§3303 Inventory and Inspection of Levees

Summary

Create and keep a national levee database not later than 1 year after December 16, 2016. The database must list where all Federal levees are (including GIS data) and include updates from States, regional districts, tribes, Federal agencies, and others. It must note the general condition of each levee and estimate how many buildings and people the levee protects and would be at risk if the levee failed or was overtopped. All of the database must be available to appropriate Federal, State, regional, tribal, and local agencies. The location data and other items the Secretary chooses must be available to the public. The Secretary must make an inventory and inspect levees: federally owned and operated levees at Federal expense; federally constructed but non‑Federal operated levees at the project’s original cost share; and non‑Federal levees whose owners join the emergency response program, if the owner asks, with the Federal share being 65 percent. The Secretary must do a one-time inventory and review of all levees in the database. That review does not create a Federal duty to build, operate, or maintain a levee. The Secretary must use the levee safety action classification criteria to flag levees needing more thorough inspection. States, regional districts, and tribes may join reviews on request and receive location, construction, operation, and maintenance information. A levee inspected by a State, regional district, or tribe using the same method during the 1-year period immediately preceding June 10, 2014 may be exempt if the State or tribal leader asks. For each levee inventoried or reviewed, the Secretary must identify engineering and maintenance problems, describe fixes, and, if a non‑Federal owner asks, give cost estimates. The Secretary must consult with and allow comment from relevant non‑Federal parties.