Federal inter-
ests in the Lower Mississippi River Basin. 
(2) FORM.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The assistance under 
paragraph (1) shall be in the form of design and 
construction assistance for flood or coastal storm 
risk management or aquatic ecosystem restora-
tion projects in the Lower Mississippi River 
Basin, based on the comprehensive plan under 
subsection (c). 
(B) ASSISTANCE.—Projects under subpara-
graph (A) may include measures for— 
(i) sediment control; 
(ii) protection of eroding riverbanks 
and streambanks and shorelines; 
(iii) channel modifications;
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(iv) beneficial uses of dredged material; 
or 
(v) other related projects that may en-
hance the living resources of the Lower Mis-
sissippi River Basin. 
(c) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in co-
operation with State and local governmental officials 
and affected stakeholders, shall develop a comprehen-
sive Lower Mississippi River Basin plan to guide the 
implementation of projects under subsection (b)(2). 
(2) COORDINATION.—The plan described in 
paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, consider and avoid duplication of any ongo-
ing or planned actions of other Federal, State, and 
local agencies and nongovernmental organizations. 
(3) PRIORITIZATION.—To the maximum extent 
practicable, the plan described in paragraph (1) shall 
give priority to projects eligible under subsection 
(b)(2) that will also improve water quality, reduce 
hypoxia in the Lower Mississippi River or Gulf of 
Mexico, or use a combination of structural and non-
structural measures. 
(d) AGREEMENT.—
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eral interest, except that the amount of credit 
provided for a project under this paragraph may 
not exceed 25 percent of the cost to design and 
construct the project. 
(B) 
OPERATION
AND
MAINTENANCE 
COSTS.—The non-Federal share of the costs of 
operation and maintenance of activities carried 
out under an agreement under this section shall 
be 100 percent. 
(f) COOPERATION.—In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall cooperate with— 
(1) the heads of appropriate Federal agencies, 
including— 
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture; 
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Director of the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service; and 
(C) the heads of such other Federal agencies 
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate; 
and 
(2) agencies of a State or political subdivision of 
a State. 
(g) PROJECT CAP.—The total cost of a project carried 
out under this section may not exceed $15,000,000.
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(h) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate 
and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the House of Representatives a report that describes the 
results of the program under this section, including a rec-
ommendation on whether the program should be reauthor-
ized. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$90,000,000. 
SEC. 407. FORECAST-INFORMED RESERVOIR OPERATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 
carry out a research study pilot program at 1 or more dams 
owned and operated by the Secretary in the North Atlantic 
Division of the Corps of Engineers to assess the viability 
of forecast-informed reservoir operations in the eastern 
United States. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after completion 
of the research study pilot program under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of 
the Senate a report on the results of the study pilot pro-
gram.
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SEC. 408. MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAT SINKING UNIT. 
The Secretary shall expedite the replacement of the 
Mississippi River mat sinking unit. 
SEC. 409. SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO OKATIBBEE 
LAKE. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) there is significant shoreline sloughing and 
erosion at the Okatibbee Lake portion of the project 
for flood protection, Chunky Creek, Chickasawhay and 
Pascagoula Rivers, Mississippi, authorized by section 
203 of the Flood Control Act of 1962 (76 Stat. 1183), 
which has the potential to impact infrastructure, 
damage property, and put lives at risk; and 
(2) addressing shoreline sloughing and erosion at 
a project of the Secretary, including at a location 
leased by non-Federal entities such as Okatibbee Lake, 
is an activity that is eligible to be carried out by the 
Secretary as part of the operation and maintenance 
of the project. 
Attest: 
Secretary.