Dive Brief:
- A bipartisan funding bill that would improve ports and harbors, inland waterways, flood and storm protection, and other water infrastructure passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Tuesday.
- The Water Resources Development Act of 2026 authorizes $14 billion over four years for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $16.5 billion over five years for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, along with 133 new feasibility studies for locally proposed water infrastructure projects.
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The legislation “is critical to helping communities build, maintain and improve this critical infrastructure, while growing our national and local economies,” the National League of Cities said in a June 30 letter to committee members.
Dive Insight:
Through WRDAs, Congress authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources infrastructure projects that originate at the local level. Congress has enacted a bipartisan WRDA every two years since 2014.
The 2026 bill includes policy changes to speed up water infrastructure projects, such as by giving local stakeholders more say in feasibility studies and helping them access Army Corps resources to get projects started. It also directs the Corps to establish offices with expertise on inland navigation, alternative delivery, water supply and technical assistance. This “will improve communication and partnership between the Corps and non-Federal sponsors,” according to the National Association of Counties.
American Water Works Association CEO David LaFrance said the bill is “a positive step toward strengthening the federal partnership needed to sustain safe and reliable water service.”
AWWA’s 2026 State of the Water Industry survey found that water professionals are concerned about their ability to keep up with aging infrastructure and climate disruptions. Communities will need to invest $2.1 trillion to $2.4 trillion over the next 25 years to replace aging drinking water infrastructure, comply with regulations, address cybersecurity threats and shore up resiliency, it concluded in a separate report.
In addition to advocating for this bill, NLC and other local government and water stakeholders are urging Congress to maintain supplemental five-year water infrastructure funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that is set to expire Sept. 30 and to reauthorize grant and technical assistance programs to address PFAS, lead pipes and other water infrastructure projects in fiscal year 2027.
“With the expiration of the infrastructure law funding and the President’s proposed FY27 cuts to water infrastructure programs, cities and states are facing a potential funding cliff when it comes to meeting local needs on drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure,” Carolyn Berndt, NLC legislative director, sustainability, wrote in a May 15 blog post.
