The meeting was held in room 4145 of the Interior Building. Don Woodward, Temporary Chairman, called the meeting to order at 9:30 am. The members and guest attending the meeting were:

Mr. Stallings submitted a request for membership representing EASPE, Inc. The Subcommittee terms of reference require that members be government agencies or organizations that collect, analyze, disseminate or use precipitation, water use, streamflow, and related data as well as those that develop monitoring technology, guidelines, and (or) standards. Each member organization nominates a representative and alternate. Mr. Stallings expects the National Hydrologic Warning Council to nominate him as their representative.

The agenda for the meeting was reviewed and approved. The minutes of the first meeting of the Subcommittee held on January 14, 1999, were approved subject to a few editorial changes. The only substantive change to the draft minutes dated March 18, 1999, was the deletion of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the list of agencies that had submitted applications for membership. There was a consensus that we needed FEMA's participation.

Tom Yorke agreed to serve as Chairman of the Subcommittee with the stipulation that the Subcommittee will support the Streamgaging Task Force of the Advisory Committee on Water Information. Under the terms of reference, Tom will serve until September 30, 2000. Glenn Austin, the Vice Chair, will then become Chairman for the next two years.

Comments from members and guests:
Doug James discussed the 1999 Water and Watersheds program review. He also suggested that Steve Parker be invited to the next meeting to discuss the activities of the National Research Council related to water resources issues.

Jim Thomas distributed copies of the summary and recommendations of the recent NRC report, "Improving American River flood frequency analyses." He indicated that the report includes research needs related to flood frequency analyses.

Glenn Austin distributed a copy of the cover of the recent NOAA Service Assessment of the South Texas Floods, October 17-22, 1998. Glenn has contacted Larry Larsen, Executive Director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) concerning their participation in the Subcommittee. Subsequent to the meeting, Larry sent an email to Tom Yorke requesting membership on the Subcommittee and nominating Will Thomas as the ASFPM representative.

Don Woodward briefly summarized a Government Accounting Office (GAO) report on South Florida. The GAO report indicated that science is lagging in South Florida restoration program. Aquifer Storage and Recovery is the proposed solution for future water supply needs of South Florida. The price tag is about $8 million. The Subcommittee may be called on for a peer review.

Martin Becker circulated a copy of the 1966 House document that established the need for consistent flood frequency determinations and indicated the need for input from varied disciplines from the public and private sector.

Ron Spath thanked the members for advertising the recent FERC engineering and hydrology vacancy in their respective agencies. He also asked about the status of FloodWav and DamBreak, two models developed by the NWS. Glenn Austin indicated that FloodWav would be supported indefinitely because it will be used extensively by the NWS Advanced Hydrologic Prediction System. Ron also indicated that FERC is providing training for dam operators and owners and that some spaces may be available for Subcommittee members.

Action items:
The discussed three areas of emphasis for the Subcommittee in the next year: Flood frequency analysis, hydrologic models, and the streamgaging network.

Don Woodward and Martin Becker agreed to spearhead efforts to organize a flood frequency work group. They will draft terms of reference for the work group, develop a list of potential members, and prepare a list of suggested activities for the work group prior to the July meeting of the Subcommittee.

Ming Tseng, Don Frevert and Ron Spath will form a focus group for hydrologic modeling. They will develop a list of potential members and prepare a list of suggested activities to support and enhance hydrologic models.

Tom Yorke will continue to serve as Co-Chair of the ACWI Streamgaging Task Force, and he will use his roles on the Task Force and Subcommittee to foster a partnership for enhancing the Nation's streamgaging network. This will include active participation by Subcommittee members in analyzing the existing streamgaging network and preparing recommendations for an enhanced national network by December 2000.

Tom Yorke will contact Mike Buckley and Matt Miller about FEMA participating in the Hydrology Subcommittee.

Martin Becker will provide copies of the 1996 House document to all members at the next meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 am. The next meeting will be held on July 15, 1999.