House passes 2022 Water Resources Development Act

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022.

WRDA has been developed by the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee every two years since 2014.

Engineering News-Record reports that the bill provides $25.3 billion in financing. According to the committee’s chair, Peter DeFazio, this bill is the largest WRDA bill to date.

“WRDA 2022 helps provide much needed investment in ports, harbors, and inland waterways — easing supply chain problems — as well as flood mitigation infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration in both urban and rural communities alike,” said DeFazio in a press release. “The bill also directs the Corps to carry out these projects in an economically and environmentally responsible manner, with an added emphasis on coordinating with state, local, and Tribal partners to execute projects equitably.”

The ongoing legislation addresses water infrastructure funding and policy, as well as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) projects. Before it comes into law, WRDA 2022 will still need to pass the Senate.

This year’s bill provides significant support to USACE’s work, including:

• Authorizing the construction of 18 pending Reports of the Chief of Engineers
• Authorizing 72 feasibility studies for water resources development projects
• Expediting 14 of USACE’s ongoing feasibility studies
• Authorizing critical water and wastewater infrastructure assistants for community-driven projects associated with USACE

WRDA 2022 includes major assistance for water resource management specifically:

• Expanding USACE’s authority to address the future water supply needs of communities
• Establishing policy that USACE addresses the water resource development needs of all communities

The bill also provides major support for stormwater management:

• Authorizing USACE to rebuild and maintain breakwaters to address problems brought by climate change
• Authorizing USACE to rebuild and maintain storm damage reduction projects
• Clarifying the authority of USACE to study the impacts of costal storms on back-bay and riverine flooding
• Renewing Congress’s support for water resource projects that promote the sediment reuse for restoration or storm damage reduction

The bill includes directives that support environmental justice and economic functionality.