§2282h Economic, Hydraulic, and Hydrologic Modeling

Summary

The Secretary must work with Federal and State agencies, National Laboratories, and nonprofit research groups to build, update, and keep economic, hydraulic, and hydrologic models (including models for compound flooding). These models are for planning, designing, changing, and running water projects. The Secretary must work with the non-Federal project partner to find existing models and data, use partner-provided models when helpful, and give draft or working models and any data to a non-Federal partner within 30 days after a written request. Final models and data must be made public, under section 2342, as quickly as possible and no later than 30 days after a written request. Confidential, privileged, law enforcement, national security, infrastructure security, personal, or legally protected information does not have to be shared. The Secretary may use model data in feasibility studies and operations, can move appropriated funds to partners to help make the models, may credit non-Federal-made models toward project cost shares under section 1962d–5b, and will review these models the same as other models. Definitions: Compound flooding — flooding caused by two or more drivers at the same time or close together. Economic (for models) — about measuring project costs and benefits for economic justification under section 1962–2.