This bill asks the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which is Congress's independent watchdog agency, to investigate and report back on the condition of dams that the U.S. Department of Agriculture helps fund and maintain. These dams are part of several different watershed and conservation programs designed to protect water resources and prevent flooding.

The report needs to cover important details about these dams, including where they're located, who owns them, and whether they're in good physical condition. It also needs to check if the dams are following environmental laws and regulations, assess how dangerous they might be if they failed, and determine whether any of them have already outlived their expected lifespan. Essentially, Congress wants a comprehensive health check on all the dams it's been investing in through these agricultural and conservation programs so they can understand what shape these structures are actually in and whether they need repairs, upgrades, or other attention.

To require to Comptroller General to submit to Congress a report on the status of dams in the USDA watershed program.

Van Orden, Derrick

<p>This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on dams in watershed programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Specifically, GAO must report on dams that receive assistance under (1) the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, (2) the Act of December 22, 1944, (3) the Pilot Watershed Program, and (4) the Resource Conservation and Development program. The report must include the status of the dams, including information related to</p><ul><li>the location, ownership, and structural conditions of the dams;</li><li>their compliance with certain environmental requirements;</li><li>their hazard classification assessments; and</li><li>whether the dams have exceeded their life expectancies.</li></ul>