Water resource issues often arise at the regional level but have a federal connection. Next, it provides an overview of the federal role in water resource, including a discussion of the two major federal water resource agencies—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)—and related legislation. Legislation Enacted in the 114th Congress

The 114 th Congress authorized a broad range of water resource and water quality activities through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN or WIIN Act; P.L. Some WIIN provisions had broad support; others were related to more controversial issues and legislation. Water Resource Considerations for the 115th Congress

The 115 th Congress may address some measures left pending at the end of the 114 th Congress, as well as consider new legislative proposals. Topics that may garner congressional attention include
federal and nonfederal financing for water resource infrastructure investments, particularly for rehabilitating, repairing, or removing aging infrastructure and augmenting water supplies through dam construction, water reuse, desalination, and agricultural and urban stormwater capture; federal permitting and approvals affecting federal and nonfederal water resource projects and activities; oversight of WIIN implementation and funding for WIIN-authorized activities; authorization of new federal water projects and studies transmitted to Congress after enactment of WIIN; federal role and process related to water resource project development and approval, including at the regional and watershed levels; private infrastructure development and public-private partnerships; role of ecosystem and environmental protections, including efforts to comply with the ESA, in water resource management; invasive species, such as the Asian carp, and harmful algal blooms; oversight of regional aquatic ecosystem restoration efforts; and efficacy of federal navigation improvements in inland waterways and coastal harbors (e.g., Gulf Coast and East Coast harbors' ability to accommodate larger vessels transiting the Panama Canal). The 115 th Congress also may address issues in particular river basins. These issues include the operation of federal reservoirs on the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers (Central Valley Project in California) and on the Missouri River and its tributaries. For more information on other federal water activities, see CRS Report R42653, Selected Federal Water Activities: Agencies, Authorities, and Congressional Committees , by Betsy A. Cody et al. 114-322 ). Examples of Reclamation-related water project and management issues that may be considered during the 115 th Congress include the following:
drought response provisions that were proposed in the 114 th Congress but not enacted in the WIIN Act (including provisions that would affect operations of federal reservoirs and water delivery); status of new and proposed water storage projects; status of Reclamation's Safety of Dams program; authorization, appropriations, and reporting to address aging infrastructure; Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley water reliability and species concerns (e.g., California WaterFix and proposals to address California water supplies); oversight of Colorado River water management; authorization of new Indian water rights settlements and appropriations for authorized settlements; and oversight of Klamath River Basin issues and efforts. Policy Issues

In addition to issues related to federal projects, the 115 th Congress faces a number of broad water resource policy issues, including financing investment in new and aging water resource infrastructure; changing federal partnerships; funding and authorizing projects and earmark policies; restoring aquatic ecosystems; and improving drought and flood preparedness and response. Financing Investment in Water Resource Infrastructure

U.S. water infrastructure is aging; the majority of the nation's dams, locks, and levees are more than 50 years old. Additionally, responsibilities for flood damage reduction are spread among federal, state, local, and tribal governments.
The 115th Congress faces various water resource development, management, and protection issues. Water resource activities generally encompass navigation improvements, flood damage reduction measures, water supply augmentation, hydropower generation, and aquatic ecosystem restoration. Congressional actions shape reinvestment in aging federal infrastructure (e.g., dams, locks, and levees) and federal and nonfederal investment in new projects. The principal agencies involved in federal water resource infrastructure are the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation).
Oversight of Enacted Legislation. Water resource issues during 115th Congress are shaped in part by legislation enacted in earlier Congresses. The 114th Congress passed a broad water bill in December 2016—the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN or WIIN Act; P.L. 114-322)—that addressed water resource and water quality issues. Of its water resource provisions, WIIN
authorized a broad array of water resource activities for the Corps; addressed selected Department of the Interior water issues, including Reclamation projects and related water project management in California and other western states and management of selected Indian water projects; and authorized various regional aquatic ecosystem restoration activities.
Some of WIIN's Reclamation-related provisions on water conveyance and supply in California in particular remain the subject of attention by federal and local policymakers. Supporters of the WIIN provisions view these provisions as a compromise that may deliver greater water supplies to users; critics suggest that the provisions may alter environmental protections in California, thereby potentially harming threatened and endangered species, and that they may alter Congress's ability to oversee new projects. For more on WIIN, see CRS In Focus IF10536, Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN), by Nicole T. Carter et al.
Water Resource Issues in the 115th Congress. The 115th Congress may consider legislative proposals on water resource issues that were not addressed by WIIN, including those in legislative proposals considered but not enacted in previous Congresses. Congressional deliberations are within the context of broad issues shaping federal water resource activities. Areas of interest include the following:
financing investments in water resource infrastructure, changing federal partnerships, funding and authorizing projects and the earmark debate, restoring aquatic ecosystems, and improving drought and flood preparedness and response.
Within these broad issues, potential topics of congressional interest include authorization of additional studies and projects; public and private hydropower improvements; aging water infrastructure rehabilitation; recreational activities at federal projects; water research and science investment and coordination; and environmental requirements, including protection of threatened and endangered species. The 115th Congress also may consider issues that arise at the regional or local levels but have some federal involvement. For example, Congress may engage in policy debates and oversight related to the Columbia River, the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins, the Colorado River, and the Southeast's Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Basin due to the role of federal infrastructure and other efforts in these areas. Additionally, budget and appropriations issues often play a key role in directing each agency's activities and priorities.