Press Releases

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7776, the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) which includes a provision championed by Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) that would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to provide planning, design, and construction assistance on water infrastructure projects, including drinking water, stormwater, and wastewater, to King, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties for the first time.

This new $200 million authority, known as environment infrastructure assistance, includes a 75-25 federal cost-share for projects and the ability for smaller communities to leverage the expertise of the Army Corps of Engineers in improving their water infrastructure.   

“Between costly natural disasters, like the historic flooding in Whatcom and Skagit counties last year, decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure, and the needs of our growing population, our region’s water infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and improvement,” said DelBene. “In my district alone, there are nearly 50 water infrastructure projects that desperately need our attention. I fought to secure this new authority for the four counties in my district so local governments can leverage the expertise of the Army Corps of Engineers and access federal resources to improve our communities.”

While the $200 million new authority is not a guarantee of funding, it could be paired with Community Project Funding in the future, where members of Congress can request funding for specific projects in their communities. In addition to the resources included in the bipartisan infrastructure law, this new authority will provide an additional opportunity for significant improvements in water infrastructure throughout King, Snohomish, Skagit, and Whatcom counties.

In addition to the four counties in WA-01, the $200 million authority also covers Chelan, Kittitas, and Pierce counties. Cities and counties can apply for funding through a competitive process. Washington state is currently only one of seven states in the country that does not have any existing environmental infrastructure assistance authorizations that local and state governments can utilize. 

Congress typically passes WRDA legislation every 2 years. The Senate is expected to take up the measure later this year.

A section-by-section summary of WRDA can be found here.