Congress passes Water Resources Development Act of 2022

The United States Congress has passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022), which includes new provisions for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to address flood risk and ecosystem health.

The bill had originally passed the House of Representatives in June 2022. The act was ultimately passed through Congress as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which will now sent to the President to be signed into law.

WDRA is a bill that is passed every two years to fund USACE’s waterways projects. WRDA 2022 is one of the largest of its kind to date.

This year’s bill provides significant support to USACE’s work, including:

• Authorizing the construction of pending Reports of the Chief of Engineers
• Authorizing feasibility studies for water resources development projects
• Expediting of USACE’s ongoing feasibility studies
• Authorizing critical water and wastewater infrastructure assistance for community-driven projects associated with USACE

The bill also provides major support for stormwater management:

• Authorizing USACE to rebuild and maintain breakwaters to address problems brought by climate change
• Authorizing USACE to rebuild and maintain storm damage reduction projects
• Clarifying the authority of USACE to study the impacts of costal storms on back-bay and riverine flooding
• Renewing Congress’s support for water resource projects that promote the sediment reuse for restoration or storm damage reduction