---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 3931"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "3931"
heading: "National wetlands inventory project"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/3931"
units:
  - "Chapter 59 — Wetlands Resources"
  - "Subchapter IV — Wetlands Inventory and Trend Analysis"
---

# §3931. National wetlands inventory project

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1), acting through the Director of the United States [Fish and Wildlife](/usc/16/3102.md?p=17) Service, shall continue the National [Wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) Inventory [Project](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-4) and shall—
  - (1) produce, by September 30, 1988, National [Wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) Inventory [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) for the [areas](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) that have been identified by the Service as top priorities for mapping, including—
    - (A) the entire coastal zone of the United States;
    - (B) floodplains of major rivers; and
    - (C) the Prairie Pothole region;
  - (2) produce, by September 30, 1998, National [Wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) Inventory [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) for those portions of the contiguous United States for which final [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) have not been produced earlier;
  - (3) produce, by September 30, 2000, National [Wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) Inventory [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) for Alaska and other noncontiguous portions of the United States;
  - (4) produce, by September 30, 1990, and at ten-year intervals thereafter, reports to update and improve the information contained in the report dated September 1982 and entitled “Status and Trends of [Wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) and Deepwater Habitat in the Coterminous United States, 1950’s to 1970’s”;
  - (5) produce, by April 30, 1990, a report that provides—
    - (A) an assessment of the estimated total number of acres of [wetland](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) habitat as of the 1780’s in the [areas](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) that now comprise each [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a); and
    - (B) an assessment of the estimated total number of acres of [wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) in each [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) as of the 1980’s, and the percentage of loss of [wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) in each [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) between the 1780’s and the 1980’s;
  - (6) produce, by September 30, 2004, a digital [wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) data base for the United States based on the final [wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) produced under this section; and
  - (7) archive and make available for dissemination [wetlands](/usc/16/3902.md?p=5) data and [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) digitized under this section as such data and [maps](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) become available.
- (b) **Notice—** The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) shall notify the appropriate [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) and local [units](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=4) of government at such time as he proposes to begin [map](/usc/16/430f–7.md?p=1) preparation under [subsection (a)](#a) in an [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A). Such notice shall include, but is not limited to, the identification of the [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) to be mapped, the proposed schedule for completion, and the identification of a source for further information.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 99–645, title IV, § 401, Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3588; Pub. L. 101–233, § 18, Dec. 13, 1989, 103 Stat. 1978; Pub. L. 102–440, title III, § 305, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2235.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1992—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 102–440, § 305(1), substituted “by September 30, 2000” for “as soon as practicable”.

Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 102–440, § 305(2), which directed amendment of par. (4) by substituting a semicolon for “. And”, was executed by making the substitution for “. and”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (a)(6), (7). Pub. L. 102–440, § 305(3), (4), added pars. (6) and (7).

1989—Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 101–233 added par. (5).