Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, as Amended: An Act

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0 • Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, as amended AN ACT To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with States and local agencies in the planning and carrying out of larks of improvement for soil conservation. and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That erosion, floodwater, and sediment damages in the watersheds of the rivers and streams of the United States, causing loss of life and damage to property, constitute a menace to the national welfare; and that it is the sense of Congress that the Federal Government should cooperate with States and their political subdivisions, soil or water conservation districts, flood prevention or con- trol districts, and other local public agencies for the purpose of preventing such damages and of furthering the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water and thereby of preserving and protecting the Nation's land and water resources. SEC. 2. For the purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean: The " Secretary" - -the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States. "Works of improvement" - -any undertaking for- - (1) flood prevention (including structural and land - treatment measures) or (2) the conservation, development, utilization, and disposal of water in watershed or subwatershed areas not exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand acres and not including any single structure which provides more than five thousand acre - feet of floodwater detention capacity, and more than twenty -five thousand acre -feet of total capacity. No appropriation shall be made for any plan involving an estimated Federal contribution to construction costs in excess of $250,000, or which includes any structure which provides more than twenty -five hundred acre -feet of total capacity un- less such plan has been approved by resolutions adopted by the appropriate committees of the Senate and House of Representatives : Provided, That in the case of any plaza involving no single structure providing more than 4,000 acre -feet of total capacity the appropriate committees shall be the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and in the case of any plan involving any single structure of more than 4,000 acre -feet of total capacity the appropriate committees shall be the Committee on Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Public Works of the House of Representatives, respectively. A number of such subwatersheds when they are component parts of a larger watershed may be planned together when the local sponsoring organizations so desire. "Wcal organization" - -any State, political subdivision thereof, soil or water con- servation district, flood prevention or control district, or combinations thereof, or any other agency having authority under State law to csxry out, maintain and operate the works of improvement. SEC. 3. In order to assist local organizations in preparing and carrying out plans for works of improvement, the Secretary is authorized, upon application of local or- ganizations if such application has been submitted to, and not disapproved within 45 days by, the State agency having supervisory responsibility over programs provided for in this Act, or by the Governor if there is no State agency having such responsibility- - (1) to conduct such investigations and surveys as may be necessary to prepare plans for works of improvement; - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (P. L. 566, 83rd Cong., 68 Stat. 666; P. L. 1018, 84th Cong., 70 Stat. 1CM; P. L. 85 -624, 85th Cong., 72 Stat. 563; P. L. 85 -865, 85th Cong., 72 Stat. 1605.)