MARTINSBURG — Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, and other members of Congress released the final text for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Reps. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Sam Graves, R-Mo., helped Capito release the final text.

According to an official release from Capito’s office, WRDA authorizes key projects and studies to address water resources challenges across the country and supports the work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in responding to national and local priorities.

“The Water Resources Development Act of 2022 is the product of bipartisan work to tackle our nation’s water resources challenges,” Capito said in the release. “This legislation further enables the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address local and regional concerns while continuing to advance national priorities. For West Virginia, it means projects across our state will receive the resources and support needed to make progress on critical issues, such as addressing flood risk. WRDA 2022 is another example of commonsense, bipartisan collaboration on the EPW Committee and with our counterparts in the House to improve the nation’s infrastructure, and I look forward to voting to send it to the president’s desk.”

According to the release, this will support flood control and prevention by competing several project adjustments and authorizations throughout the state and will improve U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) ability to provide technical assistance and planning services, with reforms focusing attention on watershed planning in flood-impacted communities and identifying debris that contribute to flood events.

Additionally, in relation to the impact it would have on the Eastern Panhandle, it would enhance assistance for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects by increasing the authorized funding level for the Section 340 and Section 571 environmental infrastructure programs, which support drinking water and wastewater projects across the state of West Virginia.

“It also shifts the geographic footprint of these programs to conform to the state’s two congressional districts,” the release explained.

The release also added that it would expand the types of assistance offered under the Section 510 environmental assistance program for the Chesapeake Bay, to include wastewater and stormwater projects in the Eastern Panhandle.

Lastly, the release stated that the bill would provide USACE with additional authorities to address water resources needs. The USACE would be authorized to partner with West Virginia University to conduct academic research on water resources issues that are critical to West Virginia, authorizing USACE to evaluate the feasibility of adding federal or nonfederal hydropower at several dams in West Virginia, directing USACE to develop an implementation plan for enhancing economic development and recreation opportunities at the agency’s facilities in Appalachia and urging USACE to consider alternatives to credit card machines for collecting fees at the agency’s recreation sites and facilities in West Virginia.

To view the entire release and see the full bill and list of projects, visit https://www.capito.senate.gov.