U.S. House and Senate leaders considering the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) announced that they have reached agreement on a final conference report. After six months of negotiations, the conference report language could be voted on as early as next week. WRDA authorizes projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This year’s bill includes authorizations for several flood control projects in California, modifies Corps policy for providing credit to non-federal sponsors for advance construction of harbors and levees, and revises the policy for managing vegetation on federal levees. Congress intends to adopt a WRDA every two years, but the last two bills were adopted in 2000 and 2007.
