S4999-118

Reported

To amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Sep 10, 2024

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment

Sep 10, 2024

Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read twice …

Sep 10, 2024

Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read twice …

Summary

What This Bill Does

Clarifies that holders of water rights-of-way can use them for aquifer recharge without needing additional federal authorization. Streamlines groundwater recharge activities.

Who Benefits and How

Water agencies gain clearer path to aquifer recharge. Western states benefit from improved groundwater management. Existing rights-of-way holders face less bureaucracy.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior must provide 30-day notice period for projects. Some federal oversight reduced. Environmental review potentially limited.

Key Provisions

  • Allows existing rights-of-way for aquifer recharge without new permits
  • Use not considered expansion, modification, or major federal action
  • 30-day notice required before project commencement
Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Jan 10, 2026 18:53

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

Clarifies that existing water rights-of-way can be used for aquifer recharge without additional federal authorization

Policy Domains

Water Public Lands Aquifer Recharge

Legislative Strategy

"Remove barriers to aquifer recharge on federal lands"

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Water Aquifer Recharge
Actor Mappings
"secretary"
→ Secretary of Interior

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology