On January 2, 2025, the last day of the 118th United States Congress, President Biden signed the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) into law. This law passed among a staunchly divided Congress, amid a contentious race for the presidency through bipartisianship. Congress has passed WRDA legislation on a bipartisan and biennial basis since 2014. WRDA provides a big boost for ports and inland waterways, flood risk management and storm risk reduction programs, and emphasis on the ecosystem restoration.
One of the biggest “wins” for public health, safety, and welfare is the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety program through 2028 and the creation of a low head dam inventory. Other water resources and environmental wins incorporated within WRDA include redefinition of “underserved community”, requires the development of a Floodplain Management Plan as a condition of receiving funding assistance for the rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential dams, changes in cost shares for inland waterway and port dredging projects, and authorizes aquatic ecosystem restoration projects as part of dam removal funding. WRDA also authorizes approximately $10.7 billion for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects.
While WRDA just passed, it won’t be long before Congress begins initial negotiations for WRDA 2026. However, first is the Farm Bill, which includes essential provisions for conservation programs, disaster assistance, and water quality programs.
For a full roundup of legislative actions, see the summary included in Currents. And if you’re headed to Washington, D.C. in March for the ASCE Fly-In, please consider writing a brief article for Currents on your experience.
Finally, please consider inviting the 2026 ASCE President-Elect nominees (Carol Ellinger Haddock, P.E., MPA, F.ASCE and Kenneth H. Rosenfield, P.E., ENV SP, F.ASCE) to present at an upcoming meeting to learn more about each nominee and their vision for ASCE. Read the Civil Engineering Source article to learn more about the nominees.