Water Resources Development Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Graves, Sam [R-MO-6]
In Committee
Summary
Modernizes and expands the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' civil works authorities. WRDA 2026 creates four new Corps program offices, accelerates electronic permitting and feasibility schedules, tightens dredging and beneficial‑use rules, and lists hundreds of named water and wastewater project authorizations.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
29 provisions identified: 20 benefits, 1 costs, 8 mixed.
Ban on exporting Missouri River water
If enacted, the bill would bar diverting or exporting water from the Missouri River or its tributaries for use outside the listed Missouri River States unless every Missouri River State Governor approves. The Secretary would also be barred from funding feasibility studies on such exports without unanimous governor approval. The ban would not apply to diversions tied to express or implied Federal reserved water rights on or before January 1, 2025.
Big local water and port projects
If enacted, the bill would authorize many named water, wastewater, navigation, and ecosystem projects and list estimated Federal, non‑Federal, and total costs for each. Examples include Columbia River turning basins (about $16.4 million Federal, $5.5 million non‑Federal) and Surf City, NC (initial Federal $121.8 million). The bill would also add many authorized environmental infrastructure grants for towns and counties. Actual spending would require future appropriations and non‑Federal cost sharing.
Soo Locks pay parity for workers
If enacted, the bill would require the Corps to pay nonsupervisory, lead, and supervisory wage workers at the Sault Sainte Marie locks the same special wage rates used in the Detroit District. This applies to employees who operate or maintain lock and dam equipment and would take effect upon enactment.
Bigger Rio Grande restoration funding
If enacted, the bill would expand the Rio Grande Environmental Management Program and authorize $20,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The program could pay for design and construction of water protection and restoration projects in the Rio Grande Basin and must report to Congress by December 31, 2027 and every five years after that.
Dredging and beneficial-use planning
If enacted, the bill would push the Corps to plan and use dredged material more quickly. The Corps must deliver the national beneficial‑use strategic plan to Congress within 180 days (or explain the delay by 225 days). Dredged material plans would generally have at least 10 years of placement capacity unless infeasible. The bill speeds review for beneficial‑use partnerships in a named Ohio harbor, requires an assessment of Mobile Harbor placement areas, and requires a closure and conveyance plan for the Calumet disposal facility within one year.
Faster permitting and Corps policy reforms
If enacted, the bill would make the Army Corps modernize how it works and shares information. The Corps would have to set up an online permitting and environmental review system within 1 year. The Corps must update or revoke policies to match this bill within 120 days and complete an appraisal policy review within 210 days. The bill would also require a workforce review, GAO study of multiyear construction contracting, and a single consolidated report to Congress within 90 days.
Levee, shoreline, and planning help
If enacted, the bill would add sites to Corps pilot prioritization (Big Island, IL and Passumpsic River, VT), expand Planning Assistance to States to include specific technical services, and add shoreline areas eligible for protection (Puerto Rico shoreline, Blackstone River, parts of the Rio Grande, and Passumpsic watershed). The bill would also require a reevaluation of the Rio Puerto Nuevo project in San Juan, Puerto Rico with an interim status report within one year and would speed the Buffalo Bayou resiliency study with a Chief's report to Congress within two years.
Local water supply and flood help
If enacted, the bill would expand Corps support for water supply and floodplain work in many local places. Watershed assessments would have to include projected municipal, industrial, domestic, and farm water needs. The Corps would be able to reallocate water supply storage at Lake Aquilla and add water supply and recreation as project purposes. The floodplain management services program would be broadened and Congress could appropriate funds for it. The bill would also add shoreline and emergency streambank protection to certain feasibility study scopes and require coordination on the Hansen Dam manual to support recreation and water quality.
New Army Corps program offices
If enacted, the bill would require the Army Corps to create four new offices inside the Civil Works directorate within 180 days. The offices would support inland navigation, water supply and drought resiliency, technical assistance and outreach (with an online portal), and alternative delivery methods. Each office must report to Congress within two years and help non‑Federal partners access Corps programs and guidance.
New drought and water programs
If enacted, the bill would create a drought resiliency program with $35,000,000 authorized each year and a $10,000,000 federal cap per study or project. Studies would get the first $100,000 fully Federal and then 50% Federal of remaining study costs. Construction shares vary by use: municipal/industrial small storage projects would be 100% non‑Federal, agriculture projects can get 65% Federal, and recreation projects 50% Federal. The bill would also authorize reservoir sediment and water‑supply studies and a 10‑year pilot letting States remove reservoir sediment and receive Corps credit when rules are met.
New levee rules and local flood plans
If enacted, the bill would create an 11‑member Levee Owners Board to meet at least twice a year and advise the Corps. The Corps must start rulemaking within 180 days to set national levee risk assessment methods with at least 90 days of public comment. The bill lets the Corps value nature‑based measures at least equal to their costs for up to 10 projects and requires studies to preserve recreational access in project planning. The Corps must also expedite a Mendenhall Glacier flood report and mitigation recommendation for Juneau.
Faster flood projects and land rules
If enacted, the bill would require the Corps to give equal consideration to structural and nonstructural flood options in feasibility studies and to include feasible non‑Federal alternatives in recommended plans. It would also require the Secretary to update and publish rules on the minimum real property interest needed for projects and to delegate approval to District Commanders within 180 days. The bill would direct rehabilitation work on the Massillon sluice gates to protect local flood control.
Faster inland navigation repairs and studies
If enacted, the bill would require the Corps to speed repairs on inland navigation projects when an emergency is declared and to fast‑track related investigations, design, and construction. The bill also requires a comprehensive study of inland and intracoastal waterways and would expedite the Lower Mississippi River comprehensive study. The Corps must report on Columbia Lock structural concerns and recommend permanent remediation within 180 days.
More local water and coastal funding
If enacted, the bill would raise or replace the written authorization amounts for many local water, wastewater, stormwater, and coastal projects. For example, it would raise the Assateague Island project cap from $35 million to $45 million and increase the emergency shoreline protection cap from $50 million to $62.5 million. The bill also replaces numerous local Section 219 authorizations, including several large increases (for example, Los Angeles County and Washington, D.C.). These are statutory authorizations only; actual spending would require future appropriations.
Deauthorizing flood works shifts local costs
If enacted, the bill would remove federal authorization for specified portions of several flood and navigation projects. Affected items include Los Angeles County drainage channels, the 3.76‑mile Dos Rios levee, the North Topsail Beach portion of Surf City, listed polygons on the Harlem River, and Nevada portions of the Truckee River project. The Secretary must seek agreements for local sponsors to operate and maintain the deauthorized features and to hold the United States harmless, shifting costs and responsibilities to local governments.
Federal land buyouts for Pajaro River
If enacted, the bill would allow the Secretary to acquire full ownership (fee simple) of lands needed for the Pajaro River flood protection project when a local sponsor requests it. Property owners in the project area would be the most directly affected. The provision authorizes acquisition but does not itself set compensation rules or force purchases without a local sponsor request.
Coastal, oyster, and lake restoration rules
If enacted, the bill would expand Corps restoration activities in some places and also cap Federal spending per project in others. It would add oyster and fish habitat restoration work in parts of New York and expand a harmful algal bloom demonstration program to named sites. At the same time, it would cap Federal spending for each Great Lakes restoration and each critical Puget Sound restoration project at $20,000,000 per project.
Cleanup, dam safety, and liability rules
If enacted, the bill would limit the Secretary's CERCLA liability for certain covered activities done under a joint plan approved by the EPA Administrator, while preserving the government's right to seek cost recovery from responsible parties. The Secretary would also start an evaluation of land near Cochiti Lake within 90 days to check for contamination from the early atomic energy program and must report to Congress within one year. The bill also updates numeric references and timing in the National Dam Safety Program law.
Faster local Corps projects, new costs
If enacted, the bill would direct the Secretary to speed completion of many named Corps continuing‑authority projects and other listed projects "to the maximum extent practicable." It would also establish a continuing program with $50,000,000 authorized each year and limit the Federal share per continuing authority study or project to $15,000,000. Studies get the first $100,000 fully Federal and then 50% Federal thereafter, and construction proceeds only after the non‑Federal sponsor agrees to pay its share and all O&M, replacement, and rehabilitation costs.
Rules for ports, dredging, and repairs
If enacted, the bill would change navigation and dredging rules for many local harbors. It would let up to 14 non‑Federal dredging instances (up from 10). The bill would authorize new channel depths and widenings, require Morro Bay repairs to meet project purposes, require repayment to a Miami Harbor sponsor of advanced federal shares, and require more public mitigation planning and transparency before approvals. The Secretary would also evaluate standard emergency debris contract terms to protect property and habitat.
Speeding Corps studies and funding
If enacted, the bill would require the Corps to speed up many named feasibility studies and let some completed studies move straight to preconstruction. District engineers would set milestones and total cost estimates with local partners and submit an annual public report. The Secretary would be required to report any study with an expected Federal cost over $5,000,000 and any study expected to finish more than four years after the federal decision. The bill would also let the Corps accept non‑Federal funds to pay cost overruns without increasing the Federal share and let the Corps use contributed Federal or other agency funds to pay for analyses that benefit Federal land in specific studies.
Dredging, harbor rules, and reports
If enacted, the bill would require the Corps to update dredged‑material placement rules and start rulemaking within 6 months. The update would aim to consider confined disposal capacity, count monetary and resiliency benefits of beneficial use, and include a national goal of at least 70% beneficial use by volume where suitable. The bill would also require annual Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund reporting, require stakeholder consultation and notice rules for maintenance dredging contracts, and allow treating certain stabilization work as navigation O&M for the Lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The bill authorizes Federal O&M at a named Pilottown anchorage area.
Dredging and aquatic plant funding
If enacted, the bill would add the Ipswich River navigation project in Massachusetts to the Corps' environmental dredging authority so local sponsors could seek remedial dredging help. It would also allow money used under Section 104 for aquatic plant control to pay reasonable indirect and administrative costs. State agencies, contractors, and local port operators would be the main groups that could charge overhead to these funds.
Funding for Great Lakes Commission
If enacted, the bill would authorize $5,000,000 per year to the Great Lakes Commission for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2030. The funds would support Great Lakes Basin Compact water resources work in coordination with the Army Corps.
River restoration and cleanup studies
If enacted, the bill would require studies to locate contamination and restoration opportunities. The Corps must report within one year on contaminated sediments tied to the Brandon Road project in Will County and propose a remediation plan timed with construction. The Corps must also assess the lower Columbia River Basin to identify cost‑effective salmon and steelhead restoration projects.
Wildfire and water-supply planning reports
If enacted, the bill would make the Corps prepare planning and reporting on wildfire and new water users. At a non‑Federal sponsor's request, the Corps would develop wildfire contingency strategies and report status to Congress within 18 months. The Corps must report within one year on how new commercial and industrial water users affect Corps water‑supply projects. The bill also requires a Willamette Valley cost allocation report within 180 days addressing fish passage and hydropower versus flood control value.
More money for local restoration
If enacted, the bill would raise several authorized funding caps for Corps programs. Examples: dam rehabilitation up to $80 million, Chesapeake Bay oyster recovery up to $150 million, Lakes Program cap to $60 million and five added lakes, law enforcement funding for water projects to $20 million, saline lake monitoring to $12.5 million, and acequia irrigation cap to $120 million.
Local land conveyances and easements
If enacted, the bill would clarify and speed certain land transfers and easements. It would add named island areas to the list of lands eligible for conveyance decisions in Texas. For the MR‑GO restoration project, the Secretary could accept easements instead of fee title when feasible. The bill would require the Secretary to carry out minimum easements at Sardis Lake within 180 days. The Secretary would also keep ownership and O&M responsibility for the underwater cutoff wall near St. Anthony Falls and send a condition assessment to the State and Congress within one year.
Local land transfers and conveyances
If enacted, the bill would authorize and speed many local land transfers and disposition studies. Examples include a St. Joe land exchange with payment equal to appraised value differences (180‑day deadline), a no‑cost conveyance of about 48 acres to Corona for water reclamation, possible Canaveral Port Authority land sales or exchanges, conveyance of Grassy Island to Toledo for parks, conveyance to Umatilla County at fair market value, a 4‑acre conveyance to Duck for a fire station, and disposition studies or conveyances for Tri‑Cities, Foster Joseph Sayers, Cape Cod Canal, and Kinzua Dam (to the Seneca Nation after study). Many transfers reserve easements or require payments or reversion conditions.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Graves, Sam [R-MO-6]
MO • R
Cosponsors
Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2]
WA • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Collins, Mike [R-GA-10]
GA • R
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]
FL • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov