Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-110

§9702 National Integrated Flood Information System

Title 15 › CHAPTER 121 — FLOOD LEVEL OBSERVATION, OPERATIONS, AND DECISION SUPPORT › § 9702

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Create a National Integrated Flood Information System to give faster, clearer flood information so people can make better decisions and reduce flood harm and costs. The system must gather key flood data (like streamflow, reservoir releases, rain, soil moisture, snow water, land cover, and evaporative demand), make useful and timely flood forecasts, judge how severe floods are, and share this information at national, regional, and local levels. It must tell government decision makers (Federal, State, local, and Tribal) and the public about forecasts, conditions, and impacts. The system must also give data that shows how flood risk differs by place, coordinate federal research and monitoring, use existing programs and partnerships, improve seasonal and subseasonal weather and flood predictions, and keep researching flood prediction, flash‑flood warnings, extreme weather links, and how water moves over land. The Administrator may work with the private sector when it is appropriate and cost effective, form one or more academic partnerships, and use citizen scientist monitoring with best practices. The system should use NOAA programs that existed on December 27, 2022 (for example, the National Weather Service, the National Integrated Drought Information System, Regional Climate Centers, and the National Mesonet Program). It may also support USGS work to add rapid‑deployment and flood‑hardened stream gauges and more storm surge sensors. The Administrator must consult with relevant governments, research groups, and the private sector, and other Federal agencies must cooperate as needed.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §9702

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Administrator shall establish a system, to be known as the “National Integrated Flood Information System”, to better inform and provide for more timely decision making to reduce flood-related effects and costs.

(b)System functions

The Administrator, through the National Integrated Flood Information System, shall—

(1)provide an effective flood early warning system that—

(A)collects and integrates information on the key indicators of floods and flood impacts, including streamflow, reservoir release and diversion, precipitation, soil moisture, snow water equivalent, land cover, and evaporative demand;

(B)makes usable, reliable, and timely forecasts of floods;

(C)assesses the severity of flood conditions and effects;

(D)provides information described in subparagraph (A), forecasts described in subparagraph (B), and assessments described in subparagraph (C) at the national, regional, and local levels, as appropriate; and

(E)communicates flood forecasts, flood conditions, and flood impacts to appropriate entities engaged in flood planning, preparedness, and response and post-event flood extent, including—

(i)decision makers at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal levels of government; and

(ii)the public;

(2)provide timely data, information, and products that reflect differences in flood conditions among localities, regions, watersheds, and States;

(3)coordinate and integrate, through interagency agreements as practicable, Federal research and monitoring in support of the flood early warning information system provided under paragraph (1);

(4)use existing forecasting and assessment programs and partnerships;

(5)make improvements in seasonal precipitation and temperature, subseasonal precipitation and temperature, and flood water prediction; and

(6)continue ongoing research and monitoring activities relating to floods, including research activities relating to—

(A)the prediction, length, severity, and impacts of floods and improvement of the accuracy, timing, and specificity of flash flood warnings;

(B)the role of extreme weather events and climate variability in floods; and

(C)how water travels over and through surfaces.

(c)Partnerships

The Administrator, through the National Integrated Flood Information System, may—

(1)engage with the private sector to improve flood monitoring, forecasts, land and topography data, and communication, if the Administrator determines that such engagement is appropriate, cost effective, and beneficial to the public and decision makers described in subsection (b)(1)(E)(i);

(2)facilitate the development of 1 or more academic cooperative partnerships to assist in carrying out the functions of the National Integrated Flood Information System described in subsection (b);

(3)use and support monitoring by citizen scientists, including by developing best practices to facilitate maximum data integration, as the Administrator considers appropriate;

(4)engage with, and leverage the resources of, entities within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in existence as of December 27, 2022, such as the National Weather Service with respect to forecast and warning functions, the National Integrated Drought Information System, the Regional Climate Center, and the National Mesonet Program, to improve coordination of water monitoring, forecasting, and management; and

(5)engage with and support water monitoring by the United States Geological Survey—

(A)to improve the availability and continuity of streamflow data at critical locations through the deployment of rapid deployment gages and the flood-hardening of at-risk streamflow gauges; and

(B)to increase storm surge monitoring data through the deployment of additional storm surge sensors.

(d)Consultation

In developing and maintaining the National Integrated Flood Information System, the Administrator shall consult with relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies, research institutions, and the private sector.

(e)Cooperation from other Federal agencies

Each Federal agency shall cooperate as appropriate with the Administrator in carrying out this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 9702

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110