Senate Passes Water Resources Development Act of 2024, Including Wins for Delaware

Watch Chairman Carper's Speech From the Senate Floor Following Passage Here

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024) unanimously. WRDA 2024 is biennial legislation that authorizes flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) in Delaware and across the country. U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced and passed the bill through the EPW Committee earlier this year.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed its WRDA legislation on July 22. Next, the EPW Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will begin the conference process to resolve the differences between the two bills.

Delaware relies on partnerships with the Corps to address some of the state's biggest challenges, like sea level rise, inland flooding and other effects of climate change. The Corps constructs and maintains infrastructure that supports Delaware's economy, including the Port of Wilmington and intracoastal waterways. The Corps also works with Delaware to protect and renourish Delaware's beaches and restore Delaware's ecosystems.

"Delaware's beaches, waterways and ports are the backbone of our economy," said Chairman Carper. "That's why we worked hard to invest in the First State's water infrastructure with WRDA 2024. This bipartisan legislation will direct the Corps to protect Delaware's shorelines from the threats of climate change as well as support ecosystem restoration and water resources research while supporting good-paying jobs up and down the state. I look forward to the work ahead to see this legislation across the finish line."

Among its provisions, WRDA 2024 would:

Protect Delaware's economy and shorelines from the threats of climate change by:

• Establishing the Delaware Coastal System Program to promote efficiency and to share resources among the many coastal hurricane and storm risk reduction projects throughout Delaware. As a result, the Corps and the state will be able to more effectively use federal and state funds across projects, improve state-wide planning efforts and reduce redundancies during restorations.
• Directing the Corps to reevaluate the Lewes Beach project to determine which additional areas should be included for beach renourishment along the Lewes shoreline.
• Reducing the local contribution requirement for renourishing Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and South Bethany beaches from 35 to 20 percent. The bill also reduces the local contribution requirement for renourishing Fenwick beach from 50 to 20 percent. Sustained federal investment is crucial to protecting Delaware's beaches as climate change intensifies coastal storms and drives mitigation and recovery costs up.
• Adding Broadkill Beach to the Bay Beach restoration initiative, reducing the state cost match to renourish Broadkill from 35 to 10 percent, in line with Delaware's other bay beaches.
• Reducing the state contribution requirement from 50 to 10 percent for completing the Delaware Back Bay Study. This Corps study recommends construction projects to increase community resilience to coastal storms along the inland bays. Because this initiative includes numerous economically disadvantaged communities, the federal government will be responsible for 90 percent of the cost of construction.

Support ecosystem restoration and water resources research by:

• Authorizing a new Delaware Inland Bays Watershed Study to comprehensively consider ecosystem restoration needs in the inland bay area.
• Authorizing Delaware State University to conduct research on water resources and environmental quality in collaboration with the Corps.

Invest in municipal infrastructure programs in Delaware by:

• Authorizing feasibility studies for flood risk management projects for flood-prone Delaware communities including Milton and Wilmington.
• Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project for Delaware's bay beach communities to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.
• Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project for Delaware's Atlantic beach communities to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.
• Authorizing a new $25 million environmental infrastructure project in Wilmington, Delaware to help improve sewers, stormwater treatment systems, water storage and other related wastewater infrastructure.
• Increasing the authorized funding for environmental infrastructure projects in New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties to $40 million for each county.

Bill Text | Section-by-Section | Bill Summary

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.