Water Resources Issues in the 111th Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Jan. 29, 2009 |
| Report Number |
R40180 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Betsy A. Cody, Coordinator, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
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.
