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

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0 -3- of the local organization which retains or employs a professional engineer or engineers as aforesaid, the Secretary may advance such amounts as may be necessary to pay for such services, but such advances with respect to any works of improvement shall not ex- ceed 5 per centum of the estimated total cost of such works: Provided further, That, except as to the installation of works of improvement on Federal lands, the Secretary shall not construct or enter into any contract for the construction of any structure unless there is no local organization authorized by State lav to undertake such con- struction or to enter into such contract, and in no event after.July 1, 1956: Provided, That in participating in the installation of such works of improvement the Secretary, as far as practicable and consistent with his responsibilities for admivAstering the overall national agricultural program, shall utilize the authority conferred upon him by the provisions of this Act: Provided further, That whenever the estimated Federal contribution to the construction cost of works of improvement in any watershed or sub - watershed area shall exceed $250,000 or the works of improvement include any structure having a total capacity in excess of twenty -five hundred acre -feet, the Secretary shall transmit a copy of the plan and the justification therefor to the Congress through the President: Provided further, That any such plan involving an estimated Federal contri- bution to construction costs in excess of $250,000 or containing any structure having a total capacity in excess of twenty -five hundred acre -feet (a) which includes rec- lamation or irrigation works or which affects public or other lands or wildlife under the ,jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, or (b) which includes Federal assist- ance for floodwater detention structures, shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of the Army, respectively, for his views and recommendations at least thirty days prior to transmission of the plan to the Congress through the President. The views and recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of the Army, if received by the Secretary of Agriculture prior to the expi- ration of the above thirty -day period, shall accompany the plan transmitted by the Secretary of Agriculture to the Congress through the President: Provided further, That, prior to any Federal participation in the works improvement under this Act, the President shall issue such rules and regulations as he deems necessary or desirable to carry out the purposes of this Act, and to assure the coordination of the work authorized under this Act and related work of other agencies including the Department of the Interior and the Department of the Army. SEC. 6. The Secretary is authorized in cooperation with other Federal and with States and local agencies to make investigations and surveys of the watersheds of rivers and other waterways as a basis for the development of coordinated programs. In areas where the programs of the Secretary of Agriculture may affect public or other lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture in the planning and development of works or programs for such lands. SEC. 7. The provisions of the Act of June 22, 1936 (49 Stat. 15 70), as amended and supplemented, conferring authority upon the Department of Agriculture under the direc- tion of the Secretary of Agriculture to make preliminary examinations and surveys and to prosecute works of improvement for runoff and vaterflow retardation and soil erosion prevention on the watersheds of rivers and other waterways are hereby repealed: Pro- vided, That (a) the authority of that Department of Agriculture, under the direction of the Secretary, to prosecute the works of improvement for runoff and waterflow re- tardation and soil erosion prevention authorized to be carried out by the Department by the Act of December 22, 1944 (58 Stat. 887), as amended, and (b) the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to undertake emergency measures for runoff retardation and soil erosion prevention authorized to be carried out by section 7 of the Act of June 28, 1938 (52 Stat. 1215), as amended by section 216 of the Act of May 17, 1950 (64 Stat. 163), shall not be affected by the provisions of this section. SEC. 8. The Secretary is authorized to make loans or advancements to local organiza- tions to finance the local share of costs of carrying out works of improvement provided �P / / /J� Off" �GV/!9. o Fahm Iyo�6 / /4�ils�neJ;��p7`-i�.�•