# What This Bill Does

This bill sets aside $3 million per year for the next six years to help communities and water agencies develop projects that store and reuse water more effectively. Specifically, it funds three types of water management projects: groundwater recharge (putting water back into underground aquifers), aquifer storage (keeping water in underground reservoirs for later use), and water source substitution (using alternative water sources instead of depleting primary ones).

Think of it like this: instead of letting water run off or only using it once, these projects capture water during wet periods and store it underground for use during dry times. For example, a community might collect stormwater or recycled water and inject it into the ground to refill depleted aquifers, or they might use treated wastewater for irrigation instead of tapping into limited groundwater supplies. The money helps pay for the technical expertise and planning needed to design these projects, as well as part of the construction costs.

This matters most to people in water-stressed regions, particularly in the West and Southwest where drought and groundwater depletion are serious problems. Farmers, cities, and water districts struggling with limited water supplies could use these funds to build projects that make their water supplies more reliable and sustainable. The bill essentially gives the federal government permission to redirect $18 million total (from existing infrastructure funding) to support these water storage and reuse initiatives over the next six years, helping communities adapt to water scarcity without requiring new federal spending.

To provide technical and financial assistance for groundwater recharge, aquifer storage, and water source substitution projects.

Costa, Jim

<p>This bill modifies the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow unobligated balances of amounts made available to the Bureau of Reclamation for western water infrastructure to be made available to Reclamation for FY2026-2031 to provide financial or technical assistance for (1) groundwater recharge projects, (2) aquifer storage and recovery projects, or (3) water source substitution for aquifer protection projects.</p>