Federal water resource construction waned during the last decades of the 20 th century in response to fiscal constraints, interest in more local control of water and land resources, and requirements to assess environmental impacts of federal actions and to protect fish and wildlife. Even so, demand continues for traditional water resource development projects, such as locks and dams, levees, and other flood damage reduction works. Natural disasters such as the 2008 Midwest flooding, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Ike, have raised questions about this role; in particular, these disasters bring attention to the trade-offs in benefits, costs, and risks of the current division of responsibilities among local, state, and federal entities for flood mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Background

The 111 th Congress is faced with numerous water resource development and management issues: the federal role in the planning, construction, maintenance, inspection, and financing of water resource projects; federal investment in water resources research and data collection; management and operation of existing projects; environmental protection; and climate variability and change. The 111 th Congress is likely to consider authorizations and appropriations for numerous site-specific water resource development projects; management of existing projects and aging infrastructure; water resource protection and water rights issues; and regional aquatic ecosystem restoration programs (e.g., Great Lakes, San Joaquin River restoration, Everglades, and Chesapeake Bay). Consequently, Congress traditionally has pursued incremental changes through occasional Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Department of Defense (Corps) and project-specific legislation for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) in the Department of the Interior. Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, and 2008 Midwest flood oversight issues—such as how to better coordinate federal activities and how to respond or rebuild in the wake of severe damages—may be a particular focus, as might the examination of other areas of the country that may also be vulnerable. As noted earlier, the federal government is involved in several significant restoration initiatives ranging from the Florida Everglades to the California Bay-Delta. Instead, Reclamation projects are generally considered individually; although, occasionally individual project authorizations are rolled into an omnibus bill such as S. 22 in the 111 th Congress.
The federal government is involved in management of water resources throughout the country, primarily through construction, operation, and management of numerous infrastructure projects, such as dams, levees, and navigation works. Increasingly, the federal government is also involved in ecosystem restoration and protection of species and areas damaged by past construction and operations of federal projects, as well as restoration of other degraded ecosystems. This work involves restoration of some of the country's largest estuaries; for example, the California Bay-Delta and Chesapeake Bay.
Management of federal water resource facilities often involves trade-offs among project purposes, as well as local, regional, and national interests. Water resources development is particularly controversial because of budgetary constraints, conflicting policy objectives, environmental impacts, and demands for local control. Hurricane Katrina, hurricane Ike, and the 2008 Midwest floods have brought to the forefront long-simmering policy disputes involving local control and federal financing of projects, environmental and social tradeoffs, and multi-level accountability and responsibility for flood damage reduction projects, such as levees. Construction, improvement, and management of other federal water resource projects face similar challenges.
The 111th Congress faces numerous issues and trade-offs as it considers water resource development and protection legislation. These issues are likely to arise as Congress considers economic stimulus legislation, as well as other authorizations and appropriations for Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers projects. Some of these may be addressed as part of omnibus authorization bills such as S. 22 or potential Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) legislation), while others may be addressed via stand-alone legislation or as part of committee oversight of agency programs and policy changes. Congress will also likely play a role in overseeing federal responses to natural disasters such as droughts, hurricanes, and floods. Oversight issues related to the federal role in hurricane and flood protection, and levee construction and management, also are ongoing.