New MAPWaters Act Demands Feds Digitize All Waterway Access and Fishing Rules Within 5 Years

The new Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act of 2025, or the MAPWaters Act, is essentially a massive federal cleanup job for public water data. If you’ve ever tried to figure out exactly where you can launch a kayak, where the no-wake zones start, or what the fishing restrictions are on a federal reservoir, you know that information is currently scattered across a dozen different agency websites and PDFs. This bill aims to fix that.

The Digital Lifeline for Anglers and Boaters

At its core, the MAPWaters Act mandates that the Secretaries of Agriculture (Forest Service) and Interior (NPS, FWS, BLM, etc.) must standardize their data and publish comprehensive geospatial information online within five years. Think of it as creating a single, authoritative digital map for all federal waterways. This isn’t just about where the water is; it’s about the rules that govern its use.

Section 4 is where the rubber meets the road, requiring the agencies to publish data covering everything from seasonal closures and motorized propulsion restrictions (e.g., horsepower limits) to no-wake zones and anchoring restrictions. If you’re a weekend boater, this means no more guessing games about whether your runabout is legal on that lake, or if the area you’re entering is restricted to canoes only. For those who fish, the bill requires the same level of detail for Federal fishing restrictions, including the exact boundaries of no-take zones and catch-and-release requirements, with the promise of real-time updates when those rules change. That’s a huge win for avoiding accidental fines.

Standardizing the Paperwork

Before the data goes public, the agencies have 30 months to get their act together. Section 3 requires the two Secretaries to jointly develop and adopt interagency data standards. This ensures that when the Forest Service publishes data, it speaks the same digital language as the National Park Service. This move toward interoperability is critical for anyone building apps or tools that rely on this public information, meaning better third-party maps and navigation aids for the rest of us.

To make sure the data stays accurate, the bill requires the Secretaries to update the general waterway data at least twice per year and to create a public comment process for users to flag errors or ask questions. This means the people who actually use the waterways will have a direct line to the agencies managing the data.

What’s Not Changing (And Who’s Left Out)

Crucially, Section 7 makes it clear that this bill is purely about making information accessible—it doesn't actually change any existing laws. It explicitly states the Act does not modify the legal definition of “navigable waters,” nor does it change the power of federal or state agencies to manage fisheries or regulate those waters. If you had access to hunt or fish on a federal waterway before this bill, you still do; the bill just makes the rules clearer.

There are a couple of specific carve-outs worth noting. Section 4 specifies that this new data publication requirement does not apply to irrigation canals and flowage easements. For a farmer or a recreationist whose access relies on one of these specific water features, this means the information may remain fragmented or unavailable online, potentially creating an information gap compared to the rest of the federal waterways. Also, agencies are prohibited from publishing data that would disclose the location of historic, paleontological, or archaeological resources, which is standard practice to protect sensitive sites.

Finally, the bill authorizes the agencies to partner with non-Federal entities—like State and Tribal agencies, tech companies, and data experts—to get this massive digitization project done. This could speed up the process, but it also means the government will be relying heavily on outside help to deliver this new public service.