Last Thursday, May 22, the Senate voted 91-7 to approve the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), which was passed – also overwhelmingly – by the House of Representatives several days earlier. The legislation is expected to be signed by President Obama shortly. The law authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake water resources projects – including flood control, navigation, ecosystem restoration, water supply and energy management – under their jurisdiction. It also contains innovative financing measures such as Public Private Partnerships and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) as pilot programs. WIFIA would make low-interest federal loans for large water infrastructure projects available in communities across the U.S.

WRRDA is the first federal water resources bill passed since 2007. It identifies more than $12 billion worth of new water infrastructure projects and authorizes funding for them over ten years.

WRRDA represents the culmination of years of dedicated advocacy work by Clean Water Council’s government relations staff. The Clean Water Council has proven the leader in addressing America’s water infrastructure and clean water needs. Over the past year alone, the CWC has made hundreds of visits to Capitol Hill advocating WRRDA, WIFIA, P3’s and SRF’s enactment into law, and is proud of this accomplishment.

For more detail on WRRDA’s provisions, see the law’s highlights issued by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Conference Report. And visit our website at www.cleanwatercouncil.org for more information, including  State-specific aspects of the legislation.