Different versions of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 advanced with unanimous committee votes in both the House and Senate on July 14.
The water resources law, known as the WRDA, authorizes funding every two years for core US Army Corps of Engineers projects: dredging, port and harbor improvements, inland waterway navigation systems, flood and stormwater risk management, and other water resources infrastructure. Since 2014, when the bill was first enacted, WRDA has been one of the few measures lawmakers can pass each year with broad bipartisan support.
Industry watchers say lawmakers could bring the bill up for a floor vote in each chamber before leaving for their annual August recess at the end of the summer. A conference committee would still have to reconcile the House and Senate versions, probably not before early September, said John Chambers, director of the federal/heavy infrastructure and utilities divisions of the Associated General Contractors of America.
After the bill passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) noted in a statement that the current bill not only helps support the Corps’ traditional priorities, but also “streamlines Army Corps of Engineers processes, provides reforms to improve project delivery, and empowers local stakeholders.”
A notable addition to the Senate bill is a significant boost to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s state revolving fund (SRF) programs for drinking water and wastewater projects.
For the drinking water SRF, the bill approved by the Environment and Public Works Committee authorizes $16.5 billion, and for the clean water SRF, $14 billion, between 2027 and 2030. The Senate version also authorizes $260 million for the Water Infrastructure Innovation and Financing Act (WIFIA).
David LaFrance, CEO of the American Water Works Association, described the funding increases in the Senate bill as a “positive step,” adding that his group is encouraged that the committee “recognizes the importance of reauthorizing core water infrastructure funding programs, including SRF and WIFIA, at robust levels.”
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Adam Krantz, CEO of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, also praised the increased funding for the SRF. “There has never been a time when a strong federal funding commitment has been more important as clean water utilities and the customers they serve struggle with significant affordability challenges,” he said in a statement.
Regulatory changes
The policy changes in both versions of the bill allow greater flexibility for the use of alternative project delivery methods and more room for non-federal entities to partner in dredging and other water resource activities. A press release from the House T&I Committee stated that the policies in the House bill “will improve the ability of non-federal interests to obtain valuable technical assistance and fund construction more quickly, as well as encourage the Corps to increase its use of multi-year contracts.”
AGC Chambers told ENR that policy provisions in both the House and Senate versions of the bill that allow more participation by non-federal entities would reduce costs and allow project participants to be more agile and efficient, reducing burdens on taxpayers.
The Senate version directs the Corps to report to Congress on opportunities to contract with the private sector for the design and procurement of dredgers. Allowing more input from private industry in the design and procurement of dredgers for water resources projects is a big part of AGC’s wish list, Chambers added. “I think that opens up a good conversation with the Corps and Congress and us and our industry stakeholders to make sure they can use the private sector as much as possible.”
The Senate bill also directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study technologies to detect, monitor, capture, and potentially remove microplastics and nanoplastics and report the findings to Congress within 18 months of enactment of WRDA 2026.
The American Society of Civil Engineers has praised the House bill’s inclusion of a five-year reauthorization of the High-Hazard Dam Rehabilitation Grant Program to fund the repair and rehabilitation of dams that would cause the most damage if they are impaired or inoperable, calling the measure one of the group’s “top priorities.”
