§2267b Post-disaster Watershed Assessments

Summary

The Secretary may run a watershed assessment in any area where the President declared a major disaster. The assessment must find, as much as possible, specific project ideas to reduce flood, hurricane, storm, ecosystem, or navigation damage and to make damaged places and infrastructure stronger for the future. The Secretary must use all existing watershed studies and other information from federal, state, or local sources, and may point out projects that are already being done. The Secretary should not make people redo parts of studies that were finished before the disaster. A watershed assessment must start no later than 2 years after the disaster declaration. The Secretary may carry out projects found in an assessment under the rules for existing Army Corps project authorities (Sections 205, 111, 206, 1135, 107, and Section 3 of the Act of August 13, 1946). If a project does not meet those rules, the Secretary must put a recommendation about it in the annual report to Congress required by section 2282d. All other rules that apply to projects under those Acts also apply here. For disasters in a U.S. territory declared before October 23, 2018, these activities are paid for entirely by the federal government unless the President decides the territory can pay without using loans. "Territory of the United States" means an insular area named in section 2310(a)(1).