HR7408-119

What This Bill Does

The Water Project Navigators Act defines eligible entities, eligible states, disadvantaged communities, rural communities, natural features, nature-based features, and multi-benefit water projects. Within 180 days, the Interior Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, must establish the Water Project Navigators Program to support planning, development, and implementation of multi-benefit water projects. Grants or cooperative agreements can fund navigator positions that help with grant writing, project management, feasibility, design, preliminary environmental review, engineering, and related work. Interior must publish criteria for public comment, prioritize applications serving Indian Tribes, disadvantaged communities, rural communities, low-capacity water entities, natural or nature-based features, multi-stakeholder support, job creation, drought resilience, and watershed health, cap most awards at three years with up to two additional years for satisfactory performance, set a 75 percent federal cost-share ceiling, and allow reduced or waived nonfederal shares for tribes, acequias, land grant-mercedes, disadvantaged communities, and partners facing hardship. The bill authorizes $15 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2032.

Who Benefits and How

Indian Tribes, rural communities, disadvantaged communities, acequias, land grant-mercedes, municipal water districts, local governments, water suppliers, and conservation organizations benefit from funded staff capacity to turn water needs into grant-ready projects. Communities with drinking-water, drought, flood, groundwater, recreation, watershed, or climate-resilience needs benefit when navigators help move multi-benefit projects through planning, design, environmental review, and financing. Reclamation gains a program targeted at capacity gaps rather than only construction money.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior and Reclamation must write criteria, run public comment, award grants and cooperative agreements regularly, evaluate hardship waivers, coordinate with other Interior programs, and manage six years of authorized appropriations. Recipients must provide up to 25 percent nonfederal match unless waived, document performance for continuation awards, and cannot use funds to satisfy existing environmental mitigation or compliance obligations. Federal taxpayers fund up to $90 million over fiscal years 2027 through 2032.

Key Provisions

• Defines multi-benefit water projects to include water efficiency, recycling, safe drinking water access, drought resilience, ecosystem restoration, watershed health, and sustainable groundwater activities.
• Creates the Water Project Navigators Program within 180 days to fund navigator positions through grants or cooperative agreements.
• Prioritizes projects serving Indian Tribes, disadvantaged communities, rural communities, natural or nature-based features, and low-capacity water entities.
• Sets a three-year award limit, allows two-year continuations, caps the federal share at 75 percent, and permits hardship waivers for specified communities.
• Authorizes $15 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2032, available until expended.