§6873 Data consolidation and publication

Summary

Within 5 years after December 26, 2025, the Secretaries must digitize and put online GIS maps and data about Federal waterways. The maps must show where waterways are open or closed and the dates of seasonal closures. They must show areas with limits on engines, horsepower, or fuel; anchoring, no-wake, exclusion, danger, or speed zones; rules about travel direction; and which uses or craft are allowed or banned (for example, canoes and other paddlecraft, rafts, motorboats and personal watercraft, airboats, amphibious aircraft, hovercraft, motor vehicles on frozen water, oceangoing ships, swimming, and similar activities). The maps must also show access and navigation info like boat ramps, portages, and fishing access points with their open/closed dates, and bathymetry or depth charts when feasible. Fishing maps must show boundaries of closures and no-take zones, gear or bait limits, and catch-and-release rules. The agencies must provide a way for the public to send questions or comments about the restriction and access data. Restriction and access data must be updated at least twice a year, and fishing rules updated in real time. The rule excludes irrigation canals and flowage easements, and published data must not reveal information about historic, paleontological, or archaeological resources.