Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Upper Mississippi River Basin Protection Act - (Sec. 3) Declares that it is the policy of Congress that federal investments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin must be guided by sound science.

Title I: Sediment and Nutrient Monitoring Network - (Sec. 101) Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to establish a nutrient and sediment monitoring network for the Upper Mississippi River Basin as part of the Upper Mississippi River Stewardship Initiative.

(Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish guidelines for the effective design of data collection and storage 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; (2) inventory the sediment and monitoring efforts of governmental and nongovernmental entities for the purpose of creating a baseline understanding of overlap, data gaps, and redundancies and, on the basis of the inventory, integrate the monitoring efforts into the sediment and nutrient monitoring network; (3) collaborate with other public and private monitoring programs in establishing the network; and (4) report to Congress on the development of the network.

(Sec. 106) Directs the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a water resources assessment of the Basin.

Title II: Computer Modeling and Research - (Sec. 201) Requires the Director of the USGS, as part of the Initiative, to establish a computer modeling program to identify significant sources of nutrient and sediment in the Basin.

(Sec. 202) Requires the Director to establish an Internet-based system to provide information regarding: (1) programs designed to reduce sediment and nutrient loss in the Basin; (2) nutrient and sediment levels in the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries; and (3) successful sediment and nutrient reduction projects.

(Sec. 203) Requires the Director to provide to Congress and make available to the public: (1) an annual report regarding monitoring activities conducted in the Basin; and (2) a progress report every three years regarding modeling activities.

Title III: Authorization of Appropriations and Related Matters - (Sec. 301) Authorizes appropriations to: (1) USGS to carry out this Act, with one-third to be made available for the Cooperative Water Program and the remainder for the Hydrologic Networks and Analysis Program; and (2) National Research Council for the water resources assessment of the Basin.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov