NLC and local leaders have been advocating Congress to take action on four key water priorities this year — infrastructure reauthorization, appropriations, water resources legislation and PFAS municipal liability protection.
Recently, House and Senate committees made progress on two of these priorities.
On July 14, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA, H.R. 9497). Leaders can view additional information about the Committee’s bill and NLC’s letter of support.
Furthermore, on July 15, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee unanimously passed its version of the bill, S. 4949. Leaders can view more information about the Committee’s bill on its website, and can also view NLC’s letter of support (PDF).
While both the House and Senate bills contain authorizations for flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects and studies under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, importantly, the Senate bill also contains language reauthorizing drinking water, wastewater and stormwater programs under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Keep reading for a look at what is in each Committee’s bill, and how local leaders can weigh in to get these bills across the finish line before the end of the year.
House Water Resources Development Act
The Water Resources Development Act is legislation that Congress typically passes on a biennial, bipartisan basis to improve the nation’s dams, levees, ports, harbors and inland waterways, and improve flood and storm risk management.
The House bill contains ten project authorizations (four new and six modifications to existing projects) and 131 new project studies. Additionally, the House bill includes nearly 200 new Environmental Infrastructure authorities and modifies 86 existing authorities. The Environmental Infrastructure requests effectively serve as congressional-directed spending.
Senate Water Resources Development Act
The Senate bill contains 15 project authorizations (eight new and seven modifications) and 61 feasibility studies (47 for new projects and 14 for modifications to existing projects). Additionally, the Senate bill includes 77 new Environmental Infrastructure authorities and modifies 27 existing authorities.
While some of the projects and studies are similar between the House and Senate bills, differences in the lists, wording or scope will be resolved during bill conference. States or communities with Army Corps projects should review the projects and studies lists in both bills.
One important policy difference between the bills is that the Senate bill includes reauthorization of key EPA water infrastructure funding and financing programs to help communities improve drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure. For example:
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund – increasing authorization recognizing the challenge communities face in complying with EPA regulations on PFAS and lead.
- FY27 – $3.75 billion (increase compared to current authorization level of $3.2 billion).
- FY28 – $4 billion
- FY29 – $4.25 billion
- FY30 – $4.5 billion
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund – $3.5 billion (increase compared to current authorization level of $3.2 billion).
- Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) – $65 million
- Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability program – $40 million (decrease compared to current authorization level of $50 million)
- Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability grants – $25 million
- Voluntary School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction grants – $50 million
- Reducing Lead in Drinking Water grants – $100 million
- Safe Water for Small and Disadvantage Communities grants – $140 million
- Enhanced Aquifer Use and Recharge – $5 million
- Water Infrastructure Workforce Development grants – $15 million (increase compared to current authorization level of $5 million)
- Sewer Overflow Control grants – $280 million
- Technical Assistance and Grants for Emergencies Affecting Public Water Systems – $26 million (increase compared to current authorization level of $15 million)
- Operational Sustainability of Small Public Water Systems – $50 million
- Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Projects – $5 million (decrease compared to current authorization level of $25 million)
Many of these priorities were outlined in NLC’s water infrastructure reauthorization letter (PDF) earlier this year. The authorization levels above are for each Fiscal Year 2027-2030 unless noted, and they represent level authorization compared to current authorization unless noted.
New programs in the Senate bill include:
- Establishing a program to encourage support and maintain the participation of water systems in the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (authorized at $10 million for each Fiscal Year 2027-2030).
- Establishing a pilot program to award grants to purchase and distribute point-of-use filtration systems to lower potential contaminants in drinking water (authorized at $10 million for each Fiscal Year 2027-2030).
- Establishing a Digital Infrastructure Technology grant program to assist water systems in a rural area or an area of a state that is experiencing critical water supply needs to design, construct or maintain digital infrastructure technology (authorized at $15 million for each Fiscal Year 2027-2030).
- Directing EPA to conduct a study on technologies that may assist water systems in the detection, characterization, capture and removal of microplastics.
Next Steps and Take Action
The timing for each Chamber to move their bill to the Floor is uncertain, although Congress is on track to pass the WRDA legislation before the end of the year.
House and Senate Committee leaders may begin an informal conference negotiation process before the bills come up for a vote on each Chamber’s floor.
Because the Senate bill includes EPA water reauthorization language, those provisions are part of the conference negotiations with the House. However, since neither the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee nor Energy and Commerce Committee — which have jurisdiction for EPA wastewater and drinking water programs, respectively — have produced reauthorization bills yet, conferencing those provisions could be challenging.
Local leaders have an important opportunity to help move the WRDA/water reauthorization language across the finish line this year by letting their Members of Congress know the water infrastructure programs that are important to their community.
Moreover, since reauthorization is just the first step toward securing annual appropriations funding, local leaders should also ask their Members of Congress to fund critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater programs for communities.
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