§2282h Economic, hydraulic, and hydrologic modeling

Summary

Create, update, and keep economic, hydraulic, and hydrologic models — including models for compound flooding — to help plan, design, change, and run water resources projects. The Secretary must work with Federal and State agencies, national labs, and nonprofit research groups (like universities and water or economics centers) and, as much as practical, with non-Federal project partners to find existing models and data and to use models or data those partners provide. If a non-Federal partner asks in writing, the Secretary must give draft or working models and any data the models make within 30 days. Final models and model data must be made public as quickly as possible, but no later than 30 days after a written request, in accordance with section 2342. The Secretary does not have to release information that is confidential, privileged, related to law enforcement or national or infrastructure security, personal, or otherwise barred by law. Model results should be used in feasibility studies and project operations when practical. The Secretary may transfer funds to partners to do this work only if Congress has provided the money in advance. A partnership under section 1962d–5b can let a non-Federal partner count models it develops, under the partnership rules, toward that partner’s cost share. Models made under this authority must be reviewed the same way as other models. Compound flooding — a flood caused by two or more drivers (for example, storm surge plus heavy rain) occurring together or close in time, with combined effects that can be worse than each alone. "Economic" (for models) — means evaluating a project’s benefits and costs for economic justification under section 1962–2.