Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 to fund the Army Corps of Engineers for the next two years. Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) helped craft this package as a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The bill includes provisions proposed by Rep. Dina Titus to strengthen water conservation efforts. It now faces consideration in the Senate.
“The prolonged drought and the shrinking Colorado River make it imperative that we think outside the box and use every tool possible to mitigate our water supply crisis,” Congresswoman Titus said. “This legislation strengthens the ability of the Army Corps of Engineers to protect dwindling water supplies. It includes provisions I championed to create an Office of Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resilience that would promote water conservation and drought resiliency measures at federal water projects such as those to optimize reservoir storage, support aquifer storage and recharge, and institute nature-based solutions in drought-prone areas.”
Another provision Congresswoman Titus led in the package would direct the Army Corps to consider the impact of data centers on water supply and conservation projects.
“We need to better understand the effects data centers will have on water supplies, particularly in desert areas like Southern Nevada prone to drought,” she said. “Two-thirds of proposed data centers are in drought-prone regions, and over 70 of those are in Nevada. WRDA 2026 will help strengthen transparency about how this influx of data centers will impact the water supply.”
The WRDA 2026 bill also includes provisions championed by Congresswoman Titus to create a pilot program to use natural infrastructure in dryland streams in arid and desert regions.
This program will be beneficial in Nevada, where 88 percent of streams are ephemeral, including the Amargosa River which has been labeled one of the most endangered rivers in the United States.
Provisions led by Congresswoman Titus in the legislation are:
· Strengthening the Army Corp’s Focus on Water Supply: Builds upon the provisions in WRDA 2024 intended to elevate water supply issues at the Corps of Engineers by establishing a new Office of Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resilience. The purpose of the office is to promote water supply, water conservation, and drought resiliency at water resource development projects.
· Drought Resiliency Projects: Establishes two new continuing authorities programs to carry out small-scale projects for drought resiliency and for flood control structure enhancement.
· Dryland Streams Pilot Program: Directs the Army Corp to research and test the effectiveness of natural infrastructure in dryland streams in arid, semi-arid, and drought-prone areas. This will be beneficial in Nevada, where 88 percent of streams are ephemeral, including the Amargosa River which was recently labeled one of America’s most endangered rivers.
· Dam Safety: Reauthorizes the dam safety program through 2031 and includes key changes to give states the flexibility they need to protect communities. This is based on the DAMS Act (H.R.5414), a bill Rep Titus co-lead with Rep Van Drew.
· Truckee River Flood Control Project: Provides needed deauthorizations to ensure continued implementation of the Truckee River Flood Management Project (TRMA). Through this project, the cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County, and numerous other stakeholders are working together to reduce the devastating impacts of flooding along the Truckee River in Washoe County, Nevada.
· Invasive Species: Adds “aquatic invasive species identification, containment, mitigation, and eradication” to the list of authorized projects under the Tahoe Section 108 program.