Washington, D.C. (July 14, 2026) — The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) applauds Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) on the introduction of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA). The bipartisan legislation includes drinking water and wastewater sections that reauthorize programs to help water systems update infrastructure, address emerging contaminants, bolster climate and cybersecurity resilience, and provide the public with safe, clean drinking water.
The bill reauthorizes key expiring water infrastructure programs, including the Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs), the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program, and other programs to support necessary investments in water systems. It increases the Drinking Water SRF authorized funding from $3.25 billion to $3.7 billion, increasing to $4.5 billion over the next four years. This reflects the committee’s understanding of pressing infrastructure needs that water systems face.
The legislation includes reauthorization of the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability grant program. AMWA spearheaded efforts to establish the program in 2021, with the goal of helping drinking water systems prepare their infrastructure to withstand the effects of changing hydrological conditions, mitigate impact of floods or drought, and strengthen defenses against cyber threats. Additionally, WRDA includes language to create a program at EPA to bolster participation in Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC), a nonprofit organization that helps water systems mitigate and respond to cybersecurity threats. This program is based on an AMWA-led bill, H.R. 2344/S. 1118, the Water Intelligence, Security, and Threat Protection Act.
“America’s water infrastructure drives economic activity and protects public health, but requires a sustained federal investment to keep costs bearable for local ratepayers,” said AMWA Interim Chief Executive Officer Dan Hartnett. “AMWA is pleased to see that the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 reauthorizes several critical federal programs that help water systems renew and upgrade infrastructure, build resilience to cyber and extreme weather-related threats, and tackle lead service line replacements. AMWA urges swift passage of this legislation through the Environment and Public Works Committee and speedy consideration on the Senate floor.”
WRDA also includes reauthorization of the Reducing Lead in Drinking Water grant program, which AMWA helped create in 2016 to provide drinking water systems with another avenue to fund lead service line replacement efforts. This assistance will be essential as water systems work to replace lead service lines by the 2037 deadline imposed by the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.
AMWA looks forward to continuing to collaborate with members of the Environment and Public Works Committee in their work to support a robust federal financial assistance framework for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
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The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) has been the unified and definitive voice for the nation’s largest publicly owned water systems for over 40 years. AMWA’s membership serves more than 160 million people with safe drinking water.
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