To amend the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to clarify a provision relating to conveyances for aquifer recharge purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill makes it easier to use existing water infrastructure on federal lands for aquifer recharge (replenishing groundwater). Currently, holders of rights-of-way or permits for ditches and canals on public land must get additional federal permission to use that infrastructure for aquifer recharge. This bill eliminates that requirement, allowing them to proceed with just a 30-day notice to the Bureau of Land Management.
Who Benefits and How
State and local governments, Indian Tribes, and public water agencies benefit by gaining easier access to existing infrastructure for groundwater replenishment projects without navigating additional federal permitting. Existing permit holders (like irrigation districts and water utilities) can now partner with these public entities to use their infrastructure for aquifer recharge without BLM approval delays. Non-profit uses are also exempt from paying additional rent to BLM.
Who Bears the Burden and How
For-profit entities using aquifer recharge must still pay additional rent to BLM. The bill explicitly preserves all existing environmental compliance requirements under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, meaning water users still face those regulatory obligations. BLM faces a new administrative burden of processing 30-day notices.
Key Provisions
- Allows use of existing rights-of-way for aquifer recharge with 30-day notice instead of requiring new authorization
- Exempts non-profit aquifer recharge uses from paying additional BLM rent
- Preserves requirements to comply with Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to allow holders of existing water infrastructure rights-of-way to use them for aquifer recharge purposes on behalf of states, tribes, and public entities without requiring additional federal authorization.
Key Policy Areas
Water Resources, Public Lands, Environment
Primary Purpose
Amends the Aquifer Recharge Flexibility Act to allow holders of existing water infrastructure rights-of-way to use them for aquifer recharge purposes on behalf of states, tribes, and public entities without requiring additional federal authorization.
Policy Domains
Section 1 - Conveyance for aquifer recharge purposes
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State and local water agencies
- Indian Tribes
- Irrigation districts
- Public water utilities
- Agricultural water users
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Bureau of Land Management
- For-profit water entities
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Manchin, with an amendment
Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
For-profit water and infrastructure companies, Holders of existing rights-of-way on federal lands, Indian Tribes with water infrastructure on federal lands
Positive-direction: Holders of existing rights-of-way on federal lands, Indian Tribes with water infrastructure on federal lands, Irrigation districts and agricultural water providers, State and local water management agencies
Negative-direction: For-profit water and infrastructure companies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_holder"
- → Holder of right-of-way, easement, permit, or other authorization on federal lands
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The process of replenishing groundwater by directing surface water into underground aquifers
State, political subdivision of a State, Indian Tribe, or other public entity (as distinguished from for-profit entities)
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