The CRS 'big natural resource/water guns' - Anna E. Normand, Nicole T. Carter, Charles V. Stern, Eva Lipiec, Mariel J. Murray and Pervaze A. Sheikh - have teamed up to assemble this important document (1 March 2023): 'Water Resource Issues in the 118th Congress.'
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Summary
Congress has long demonstrated interest in water resource issues; over time, it has enacted hundreds of water-related federal laws and authorized thousands of projects with purposes such as navigation, flood control, and water storage, among others. Congress also has directed federal agencies to perform various scientific activities to improve understanding and forecasts of water resources. Federal activities in these areas include monitoring and forecasting water flows, quality, and availability; responding to extreme events such as droughts and floods; designing and constructing water resource infrastructure; restoring aquatic ecosystems; and conducting oversight of federal management of water resources. The 118th Congress may consider existing challenges related to overlaps and gaps in federal water resource infrastructure and science activities. It also may consider issues regarding coordination and consistency among federal programs. In addition, Congress may consider funding levels and priorities for federal water resource project investments and water resource-related science.Development and economic pressures, hydrologic events (e.g., droughts, floods), and other concerns—aquatic invasive species, land-use change, and climate change, among other issues—have increased stakeholder interest in water science and water resource development. Many stakeholders have expressed interest in (1) federal financial and technical assistance for constructing new water resource infrastructure (e.g., storm-surge gates, water storage) at various locations and (2) new types of projects (e.g., nature-based flood and drought risk reduction). In addition, some stakeholders and Members of Congress have called for improved management of available water supplies through advances in water science (e.g., monitoring and modeling) and operational changes. Operation and maintenance needs of the nation’s vast water resource infrastructure, including rehabilitation and repair of aging projects, also draw congressional attention and encompass a sizable portion of some water resource agency budgets.
The 118th Congress may be interested in the authorization, funding, and activities of the water resource development and science agencies. Congress directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE, in the Department of Defense) or the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation, in the Department of the Interior) to undertake various water resource project and assistance activities, including the planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of most federally owned water resource projects. Other federal agencies also own and operate water resource projects (e.g., the Tennessee Valley Authority). Congress has tasked various federal agencies—including the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), among others—with water resource research, monitoring, and forecasting activities.
The 118th Congress also may focus on crosscutting water resource and related science topics, including the following:
The federal response to drought, particularly in the Colorado River Basin
Oversight of agency implementation of new authorities and supplemental funding enacted in the 117th Congress, including for tribal water resource issues, dam safety, and maintenance of existing water infrastructure
Advances in water science and technology to observe, forecast, and respond to droughts, floods, and other climate events
The expansion of water supplies, including through new technologies, updated operations, and new construction
Improvements in ecosystem resilience by restoring aquatic ecosystems and using natural and nature-based infrastructure
Introduction
Congress has long demonstrated interest in water resource issues. It has enacted hundreds of water-related federal laws and authorized thousands of water-related projects with purposes such as navigation, flood control, and water storage, among others. Congress also has directed federal agencies to perform various science activities to improve understanding and forecasts of water resources. Members of Congress can introduce legislation related to water resource issues, and congressional committees are involved in legislating, funding, and overseeing the water-related activities of federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), each of which has a distinct focus to its water work. Activities of various agencies listed in Table 1 include researching, monitoring, and forecasting water flows, quality, and availability; responding to extreme events such as droughts and floods; designing and constructing water resource infrastructure; restoring aquatic ecosystems; and conducting oversight over federal management of water resources. Federal involvement in water resource development and management and water science entails a complex web of agencies and authorities. The 118th Congress may consider existing challenges related to both overlaps and gaps in federal water resource infrastructure and related science activities. Congress also may consider coordination and consistency among federal water-related programs.
Development pressures, hydrologic events (e.g., droughts, floods), and other concerns—aquatic invasive species, land-use change, and climate change, among others—have increased stakeholder interest in water science and water resource development. Many stakeholders have expressed interest in (1) federal financial and technical assistance for constructing new water resource infrastructure (e.g., storm-surge gates, water storage) at various locations and (2) new types of projects (e.g., nature-based flood and drought risk reduction). In addition, some stakeholders and Members of Congress have called for improved management of available water supplies through advances in water science (e.g., monitoring, modeling) and operational changes. Operation and maintenance needs of the nation’s vast water resource infrastructure, including rehabilitation and repair of aging projects, also draw congressional attention and encompass a sizable portion of some water resource agency budgets.
Water resource policy deliberations of the 118th Congress may include the following:
Certain authorization issues (e.g., biennial consideration of a Water Resources Development Act [WRDA], reauthorization of appropriations for the National Integrated Drought Information System [NIDIS])
Oversight of agency implementation of new authorities and supplemental funding enacted in the 117th Congress, including for tribal water resource issues, dam safety, and maintenance of existing and aging infrastructure
Advances in water science and technology to observe, forecast, and respond to droughts, floods, other climate events, and water use demands
Expansion of water supplies and ecosystem resilience, including through new technologies, natural and nature-based infrastructure, updated operations, and new construction
This report addresses broad categories of water resource topics that the 118th Congress may consider. Responsibility for the development, management, protection, and allocation of the nation’s water resources is spread among federal, state, local, and tribal governments, as well as private interests. This report primarily focuses on federal activities related to water resource science, development, and management by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE),
Reclamation, the USGS, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The report also references other agencies with water resource-related responsibilities, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as part of a discussion of specific crosscutting topics.
Reclamation, the USGS, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The report also references other agencies with water resource-related responsibilities, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), as part of a discussion of specific crosscutting topics.
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