Us Code § 9704 - Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of the National Weather Service
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 9704 — Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of the National Weather Service, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 9704. Service coordination hydrologists at River Forecast Centers of the National Weather Service
(a) Designation of service coordination hydrologists
(1) In general
The Director of the National Weather Service (in this section referred to as the "Director") shall designate at least 1 service coordination hydrologist at each River Forecast Center of the National Weather Service.
(2) Performance by other employees
Performance of the responsibilities outlined in this section is not limited to the service coordination hydrologist position.
(b) Primary role of service coordination hydrologists
The primary role of the service coordination hydrologist shall be to carry out the responsibilities required by this section.
(c) Responsibilities
(1) In general
Subject to paragraph (2), consistent with the analysis described in section 409 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–25; 131 Stat. 112), and in order to increase impact-based decision support services, each service coordination hydrologist designated under subsection (a) shall, with respect to hydrology—
(A) be responsible for providing service to the geographic area of responsibility covered by the River Forecast Center at which the service coordination hydrologist is employed to help ensure that users of products and services of the National Weather Service can respond effectively to improve outcomes from flood events;
(B) liaise with users of products and services of the National Weather Service, such as the public, academia, media outlets, users in the hydropower, transportation, recreation, and agricultural communities, and forestry, land, fisheries, and water management interests, to evaluate the adequacy and usefulness of the products and services of the National Weather Service;
(C) collaborate with such River Forecast Centers and Weather Forecast Offices and Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies as the Director considers appropriate in developing, proposing, and implementing plans to develop, modify, or tailor products and services of the National Weather Service to improve the usefulness of such products and services;
(D) engage in interagency partnerships with Federal, State, local, and Tribal government agencies to explore the use of forecast-informed reservoir operations to reduce flood risk;
(E) ensure the maintenance and accuracy of flooding call lists, appropriate office flooding policy or procedures, and other flooding information or dissemination methodologies or strategies; and
(F) work closely with Federal, State, local, and Tribal emergency and floodplain management agencies, and other agencies relating to disaster management, to ensure a planned, coordinated, and effective preparedness and response effort.
(2) Other staff
The Director may assign a responsibility set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.
(d) Additional responsibilities
(1) In general
Subject to paragraph (2), a service coordination hydrologist designated under subsection (a) may, with respect to hydrology—
(A) work with a State agency to develop plans for promoting more effective use of products and services of the National Weather Service throughout the State;
(B) identify priority community preparedness objectives;
(C) develop plans to meet the objectives identified under subparagraph (B); and
(D) conduct flooding event preparedness planning and citizen education efforts with and through various State, local, and Tribal government agencies and other disaster management-related organizations.
(2) Other staff
The Director may assign a responsibility set forth in paragraph (1) to such other staff as the Director considers appropriate to carry out such responsibility.
(Pub. L. 117–316, §5, Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4408.)
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Section 409 of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is section 409 of Pub. L. 115–25, title IV, Apr. 18, 2017, 131 Stat. 112, which is not classified to the Code.
About This Section
15 U.S.C. § 9704 is part of Title 15 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
This section may be cited in legal writing as 15 U.S.C. § 9704. For the most current official text, including any recent amendments, use the official source links below. Do not rely on this page as the sole authority for legal citation or litigation.
How to Read This Statute
Statutes are organized by title, chapter, section, and subsection. Pay attention to words like "shall," "may," "and," and "or," because they determine whether a requirement is mandatory or permissive and whether multiple conditions must all be met. Historical notes and amendments often appear at the end of a section.
Using This Page
This page is intended for research and educational use. Lawyers, students, journalists, and compliance professionals can use it as a starting point, but should always verify the current text through an official government source before relying on it for legal advice, filings, or compliance decisions.