On December 3, 2024, the bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced a final agreement on a Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The final version of WRDA follows negotiations over recent months to reconcile House- and Senate-passed versions of the legislation.
Legislative text of the House Amendment to S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (Updated 12/6/24)
Section by section summary of the legislation (Updated 12/6/24)
December 3, 2024, press release: Graves, Larsen, Carper, Capito Announce Agreement on Water Resources Development Act of 2024
December 9, 2024, press release: What They Are Saying: Broad Stakeholder Support for WRDA
December 10, 2024, press release: House Approves Water Resources Development Act, Sending Bill to Senate for Final Approval
Additional Information about WRDA:
On July 22, 2024, the House of Representatives approved -- by a vote of 359 to 13 -- the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), legislation that authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works Program for projects to improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure.
WRDA (H.R. 8812) was introduced in the House by T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), T&I Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC), and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Napolitano (D-CA).
WRDA projects have national, regional, and local significance and help strengthen the nation’s global competitiveness, grow the economy, move goods throughout the country and abroad, protect communities, and create jobs. Congress has passed a bipartisan WRDA every two years since 2014.
WRDAs provide Members of Congress the opportunity to authorize U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works projects to improve the nation’s ports and harbors, the inland waterway navigation network, flood and storm protection, and other water resources infrastructure. These projects originate at the local level and go through a rigorous vetting process before they may be considered for inclusion in a WRDA. Without WRDAs, Congress would have no input into the infrastructure projects undertaken by the Corps. This legislation also provides Congress the opportunity to address program and policy reforms for the Corps’ Civil Works Program.
WRDA projects typically require two separate types of authorization: (1) the authority to study the feasibility of a project, followed by (2) the authority to construct, operate, and/or maintain the project. Completed feasibility studies are submitted to Congress in the form of a Chief’s Report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief of Engineers. If the results and recommendations contained in the Chief’s Report are favorable, construction authorization is typically included in WRDA. The costs for feasibility studies and construction are split between a non-federal sponsor and the Corps.
WRDA Resources
Hearings
Chief's Reports:
- Akutan Harbor Navigational Improvements, Akutan, Alaska
- Baltimore Harbor Anchorages and Channels Modification of Seagirt Loop Channel, City of Baltimore, MD, Deep Draft Navigation
- Baltimore Metropolitan, Baltimore City, MD, Coastal Storm Risk Management
- Everglades Restoration Plan, Western Everglades Restoration Project, Florida, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration
- Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Coastal Resilience Study, Brazoria and Matagorda Counties, Texas
- Memphis Metropolitan Stormwater – North DeSoto County Feasibility Study, DeSoto County, Mississippi, Flood Risk Management and Ecosystem Restoration
- Miami-Dade Back Bay, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Coastal Storm Risk Management
- Mississippi River, Hatchie-Loosahatchie, Mississippi River Mile 775-736, Tennessee and Arkansas, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration
- Oakland Harbor Turning Basins Widening, Oakland, California
- Puerto Rico, Coastal Storm Risk Management
- Rhode Island Coastline, Rhode Island, Coastal Storm Risk Management
- South Shore Staten Island, Fort Wadsworth to Oakwood Beach, Richmond County, New York, Coastal Storm Risk Management
- St. Johns County, Florida, Ponte Vedra Beach Coastal Storm Risk Management
- St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Coastal Storm and Flood Risk Management
- Tampa Harbor, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, Florida, Deep Draft Navigation
- Tar Pamlico River Basin, North Carolina, Flood Risk Management
- University City Branch, River Des Peres, Missouri, Final General Reevaluation Report (ORR) with Integrated Environmental Assessment, University City, St. Louis County, Missouri, Flood Risk Management
- Washington, District of Colombia, Coastal Storm Risk Management
Director’s Reports:
Prospectuses:
Reports to Congress on Future Water Resources Development (7001 Reports):
Additional Resources:
