MORE WATER Act
Sponsored By: Senator Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
Introduced
Summary
Strengthens federal support for large water recycling, conveyance, and multi‑benefit projects to boost water supplies, deliver safe drinking water to low‑income communities, and restore fish and habitat.
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- Families and low‑income communities: Makes projects that provide measurable safe drinking water benefits for low‑income communities eligible for extra federal funding and counting of delivery or treatment plans toward those benefits.
- Water managers, farmers, Tribes, and Reclamation States: Creates a Water Conveyance Improvement Program with broad eligibility, requires feasibility and stakeholder processes, and generally limits federal participation to 50% of project costs while requiring projects over $800 million to be multi‑benefit.
- Environment and species: Authorizes targeted funding for habitat restoration, fish passage, monitoring, hatchery modernization, and actions for places like the Great Salt Lake and the Sacramento River basin, with a dedicated $250 million for endangered species and habitat activities.
*Authorizes about $1.3 billion in appropriations for FY2028–2032, increasing federal spending on water recycling, conveyance, and habitat work.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
More recycling and reuse grants
If enacted, the bill would expand and extend federal recycling and reuse grant programs in Reclamation States. It would authorize $450 million for competitive recycling and reuse grants for FY2028–FY2032 for feasibility, planning, design, and construction of large projects. It would also authorize $550 million for FY2028–FY2032 to carry out Reclamation section 1602(g) recycling activities. The bill would lengthen program timing, change numeric limits, and redefine "construction" to align with related law.
Funding to restore saline lakes
If enacted, the bill would authorize $250 million for FY2028–FY2032 for restoration and improvement at the Great Salt Lake and other saline inland lakes. Funds would be used for gravel and rearing area additions, fish passage and barrier removal, habitat restoration (including Sacramento River work), floodplain reconnection, fish hatchery modernization, real-time monitoring and modeling, and related planning, permitting, construction, and adaptive management.
Deauthorize long-unfunded water projects
If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary to list Reclamation projects that had no funding obligated during the fiscal year of enactment or the prior seven fiscal years. An interim list would be due within 1 year, a final list a year later, and listed projects would be deauthorized starting 1 year after the final list unless Congress disapproves, Congress funds the project, or the non-Federal sponsor provides money to finish it. The interim list must show authorization date, a brief description, estimated cost to complete, and any remaining authorized but unappropriated amounts. The Secretary may keep out projects judged vitally important to health, safety, the economy, or the environment.
New water conveyance grant program
If enacted, the bill would create a Water Conveyance Improvement Program at the Bureau of Reclamation to fund conveyance project planning, design, construction, and related studies. The Federal share would generally be capped at 50 percent of project costs. Projects costing $800 million or more would have to be multi-benefit, and at least half of smaller conveyance projects funded would be multi-benefit. The program would allow many forms of non-Federal cost-share (cash, in-kind, loans, WIFIA, State revolving funds), require sponsors to secure non-Federal funding before construction, and require the Secretary to notify Congress within 60 days after concurrence on feasibility for non-Federal projects.
Extend water loan authorities and cap
If enacted, the bill would extend the expiration dates for several Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act provisions to 15 years after enactment. It would also raise a federal funding ceiling in statute to $50 million (in December 2025 prices) and require the cap to be adjusted each January by the yearly change in the CPI‑U. These changes would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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