Rep. Greg Stanton today announced the final agreement on the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022—the biennial, bipartisan package authorizing water infrastructure projects and studies through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—include several of his top priorities.
As the only Arizona member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Stanton worked to include resources for projects that benefit not just the Valley but the entire state.
“Arizona is facing a serious drought, and the federal government needs to treat this crisis with the urgency it requires—but the investments made in WRDA are going to empower communities to take charge of their water management and get more out of every drop,” said Stanton.
The final bill includes an additional $50 million for Stanton’s signature Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority, bringing the total authority to $200 million. Stanton created the authority in the 2020 WRDA to dedicate funds to small, rural and tribal communities in Arizona to meet their water and wastewater infrastructure needs. Since authorization of the authority in 2020, more than $24 million in federal funds have been delivered to 18 water projects across Arizona.
Stanton also secured funding to help two East Valley cities better protect its water supply:
- $37.5 million to expand and improve the City of Tempe’s Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility and groundwater recharge facilities. The Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility was taken offline in 2010 due to the recession, a reduction of wastewater into the city’s system and significant operational costs. This project will allow Tempe to reactivate the plant to collect, treat, and utilize its reclaimed water while also adding resiliency to the system. This authorization allows to access funds through the Corps for this important drought resiliency project.
Stanton visited the facility in September 2022 with Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) Michael Connor, who will oversee the project through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tempe’s Mayor Corey Woods.
- $18.75 million to address aging infrastructure at the City of Chandler’s Ocotillo Water Reclamation Facility. The City of Chandler operates two water reclamation facilities that treat more than 30 million gallons of wastewater each day. A majority of the wastewater flows to Ocotillo Water Reclamation Facility through a 66-inch diameter gravity pipe constructed in the early 1980s. This authorization allows Chandler to access funds through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rehabilitate this aging and deteriorating pipe.
Stanton worked to include additional measures in the final bill:
- Expedite a report needed to construct the Tres Rios ecosystem restoration project. Stanton secured $1.8 million in the fiscal year 2022 federal funding bill to complete this report. The Tres Rios Wetlands are a part of Rio Reimagined, an ongoing green infrastructure project along the Rio Salado spearheaded by the late Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ed Pastor. Specifically, the project is designed to provide flood control protection and the use of treated effluent from a regional wastewater treatment facility to restore hydrological connectivity and sustain fish and wildlife habitat.
- Authorize a Western Infrastructure Study, with a focus on how to improve water conservation and improve drought resilience at dams and reservoirs in the western United States. The final bill authorizes a comprehensive study at Corps owned, operated, or managed reservoirs in the west and southwest to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing nature-based features for the purposes of sustaining operations in response to a changing climate, reducing storage loss due to sediment, increasing water supply, and promoting aquatic ecosystem restoration.
- Authorize a Managed Aquifer Recharge Study and Working Group. Due to ongoing drought, diminishing surface water, and increased agriculture usage, there is a steadily growing national demand for groundwater. Because this demand is expected to increase, especially in western states, it’s vital we take action to ensure our nation’s aquifers remain at sufficient and healthy levels. There are already many regions which are struggling to maintain safe water levels in their aquifers at their current level of usage and recharge. The bill directs the Secretary to conduct a nationwide study of opportunities to carry out managed aquifer recharge at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water resources projects to address drought, water resiliency, and aquifer depletion. Further the bill authorizes 10 feasibility studies for specific aquifer recharge projects in areas that are experiencing prolonged drought.
- Establish District Tribal Liaisons. To better support tribal communities, the bill requires each Corps district with Tribal communities to establish and maintain a permanent Tribal liaison position. In Arizona, which has 22 tribal nations, this is an important step to connect tribes with the Corps so they can get the help they need to protect Arizona’s water.
WRDA has been included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The full text of the NDAA is available HERE. The final WRDA provisions negotiated between the House of Representatives and the Senate appear in Division H, Title LXXXI (starting on page 3,160).
The House is expected to vote on final passage tomorrow, and the Senate will vote on the package next week before it’s sent to the President’s desk.