Biennial Federal Water Bill Set For Fall Adoption

Lt. Dennis Feazell, of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, rows his boat as he and a co-worker search flooded homes in Rainelle, W. Va., on June 25, 2016. (Steve Helber/AP)

The Senate has reauthorized the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in a unanimous Aug. 1  vote, green-lighting more than $9.8 billion in funding for water infrastructure projects across all 50 states and for more than 80 feasibility studies.

The WRDA reauthorization, issued every two years, essentially affirms that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have the money to continue to work on projects already underway and initiate new ones requested by Congress.

The House adopted its WRDA 359–13 on July 22. The Senate Environment & Public Works Committee and House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will conference to iron out differences and present both chambers with a common bill for adoption when Congress returns from its August recess.

“This bill addresses the diverse water resources needs of our nation and directs the Army Corps of Engineers to continue its work to make our communities more resilient in the face of extreme weather,” Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.) said in a statement.

The bill, S. 4367, is officially named ‘The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024’ to honor Carper, a former two-term governor of Delaware who is retiring after serving 24 years in the Senate.

There is a 14-page list of projects authorized by the measure. Among the highlights are higher appropriation top lines to support drinking water and wastewater projects, combat coastal erosion, replace canal bridges in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and develop a pilot project to contend with drought emergencies in California and Arizona.

“With today’s Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act, we’re supporting states like Arizona in preparing for and responding to drought conditions,” Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee Chair Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said.

“This bipartisan legislation includes provisions that will expedite critical Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure and flood control projects in Arizona,” he said. “I look forward to its swift enactment to better secure Arizona’s water future and support our communities.”

The massive WRDA, with its binders of projects and studies and other initiatives, can be difficult to weed through, but Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) provided a detailed outline of authorized Army Corps projects in her state to underscore the importance of the reauthorization to her constituents in a post-adoption “West Virginia Wins” press release.

She states that the WRDA will address areas harmed across West Virginia by the 2016 floods, sustain Upper Guyandotte River Basin water quality improvements, launch a flood-control project in Milton, modify the Bluestone Dam, and launch a flood-control feasibility study in the Kanawha River Basin.

In addition, Capito’s breakout notes that the WDRA adjusts the federal-state cost share for the Army Corps’ drinking water and wastewater projects in West Virginia, allowing local governments to request a lower share amount.

“By passing this legislation, the Senate took a significant step toward strengthening our water infrastructure, supporting our national economy, better protecting communities from flood risks, and helping the Corps carry out its mission now and in the future,” Capito said.