Surveys and other activities
To provide charts and related information for the safe navigation of marine and air commerce, and to provide basic data for engineering and scientific purposes and for other commercial and industrial needs, the Secretary of Commerce, is authorized to conduct the following activities:
Hydrographic and topographic surveys;
Tide and current observations;
Geodetic-control surveys;
Field surveys for aeronautical charts;
Geomagnetic, seismological, gravity, and related geophysical measurements and investigations, and observations for the determination of variation in latitude and longitude.
Source
(Aug. 6, 1947, ch. 504, § 1, 61 Stat. 787; Pub. L. 86–409,Notes
Amendments
Transfer of Functions
Great Lakes Mapping
SHORT TITLE.
GREAT LAKES SHORELINE MAPPING PLAN.
Preparation of Plan.—
Not later than nine months after the date of the enactment of this subtitle [
Content of Plan.—
A plan prepared under paragraph (1) shall include—
a work proposal and a division of responsibilities between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Geological Survey;
a time schedule for completion of maps;
recommendation of funding needed for preparing the maps; and
an area mapping schedule, with first priority given to shoreline areas subject to a high risk of erosion or flooding.
PREPARATION OF GREAT LAKES SHORELINE MAPS.
In General.—
The [sic] following completion of a shoreline mapping plan under section 3202 and subject to authorization and appropriation of funds, the Director, in consultation with the Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall prepare maps of the shoreline areas of the Great Lakes.
Content of Maps.—
Maps prepared under this section—
shall include—
bathymetry of the nearshore area, to the extent that this area will affect coastal erosion and flooding;
topography of the adjacent shoreline, to the extent that this area will directly affect or be affected by coastal erosion and flooding;
the geological conditions of the nearshore area and shoreline to the extent that these areas will directly affect or be affected by coastal erosion and flooding;
information on the recent geological past of the nearshore area and shoreline areas described in paragraph (3); and
appropriate information for use in predicting and preventing damage caused by erosion and flooding in the Great Lakes;
shall be of appropriate scale and detail and take into account the greater informational needs of areas subject to a high risk of erosion or flooding; and
to the maximum extent practicable, shall be consistent with similar shoreline maps prepared by, or for the use of, the Government of Canada.
Consultation.—
In preparing maps under this section, the Director shall consult with, and take into consideration, the informational needs of—
the Army Corps of Engineers;
the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
other appropriate Federal agencies;
the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin;
appropriate local government units; and
the general public.
Availability of Maps.—
The Director shall make maps prepared under this section available to—
Federal agencies;
State governments;
local government units;
the Government of Canada; and
the general public.
Recovery of Costs.—
The costs of reproducing and distributing maps prepared under this section may be recovered under section 9701 of title 31, United States Code, or another law.
CONTRACT AUTHORITY.
DEFINITIONS.
“For purposes of this subtitle—
The term ‘Director’ means the Director of Charting and Geodetic Services of the National Ocean Service, within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The term ‘Great Lakes’ means Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair, Lake Superior, the Saint Mary’s River, the Saint Clair River, the Detroit River, the Niagara River, the Saint Lawrence River to the Canadian border, to the extent such lakes and rivers are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.
The term ‘high risk of erosion’ means subject to erosion at a rate greater than 1 foot per year.