WaterWired

CRS InFocus Report: 'Water Resources Development Acts - Primer'

Nicole T. Carter and Anna E. Normand updated (14 March 2023) this CRS InFocus report: 'Water Resources Development Acts - Primer'.

Download CRS_InFocus_WRDA_Primer_14MARCH2023

Here you go - all you ever wanted to know about WRDAs - in two pages! Many other CRS reports are mentioned. I have highlighted them so you can read them. If I missed some or misreferenced some, search here.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a Department of Defense agency that develops water resource projects, principally to improve navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems. Congress often considers, on a biennial schedule, omnibus legislation to authorize USACE water resource activities. Congress regularly refers to this legislation as a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDAs are distinguished from each other by the year of enactment (e.g., WRDA 1986). Authorization is generally a precondition for USACE activities to be eligible for federal appropriations.

WRDA provisions generally add to or amend existing USACE authorizations and provide congressional policy direction to the agency. Drivers for enactment of a new WRDA typically include nonfederal and congressional interest in new USACE studies and projects as well as adjustments to existing USACE projects, programmatic authorities, and policies. Events such as droughts and floods, along with congressional deliberations on infrastructure investments and other policy initiatives, may shape deliberations of USACE authorization legislation in the 118th Congress. 

Consideration and Enactment of WRDAs
Congress typically consolidates USACE authorization proposals into a WRDA bill rather than deliberating on multiple bills of smaller scope. Historically, most WRDA provisions have focused on USACE’s water resource activities; however, on some occasions, provisions have addressed the agency’s other responsibilities (such as its regulatory responsibilities).

WRDAs have been enacted as stand-alone bills (e.g., in 2000, 2007, and 2014) and as part of broader bills (e.g., in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022). WRDA 2022 was enacted in December 2022 as Title LXXXI of Division H of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023 NDAA; P.L. 117-263). For more on WRDA 2022, see CRS Insight IN11965, Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022).

USACE Activities and WRDA Authorizations
Although the three primary purposes of USACE studies and projects historically have been improving navigation, reducing flood risk, and restoring aquatic ecosystems, many USACE projects are multipurpose—that is, they might provide water supply storage, recreation, and hydropower, among other benefits, in addition to one or more of the three primary purposes. USACE is directly engaged in the planning and construction of water resource projects.

In WRDAs, Congress generally establishes a general framework and guidelines for implementing USACE water resource projects and activities (e.g., setting standard federal and nonfederal cost shares). WRDAs also authorize USACE to perform specific studies and projects. Most USACE water resource projects require two types of congressional authorization, which are provided at different points in time: (1) authority to study the feasibility of the project and (2) authority to construct (and operate and maintain, as applicable) the project. Authorizations for most USACE studies and projects are geographically specific (e.g., a flood risk reduction project for a specific community along a river or coast).

WRDAs also may adjust the required cost sharing for specific projects or activities, or they may authorize USACE to provide specific financial assistance. For example, in WRDAs since 1992, Congress has authorized USACE to assist with environmental infrastructure (e.g., design and construction assistance for municipal drinking water and wastewater infrastructure) in designated communities, counties, and states. For more on this assistance, see CRS Report R47162, Overview of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Infrastructure (EI) Assistance.

Authorization for a project or activity on its own is not sufficient for USACE to proceed; once Congress authorizes an activity in a WRDA, USACE must still receive funding for that activity (e.g., Investigation account funding to complete an authorized study). Congress provides appropriations for USACE through the annual Energy and Water Development appropriations process and, at times, through supplemental appropriations. Most USACE appropriations are directed toward specific USACE studies and projects authorized by Congress. For more on USACE funding, see CRS Report R46320,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Annual Appropriations Process, and CRS In Focus IF11945,U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Supplemental Appropriations.

Although most USACE authorizations do not expire, Congress has limited the duration of some WRDA provisions (e.g., a 10-year pilot program authorization). WRDA provisions may extend or remove the time limitations on these authorities. WRDA provisions also may rescind authority for (i.e., deauthorize) unconstructed projects or projects no longer serving their authorized purposes.

WRDA Development and Process to Propose Activities for Authorization
To develop WRDAs, the authorizing committees for USACE—the House Committee on Transportation andInfrastructure and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works—typically hold hearings to receive testimony from stakeholders, review reports transmitted by the Administration, and solicit input from Members. In Section 7001 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (WRRDA 2014; P.L. 113-121), Congress established a new process that may assist congressional authorizing committees in identifying USACE studies, projects, and project modifications for authorization. In Section 7001, as amended, Congress requires the Administration to transmit an annual report to the authorizing committees on publicly submitted USACE study and project proposals, along with USACE-developed project decision documents that require congressional authorization. WRDAs in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 drew upon Section 7001 reports as the basis for authorizing various geographically specific USACE activities. For more on the Section 7001 process, see CRS Insight IN11118, Army Corps of Engineers: Section 7001 Report on Future Studies and Projects.

Nonfederal Responsibilities
Although USACE projects authorized in WRDAs are federal projects, they often require nonfederal sponsors to share costs and assume other responsibilities. Nonfederal sponsors generally are required to provide land and other real estate interests needed for a project and to share study and construction costs. Most studies are cost shared 50% federal and 50% nonfederal. For various USACE project purposes, Congress has set standard cost shares for construction and for the nonfederal responsibilities following construction. For instance, Congress set the construction cost sharing for restoration projects at a fixed 65% federal and 35% nonfederal, unless otherwise specified. For most USACE flood control and restoration projects, nonfederal sponsors are 100% responsible for operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation costs.

Investing in USACE Backlogged Projects
Numerous activities authorized for construction in previous WRDAs remain unfunded. USACE has a construction backlog exceeding $100 billion, as well as numerous authorized but unfunded studies and operation and maintenance activities. Nonfederal sponsors often remain interested in pursuing these unfunded studies and construction activities. A challenge for federal policymakers is whether, and if so how, to advance these projects. One way is to expand opportunities for greater nonfederal roles in development, construction, and financing of backlogged projects. In WRRDA 2014, WRDA 2016 (Title I of P.L. 114-322, Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act [WIIN Act]), and WRDA 2018 (Title I of P.L. 115-270, America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 [AWIA 2018]), Congress expanded the opportunities for interested nonfederal entities, including private entities, to advance authorized studies and projects.

Another option to facilitate project construction is to expand project financing opportunities. In WRRDA 2014, Congress authorized the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). WIFIA includes authority for both USACE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to implement programs to provide credit assistance (i.e., direct loans or loan guarantees) for various types of water projects. For USACE, WIFIA authorizes the agency to financially assist a broad range of water resource projects, potentially including some projects in the USACE construction backlog. Since FY2021, when Congress created an account for USACE to initiate its WIFIA program―the Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP)―Congress has limited CWIFP financial assistance to safety projects for nonfederally owned dams, a project type that is not part of the USACE construction backlog. For more on CWIFP, see CRS Insight IN12021,Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP). Other approaches for Congress to address the project backlog include increasing federal funding for this infrastructure and deauthorizing unconstructed projects with older authorizations.

WRDA Oversight and Next WRDA Preparations
After a WRDA is enacted, Congress may oversee its implementation or provide additional implementation direction through the appropriations process. The 118th Congress may review USACE efforts to implement WRDA 2022, as well as authorities in earlier acts. Congress may be interested in the status of USACE guidance describing how the agency plans to implement selected WRDA 2022 and prior WRDA provisions. Congress also may seek information on specific authorized activities, such as agency actions addressing water resource projects for tribes and in economically disadvantaged and rural communities (e.g., §8115 of WRDA 2022; §118 and §165 of WRDA 2020 [Division AA of P.L. 116-260]).

Another potential subject of WRDA oversight may be agency activities related to small water storage projects, including for water supply and water conservation (§155 of WRDA 2020). Congress also may be interested in actions to implement aquifer recharge feasibility studies (§8108 of WRDA 2022) and other authorizations related to drought and western water resources (e.g., §8208 of WRDA 2022).

In addition to oversight, topics that may shape WRDA deliberations in the 118th Congress include how USACE activities interact with broader policy concerns, such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, economic and environmental justice efforts, the role of USACE navigation projects in supply chains, and federal infrastructure spending deliberations (e.g., effectiveness and efficiency of federal funding, federal priorities for flood risk reduction activities). Another consideration may be WRDA provisions’ effects on discretionary spending and mandatory receipts. Other factors shaping WRDA deliberations in the 118th Congress may include the status and authorization of specific studies, projects, and activities. For a primer and resources on USACE authorizations and appropriations, see CRS Insight IN11810, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works: Primer and Resources.

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"A generous person will be enriched and one who gives water will get water."
- Proverbs 11:25

CRS Report: 'Central Valley Project - Issues and Legislation'

Charles V. Stern, Pervaze A. Sheikh, and Erin H. Ward updated (16 March 2023) this CRS report: 'Central Valley Project - Issues and Legislation' . 

Download CRS_Report_CVP_Issues_Legislation_16March2023

I won't go through this in any detail - just post the summary and a few other items. This report gets updated frequently. Click on the graphics to enlarge them. Enjoy!

Summary
The Central Valley Project (CVP), a federal water project owned and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), is one of the world’s largest water supply projects. The CVP covers approximately 400 miles in California, from Redding to Bakersfield, and draws from two large river basins: the Sacramento and the San Joaquin. It is composed of 20 dams and reservoirs and numerous pieces of water storage and conveyance infrastructure. In an average year, the CVP delivers more than 7 million acre-feet of water to support irrigated agriculture, municipalities, and fish and wildlife needs, among other purposes. About 75% of CVP water is used for agricultural irrigation, including 7 of California’s top 10 agricultural counties. The CVP is operated jointly with the State Water Project (SWP), which provides much of its water to municipal users in Southern California.

CVP water is delivered to users that have contracts with Reclamation, which is part of the Department of the Interior. These contractors receive varying levels of priority for water deliveries based on several factors, including hydrology, water rights, prior agreements with Reclamation, and regulatory requirements. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers’ confluence with the San Francisco Bay (Bay-Delta or Delta) is a hub for CVP water deliveries; many CVP contractors south of the Delta receive water that is “exported” from north of the Delta.

Development of the CVP resulted in significant changes to the area’s natural hydrology. However, construction of most CVP facilities predated major federal natural resources and environmental protection laws. Much of the current debate related to the CVP revolves around how to deal with changes to the hydrologic system that were not significantly mitigated when the project was constructed. Dry conditions have led to significant curtailments of contracted water supplies in recent years. Reclamation has been unable to provide any water supplies to most CVP agricultural water service contractors in 4 of the past 11 years (including 2021 and 2022) and has cut supplies for some senior water rights holders during this time. Wet conditions in the winter of 2022-2023 have temporarily alleviated some of these trends.

Various state and federal proposals are currently under consideration and have generated controversy for their potential to affect CVP operations and allocations. In late 2018, the State of California finalized revisions to its Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan that would require more flows from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers to reach the Bay-Delta for water quality and fish and wildlife enhancement (i.e., reduced water supplies for other users). Voluntary agreements that might replace some or all of these requirements are being negotiated but have not been finalized. The Trump Administration attempted to increase CVP water supplies for users and proposed changes to long-term operations of the CVP in 2019. Those changes were finalized in a record of decision in 2020 after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a no jeopardy biological opinion after consultation required by the Endangered Species Act (ESA, 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1544). California and some environmental organizations opposed these efforts and filed lawsuits to prevent implementation of the changes. The court issued a preliminary injunction on May 11, 2020, temporarily prohibiting Reclamation from implementing the operational changes. Under the Biden Administration, Reclamation is implementing an interim operations plan for the CVP while the litigation is pending and has requested reinitiation of consultation with FWS and NMFS to assess the effects of proposed changes to CVP operations.

Congress has engaged in CVP issues through oversight and legislation, most recently in the form of provisions enacted under the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act; P.L. 114-322). Among other things, this act authorized changes to CVP operations that were intended to provide increased water supplies for agricultural and municipal contractors under certain circumstances (most of these provisions have since expired). In the same legislation, Congress authorized funding for new water storage projects that are expected to benefit CVP operations. Some of these operational and construction-related provisions have expired. Legislators may conduct oversight on the CVP and may consider legislation that aims to alter CVP water exports compared with current baselines (including extension of previously expired WIIN Act provisions), as well as whether to approve funding for new water storage projects.

New Storage and Conveyance
Reductions in available water deliveries due to hydrological and regulatory factors have caused some stakeholders, legislators, and state and federal government officials to look at other methods of augmenting water supplies. In particular, proposals to build new or augmented CVP and/or SWP water storage projects have been of interest to some policymakers. Additionally, the State of California is pursuing a major water conveyance project, the California WaterFix, with a nexus to CVP operations.

New and Augmented Water Storage Projects
In recent years, new and augmented water storage projects have been proposed throughout the Central Valley, as well as in other areas of California. While it is unclear whether any of these projects will be completed and/or incorporated into the CVP itself, their status has ramifications for the water supply questions related to the CVP. In the past, construction recommendations for new Reclamation projects have been subject to congressional approval. Section 4007 of the WIIN Act authorized Reclamation financial support for new or expanded federal and nonfederal water storage projects. It also provided that these projects could be deemed authorized, subject to a finding by the Administration that individual projects met certain criteria and were recommended by name in an enacted appropriations act.94 Table 4 shows recent funding for these projects, including regular appropriations and FY2022 funding that was allocated from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58). Most of the projects recommended by current and prior Administrations under this authority have been approved by Congress in enacted appropriations legislation. The only exception was funding that the Trump Administration proposed for the Shasta Dam and Reservoir Enlargement Project in 2019 and 2020, which was not agreed to by Congress.

Just a bit more...

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"I have little need to remind you that water has become one of our major national concerns." - Ezra Taft Benson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
- (Opening sentence of the Foreword of the 1955 Yearbook of Agriculture - dedicated entirely to water)

CRS Report: 'Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities'

This updated (9 March 2023) CRS report comes to us from Charles V. Stern and Eva Lipiec: 'Drought in the United States: Science, Policy, and Selected Federal Authorities'. Read on...

Click on the graphics to enlarge them. I've left a lot out - plenty to read and absorb.

Download CRS_Report_Drought_in USA_Science_Policy_Auth_9March2023pdf

Summary
Drought―a deficiency of moisture that results in adverse effects―occurs to some extent almost every year in areas of the United States. Droughts can simultaneously reduce available water supplies and increase demands for water. Drought has the potential to affect economic and environmental conditions on local, regional, and national scales, as well as to disrupt water supplies for households and communities.

Droughts are a component of climate variability and may be seasonal, multiyear, or multi-decadal in duration. According to a 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on the physical science of climate change, variable precipitation and rising temperatures are intensifying droughts in some U.S. regions. According to the report, certain types of droughts—such as those causing agricultural impacts—are expected to be more likely in the western and central regions of the United States in the future.

The federal government generally defers to state primacy in surface and groundwater allocation, and states and local entities typically lead efforts to prepare for drought. Multiple federal agencies contribute to these efforts to predict, plan for, and respond to drought. The federal government, and in particular the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, plays a key role in researching and monitoring drought through the National Integrated Drought Information System and the U.S. Drought Monitor. Other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Geological Survey, also research and monitor drought factors and conditions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides the primary federal financial aid to lessen the impacts of drought and compensate for agricultural production loss after drought onset. Other federal programs may assist with drought in their support of other water investments. For example, Congress authorized programs supporting nonfederal and tribal efforts to develop water conservation, water reuse and recycling, rural water supplies, or other municipal and industrial water supplies. Some of these programs may prioritize projects that lessen the impacts of drought even if these programs do not focus exclusively on drought.

Congress has authorized federal assistance for other aspects of drought, but these programs generally are limited in scope. In localities or watersheds with major projects managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation, which operates exclusively in the 17 western states) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE, which operates nationwide), the federal role in water management is more direct and can be especially controversial during times of drought, when multiple users compete for water. Congress has directed both Reclamation and USACE to plan for future droughts at federally authorized projects.

Recent severe droughts, including widespread drought conditions in some areas of the western United States, have raised the profile of drought and led to congressional and administrative proposals to prepare for and respond to its impacts. The 117th Congress enacted funding for drought activities in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58) and in P.L. 117- 169 (commonly referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022). Congressional interest in drought during the 118th Congress may include new and amended authorities for drought planning and response; emergency appropriations to alleviate drought impacts and enhance related activities; and oversight of ongoing federal drought science, preparedness, and management efforts.

Introduction
Drought―a deficiency of moisture that results in adverse impacts―occurs to some extent almost every year in areas of the United States. Drought has the potential to create economic and environmental impacts on local, regional, and national scales, as well as disruptions in water supplies for households and communities. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates the United States has experienced 30 billion-dollar drought events since 1980, at an estimated total cost of over $309.4 billion. Although droughts are generally a common component of climate variability that may be seasonal, multiyear, or multi- decadal in duration, variable precipitation and rising temperatures are intensifying droughts in the western United States in 2021 and 2022, have raised the profile of drought and led to increasing congressional and administrative proposals to prepare for and respond to its impacts.

Multiple federal agencies contribute to efforts to predict, plan for, and respond to drought. NOAA plays a key role in monitoring drought through the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and the U.S. Drought Monitor (through a partnership with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA]). USDA provides the primary federal financial aid to lessen drought’s impacts and compensate for agricultural production loss after its onset. Federal water resource agencies such as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) may face difficult tradeoffs in operating federal water projects during drought; both agencies also have the authority to and conduct activities to mitigate drought impacts. Various other federal agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and emergency authorities also have a role in drought response and mitigation.

This report provides an overview of drought in the United States, including information on drought science, monitoring, and forecasts and on drought types and intensity classifications. It discusses federal authorities related to drought planning and response, with a focus on selected water-related agricultural, environmental, and natural resource authorities with explicit ties to drought. It does not discuss broader disaster-related authorities and their potential nexus to drought, such as the programs and authorities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and interactions between drought and other hazards and concerns (e.g., wildfire, dust, and public health).

Cutting to the chase...

More...

Still more...




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"Water is the mother of the vine, the nurse and fountain of fecundity, the adorner and refresher of the world." - Charles Mackay (See http://gmd4.org/WaterQuotes.html)

My Ten Cents: National Groundwater Awareness Week, 5 - 11 March 2023 And More!

Thanks to to the National Groundwater Association we celebrate National Groundwater Awareness Week starting today. 

Here are some groundwater facts from NGWA:

• The Oglalla Aquifer (aka High Plains Aquifer System) stretches more than 450,000 square kilometers (174,000 square miles) through the United States, including parts of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to National Geographic. The Oglalla Aquifer holds more than 3,000 cubic kilometers (2.4 billion acre-feet) of groundwater.
• The average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day, according to the EPA.
• Of the estimated 29 billion gallons of water used daily by households in the United States, nearly 9 billion gallons, or 30 percent, is devoted to outdoor water use, according to EPA’s WaterSense program. In the hot summer months, or in dry climates, a household’s outdoor water use can be as high as 70 percent.
• The United States uses 82.3 billion gallons per day of fresh groundwater for public supply, private supply, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing, mining, thermoelectric power, and other purposes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey

Here are Drilling Basics Online:

Here is my colleague Todd Jarvis with a video of groundwater flow showing a 'sandbox' model.Click here.

Learn some groundwater facts about your state from NGWA (click here)Finally, check out a webinar and some other materials I postef on 22 February 2023 on Oregon's Groundwater: 

Recording https://tinyurl.com/2r64bxt5

Passcode:$%hdw0^l

The links in the PPT/PDF are the correct ones.

PPT: Download NGWA_Oregon_GW_Campana_22Feb2023

PDF: Download NGWA_Oregon_GW_Campana_22Feb2023

Click here for the MAR Water Resource IMPACT magazine. 

Click here for the The Source magazine article.

And thanks to Todd Jarvis for his wonderful cross-sections in my webinar!

More...

Don't forget John Cherry's Groundwater Project. Free books - donations welcomed!

And American Aquifers!Donationsare welcomed!

Comments are welcomed. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

“When one man drinks while another can only watch, Doomsday follows.”
- Turkish Proverb

CRS Report: 'Water Resource Issues in the 118th Congress'

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.'

Download CRS_Report_ Water_Reso_Issues_118_Congress_1Mar2023

Click on the graphics to enlarge them. 

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. 

There's a lot more to read!

Enjoy! 

"Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults." - Ben Franklin