Cooperative Charting

"Cooperative Charting" refers to an agreement between the United States Power Squadrons and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the US Department of Commerce. The agreement was first executed in 1963 and revised in January 1971 and again in 1983. The current agreement is "...to produce accurate and up-to-date nautical and aeronautical charts and related products and to preserve geodetic control stations in the National Geodetic Reference System (NGRS) through the use of well-trained volunteer observers." 

The program is aimed at providing NOS (National Ocean Service, a NOAA division) with pertinent information about current conditions in waters charted by NOAA, especially those which are frequented by recreational boaters. NOAA is limited in providing their own hydrographic information because of budgetary constraints imposed by Congress in recent years. More cooperative charting (CoCh) information can be found at the members section of USPS. 

Thurmond Lake is a US Army Corp of Engineers' lake so TLS&PS inspects the buoys twice a year, spring and fall, to determine their condition and location. A report is provided to the COE after each inspections. It is great activity for our members and their guest. TLS&PS also reports any hazards found on the Lake. Contact Chuck Neilson, Cooperative Charting Chairman for additional information.

 

Buoy	Damaged Buoy	Tree Hazard	Recovering Hazard	Lost Buoy