# 119-s-1242: Watershed Results Act

119-s-1242, Watershed Results Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1242
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-1242
- Congress: 119
- Title: Watershed Results Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-04-01
- Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Water Resources Development
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Analytics-driven, pay-for-performance watershed projects** would use pre-funded technical analyses to pick cost-effective conservation activities and pay partners for verified increases in water, habitat, or water quality. The bill focuses on partnerships with States, Tribes, local water authorities, and NGOs to plan, implement, verify, and finance watershed-scale outcomes.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Confidential analytics data protections: benefit, low. If enacted, information collected for advance watershed analytics could only be used to identify, prioritize, and fund qualifying activities. That information would be treated as confidential commercial information and be exempt from FOIA disclosure. The same confidentiality rules would apply to em…
- How funding and payments would work: benefit, low. If enacted, Congress would be authorized to appropriate $17 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031 to run the program. The Secretary could award a watershed partner up to 50 percent of estimated project costs each year for partnership duties. The federal share of any grant would be cap…
- New watershed projects and partner duties: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would create a Watershed Outcomes Projects program and require the Interior Secretary to invite proposals within one year. Eligible applicants would include States, Tribes, irrigation and water districts, authorities with water or power delivery, and nongovernmental groups. A w…

## Related bills

- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-1242 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1242)

## Related
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-4504: Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4504)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1242 (as of 2026-09-10).