AMWA this month joined seven other national water, wastewater and stormwater associations in writing to members of the House and Senate in support of adding a provision to upcoming water resources legislation that would improve coordination on water resource projects between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local communities.
The letter calls for the inclusion of an “integrated water resources management proposal” as part of any Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) reauthorization that Congress considers this year. The language as proposed would direct the Corps to coordinate with affected local communities when implementing projects to help enhance local water goals, such as aquifer recharge or stormwater recycling, and to ensure that a new project would align with any existing local or regional water management plan. Earlier versions of the language were included in versions of WRDA initially approved by both the House and Senate in 2016, but stripped during conference negotiations due to procedural issues.
The House and Senate are each expected to consider their own versions of 2018 WRDA bills in the coming months, with the goal of approving a final bill by the end of the year.