Senate committee puts major water resources bill on tap; includes funding for Flint, Mich.

Water Resources Development Act touches transportation, infrastructure and environment 

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, on April 28, approved reauthorization legislation for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDA bills authorize projects and policies for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concerning navigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, water supply and emergency management.

The legislation, often passed on a biennial basis, touches on several critical county interests such as ports, inland waterways, levees, vegetation, wetlands, watersheds, coastal restoration, safe drinking water and clean water infrastructure.

The committee used the proposed reauthorization to address the recent lead crisis in Flint, Mich. The bill includes money not just for Flint, but also for communities across the country dealing with aging and failing water infrastructure.

Congress last passed a WRDA bill, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, in June of 2014. That authorization is set to expire Sept. 30.  By then, Congress must either extend WRRDA or pass another authorization. The EPW bill is the first step in that process.

Following are some key provisions from the bill.

Army Corps Projects: Would authorize $9 billion for 25 new Army Corps (Corps) projects, including Los Angeles River restoration efforts, harbor work in Charleston, S.C., and flood protection projects in New Jersey and California.

It would also authorize the Corps to provide technical assistance to a non-federal project sponsor such as a county that is developing its own feasibility study. It would expand the existing authority of the Corps to accept funds from states and local governments to carry out all water resources projects not just flood control projects, and would allow the Corps to establish partnerships with non-federal interests to address the backlog of maintenance at Corps projects.

Safe Drinking Water: Would amend the revolving loan program under the Safe Drinking Water Act to make “planning, design and associated pre-construction activities, replacement or rehabilitation of aging treatment, storage or distribution facilities and public water system security measures” as eligible for assistance.

The bill encourages states to prioritize sustainability and makes the implementation of source water protection plans an eligible use of assistance from a state revolving loan fund.

Clean Water Infrastructure: Would reauthorize a provision of the Clean Water Act (CWA), which authorizes $1.8 billion for grants to address sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows and storm water discharges.

Innovative Financing: Would remove requirement that the public-private partnership program established by WRRDA 2014 be authorized by an appropriations bill.

The bill also clarifies the scope of projects eligible for assistance under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (WIFIA) program and authorizes the financing of fees if the applicant is a small community.

In addition to existing innovative financing options, the bill would establish a trust fund for water infrastructure that would be used for capitalization grants for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

National Drought Resilience Guidelines: Would direct the EPA, in conjunction with the secretaries of interior and agriculture, the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agency heads along with state and local governments to develop non-regulatory national drought resilience guidelines.

Drinking Water Disaster Relief and Infrastructure Investments: Would authorize emergency assistance for communities facing health hazards from the presence of lead or other contaminants in a public drinking water supply system.

Such assistance would include loans to repair and replace private as well as public drinking water infrastructure. The EPA is also authorized to use WIFIA authority to make secured loans for emergency situations related to drinking water contaminants

Registry for Lead Exposure and Advisory Committee: Would authorize the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a voluntary lead exposure registry and authorizes an advisory committee, through the Centers for Disease Control, to review federal programs that address lead exposure and identify research needs, best practices and effective services.

Funding for Certain Childhood Health Programs: Would provide funding for the following authorized programs:

• $10 million for the childhood lead poisoning prevention program
• $10 million for HUD’s Healthy Homes Initiative
• $10 million for the Healthy Start Initiative

Other Programs and Authorized Funding: Would also establish and authorize a number of other programs that may provide funding for counties to address an array of water resources and infrastructure needs. Including:

• Rehabilitation of Existing Levees: Would authorize $125 million for a pilot program for the Corps to immediately address coastal levees that are subsiding.
• Rehabilitation of High-Hazard-Potential Dams: Would authorize $530 million over 10 years for a Federal Emergency Management Agency program for the rehabilitation of high-hazard-potential dams.
• Safe Drinking Water Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities: Would authorize a total of $1.4 billion over five years for a grant program to assist small and disadvantaged communities comply with requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
• Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: Would authorize a total of $300 million over five years for a grant program to assist with the replacement of lead service lines, testing, planning, corrosion control and education. (Note: Partial lead service line replacement would not be eligible under this program.)
• Lead Testing in School and Child Care Drinking Water: Would authorize a total of $100 million for grants to carry out a voluntary school and child care lead testing program.
• Small and Medium Clean Water Treatment Works: Would authorize technical assistance grants to water treatment works that serve populations of up to 100,000.  Grants for small treatment works (serving up to 10,000 population)  would  total $75 million over a five-year period — FY17 through FY21. Grants for medium treatment works would be authorized at $10 million per year for FY17 through FY21.

For an expanded version of this report, go to http://bit.ly/1SvwCOb.

For further information on the bill provided by the committee, go to http://1.usa.gov/1Ujyqey. 

 

(Jessica Monahan, associate legislative director, contributed to this report.)