article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Definitions. Sec. 3. Reliance on scientific knowledge. TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK Sec. 101. Establishment of monitoring network. Sec. 102. Data collection and storage responsibilities. Sec. 103. Relationship to existing sediment and nutrient monitoring and assessment. Sec. 104. Collaboration with other public and private monitoring efforts. Sec. 105. Reporting requirements. Sec. 106. National research council assessment. TITLE II--COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH Sec. 201. Computer modeling and research of sediment and nutrient sources. Sec. 202. Communication plan to distribute information. Sec. 203. Reporting requirements. TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS Sec. 301. Authorization of appropriations. Sec. 302. Cost-sharing requirements. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Basin'' and ``Basin'' mean the watershed portion of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River basins, from Cairo, Illinois, to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, in the States of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. The designation includes the Kaskaskia watershed along the Illinois River and the Meramec watershed along the Missouri River. (2) The terms ``Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative'' and ``Initiative'' mean the activities authorized or required by this Act to monitor nutrients and sediment in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. SEC. 3. RELIANCE ON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE. Federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be guided by accepted and documented scientific methods, including the use of documented protocols for data collection and data analysis, and peer review of data, results, and findings, and shall take into account the results of studies using accepted and documented scientific methods to identify and quantify the sources, transport, and fate of nutrients and sediment and to quantify the effect of various treatment methods or conservation measures on nutrient and sediment management. TITLE I--SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING NETWORK SEC. 101. ESTABLISHMENT OF MONITORING NETWORK. (a) Establishment.--As part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a sediment and nutrient monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi River Basin for the purposes of-- (1) identifying and quantifying significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin; (2) quantifying the processes affecting mobilization, transport, and fate of those sediments and nutrients on land and in water; (3) quantifying the transport of those sediments and nutrients to and through the Upper Mississippi River Basin; (4) quantifying changes to sediment and nutrient concentrations and loads over time; and (5) coordinating with other Federal, State, tribal, and local agencies on the acquisition of data to be used in computer modeling of the Basin, pursuant to section 201. (b) Role of United States Geological Survey.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this title acting through the office of the Director of the United States Geological Survey. SEC. 102. DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE RESPONSIBILITIES. (a) Guidelines for Data Collection and Storage.--The Secretary of the Interior shall establish guidelines for the effective design of data collection activities regarding sediment and nutrient monitoring, for the use of suitable and consistent methods for data collection, and for consistent reporting, data storage, and archiving practices. (b) Release of Data.--Data resulting from sediment and nutrient monitoring and the compilation of ancillary information in the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall be released to the public using generic station identifiers and hydrologic unit codes. In the case of a monitoring station located on private lands, information regarding the location of the station shall not be disseminated without the landowner's permission. SEC. 103. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT. (a) Inventory.--To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of the Interior shall inventory the sediment and nutrient monitoring efforts in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act of Federal, State, tribal, local, and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps and redundancies. (b) Integration.--On the basis of the inventory, the Secretary of the Interior shall integrate the existing sediment and nutrient monitoring efforts, to the maximum extent practicable, into the sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101. (c) Consultation and Use of Existing Data.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary of the Interior shall make maximum use of data in existence as of the date of the enactment of this Act and of ongoing programs and efforts of Federal, State, tribal, local, and nongovernmental entities in developing the sediment and nutrient monitoring network required by section 101. (d) Coordination With Long-Term Estuary Assessment Project.--The Secretary of the Interior shall carry out this section in coordination with the long-term estuary assessment project authorized by section 902 of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-457; 33 U.S.C. 2901 note). SEC. 104. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER PUBLIC AND PRIVATE MONITORING EFFORTS. To establish the sediment and nutrient monitoring network, the Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate, to the maximum extent practicable, with other Federal, State, tribal, local and private sediment and nutrient monitoring and assessment programs that meet guidelines prescribed under section 102(a), as determined by the Secretary. SEC. 105. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The Secretary of the Interior shall report to Congress not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act on the development of the sediment and nutrient monitoring network. SEC. 106. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ASSESSMENT. The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences shall conduct a comprehensive water resources assessment of the Upper Mississippi River Basin within 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. TITLE II--COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH SEC. 201. COMPUTER MODELING AND RESEARCH OF SEDIMENT AND NUTRIENT SOURCES. (a) Modeling Program Required.--As part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall develop and implement a plan to improve existing water-quality models to identify and quantify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin at the subwatershed (12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code) scale. (b) Role.--Computer modeling shall be used to identify subwatersheds which are significant sources of sediment and nutrients and shall be made available for the purposes of targeting public and private sediment and nutrient management efforts. (c) Components.--Sediment and nutrient models for the Upper Mississippi River Basin shall-- (1) relate nutrient sources to landscape, land use, and land management practices; (2) relate sediment sources to landscape, land use, and land management practices; and (3) quantify river channel nutrient and sediment transport and transformation processes. (d) Collection of Ancillary Information.--Ancillary information shall be collected, by remote sensing or other appropriate means, in a GIS format to support modeling and management use of modeling results, including the following: (1) Land use data. (2) Soils data. (3) Elevation data. (4) Hydrologic modifications. (5) Information on sediment and nutrient management actions including conservation tillage practices and other Best Management Practices. (6) Estimates of loads of nutrients from point sources and key nonpoint sources, including commercial fertilizer, applications of manure, geologic sources, and atmospheric deposition. SEC. 202. COMMUNICATION PLAN TO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall establish a communication plan that includes use of the Internet to provide information including the following: (1) Accomplishments of public and private programs designed to manage sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. (2) Seasonal and annual concentrations and loads of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries. SEC. 203. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. (a) Monitoring Activities.--Commencing one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public an annual report that includes data and information on concentrations and loads of nutrients and sediment derived from monitoring activities conducted in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. (b) Modeling Activities.--Every five years, the Director of the United States Geological Survey shall provide to Congress and make available to the public a progress report assessing changes in nutrient and sediment concentrations and loads in relation to such factors as climate variability and changes in land and water management practices. TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. (a) United States Geological Survey Activities.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the United States Geological Survey $6,250,000 each fiscal year to carry out this Act (other than section 106). (b) Water Resource and Water Quality Management Assessment.--There is authorized to be appropriated $650,000 to allow the National Research Council to perform the assessment required by section 106. SEC. 302. COST-SHARING REQUIREMENTS. Funds made available for the United States Geological Survey Cooperative Water Program under section 301(a) shall be subject to the same cost-sharing requirements as specified in the last proviso under the heading ``United States Geological Survey--surveys, investigations, and research'' of the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (Public Law 109-54; 119 Stat. 510; 43 U.S.C. 50).
summary: Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act - Requires federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin to be guided by accepted and documented scientific methods and to take into account the results of studies using such methods to identify and quantify the sources, transport, and fate of nutrients and sediment and to quantify the effect of treatment methods or conservation measures on nutrient and sediment management. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, as part of an Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative and acting through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), to establish a nutrient and sediment monitoring network for the Basin. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish guidelines for related data collection and storage activities; (2) inventory the sediment and monitoring efforts of governmental, tribal, and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps, and redundancies; (3) integrate such monitoring efforts into the sediment and nutrient monitoring network; and (4) collaborate with other public, tribal, and private monitoring and assessment programs in establishing the monitoring network. Directs the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a water resources assessment of the Basin. Requires the Director of the USGS: (1) as part of the Initiative, to develop and implement a plan to improve existing water-quality models to identify and quantify significant sources of sediment and nutrients in the Basin at the subwatershed scale; (2) to establish a communication plan that includes use of the Internet to provide information on accomplishments of public and private programs designed to manage sediment and nutrients in the Basin and on seasonal and annual concentrations and loads of sediment and nutrients in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries; and (3) provide an annual report that includes information on concentrations and loads of nutrients and sediment derived from monitoring activities conducted in the Basin.