U.S. House passes 2026 Water Resources Development Act

Key Takeaways

September 16 Update: On September 16, the U.S. House of Representatives advanced the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA; H.R. 9497) after a successful 415-9 vote. The bill now awaits consideration by the U.S. Senate, which has introduced its own version of legislation to reauthorize U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers programs (S. 4949), which currently awaits a vote before the full Senate. Advancing a biennial Water Resources Development Act provides critical stability and certainty that counties need to meet water infrastructure needs while also supporting the safety, environment and economic development of their communities.

July 14 Update: On July 14, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee favorably reported the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA; H.R. 9497) by a bipartisan 66-0 vote. The bill now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives. The WRDA 2026 markup was originally scheduled for July 1 but was rescheduled to July 14 due to changes to the House calendar.

On June 26, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee released text of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA). The WRDA legislation supports the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by authorizing water resources studies and projects and sets policies for navigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, water supply and emergency management for the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (Corps).  WRDA 2026 authorizes 131 new feasibility studies and 10 new construction projects.

This legislation advances county interests related to ports, inland waterways, levees, dams, wetlands, watersheds and coastal restoration. Congress has passed bipartisan WRDA legislation in a biennial cycle since 2014. Passing WRDA on a biennial basis provides critical stability and certainty that counties need to meet water infrastructure needs while also supporting the safety, environment and economic development of their communities.  

What’s in WRDA 2026?

The WRDA 2026 legislation contains many provisions beneficial to counties including:

• Authorizing the Corps to accept non-federal funds for a project that has exceeded it’s authorized maximum cost threshold which would prevent project delays
• Requiring the Secretary to use an electronic system for project permit application preparation, submission and tracking to increase permitting timeline transparency  
• Strengthening the role of local governments in shaping feasibility study schedules and costs  
• Establishing two new continuing authority programs for drought resiliency and flood risk management that provide counties with new opportunities to upgrade levees and flood control projects
• Improving the partnership between the Corps and local governments by establishing offices with expertise in inland navigation, alternative delivery, water supply and technical assistance within the Corps
• Increasing non-federal sponsors’ ability to obtain technical assistance and to fund construction more quickly

Next Steps

The U.S. House T&I Committee has scheduled a markup of WRDA 2026 for July 1, 2026. NACo sent a letter to House T&I leadership in support of the bill and urging passage. NACo also previously joined other state and local government association partners in sending a letter urging consideration of a WRDA bill.

Read NACo Letter    Read Coalition Letter 

The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to release their WRDA 2026 bill before the upcoming August recess. NACo will continue to work with Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate to secure introduction and passage of WRDA 2026.