Water

Water Wins (and some losses) You Might Have Missed in 2024

Audubon’s work to protect water for birds and people continues.
A cormorant flies over rippling, blue water.
Double-crested Cormorant. Photo: William Pohley/Audubon Photography Awards
Caitlin Wall
By Caitlin Wall
Policy Director, Water Conservation
Published February 07, 2025

At the end of 2024, Congress was able to pass a few water wins. The bills outlined below, in addition to other conservation bills completed at the end of the year, signify hard-won successes for birds and people across the country. Audubon is proud to have supported these efforts over the past two years of the 118th Congress and looks forward to working with the new Congress to pass legislation that didn’t make it across the finish line in 2024 (more on that below).

Water Wins

Perhaps the most impactful, bipartisan win was the passage of the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act of 2024, S. 4367, or WRDA 2024. This legislation authorizes aquatic ecosystem restoration projects and programs for the Army Corps of Engineers and passed Congress with huge bipartisan margins of 97-1 in the Senate and 399-18 in the House. Audubon is grateful to the bipartisan leadership from retiring Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Thomas Carper (D-Delaware) and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-Missouri) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Washington) and their teams, who ensured this bill advanced through conference. Specifically, Audubon supported provisions in the bill that:

  • Directed the Army Corps of Engineers to create a national coastal mapping program, invest in dam safety, economic and hydrologic modeling, and more.
  • Authorized studies for ecosystem projects in Phoenix, Arizona at Rio Salado Oeste and at the Salton Sea in California. Other important studies include an Upper Mississippi River System Flood Risk and Resiliency Study, a National Academy of Sciences Study on the Upper Rio Grande Basin, and a study on Sea Sparrow Accounting.
  • Included authorizations for Government Accountability Office (GAO) Studies on important natural infrastructure features, ecosystem services, Tribal coordination, and Project Partnership Agreements.
  • Approved important project modifications for the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Project at Brandon Road, the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program, a Bosque Wildlife Restoration Project, and addressing Western Rural Water.
  • Authorized critical ecosystem restoration projects, including the Western Everglades Restoration Project (WERP), the Hatchie–Loosahatchie Mississippi River project, the Lake Okeechobee Component A Storage Reservoir, and a post Authorization Change Report for Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands in Florida.

Audubon looks forward to the implementation of these important ecosystem restoration projects and programs and looking ahead to the future Water Resources Development Act of 2026.

Possibly the second most impactful bill passed, in terms of geographic scope, was the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act, S. 3791. This law now ensures continued funding for multiple conservation programs like the North America Wetlands Conservation Act. It includes resources for conservation in the Chesapeake Bay and for the National Fish Habitat Partnership, which has funded more than 1,100 aquatic conservation projects across the country since its inception in 2006.

Other bills signed into law by President Biden include H.R. 7872, the “Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act”, H.R. 4094, the “Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act”, H.R. 5770, the “Water Monitoring and Tracking Essential Resources (WATER) Data Improvement Act;” H.R. 4385, the “Drought Preparedness Act”, and S. 50, the “Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary of National Significance Act of 2024”. H.R. 7872 contributes to federal efforts to protect the Colorado River by modifying the cost requirements for critical salinity control measures in the basin and increasing the allowable federal cost share of salinity control projects. H.R. 4094 provides an important means to aid the State of Utah and its residents in their continuing efforts to stretch limited water supplies through the Central Utah Project Completion Act’s purpose of promoting water conservation projects in the Great Salt Lake basin, which could in turn benefit the lake and surrounding communities. H.R. 5770 reauthorizes critical USGS water monitoring programs related to stream gauges and groundwater. H.R. 4385 reauthorizes the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act through 2028. S. 50 gives priority consideration to selecting the Pensacola and Perdido Bays in Florida as estuaries of national significance.

Finally, while the immense National Defense Authorization Act doesn’t normally conjure up images of water resources and wildlife, this year it included an important provision extending the Upper Colorado Fish Recovery Program. The provision extends efforts to study, monitor, and stock threatened and endangered fish species, ensures Endangered Species Act compliance for 2,500 water projects, authorizes up to $92 million for annual cost-shared funding for program implementation, and adds up to $50 million for capital projects for the recovery of endangered and threatened fish.

Water Misses
In addition to these water wins, several Audubon priorities did not make it over the finish line, but are now priorities for our work in the 119th Congress. These include:

  • The GLRI Act of 2024, S. 3738. This bill would have continued federal investments in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) This bipartisan bill passed the Senate unanimously, but did not make it to the House floor.
  • Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act, S. 4576. This bipartisan bill also passed the Senate unanimously, but was unable to pass the House and would reauthorize a critical conservation pilot program for the Colorado River.
    • In January, Representative Hageman (R-Wyoming) and Senator Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) led efforts to reintroduce this bill and Audubon urges swift passage in the 119th Congress.
  • Reauthorization of the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program through the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2024, H.R. 1395. This bipartisan bill passed out of Committees in both the House and Senate, but never received full consideration under either Chamber.  
  • The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act, S. 5012/H.R. 9515. Audubon’s Jennifer Pitt testified in support of this legislation, which passed out of the Senate Committee, but never received a House Committee vote.
  • Multiple Tribal water rights settlements, including four bills supported by Audubon:

In addition to these bills, multiple other Audubon priorities were not addressed in either Chamber of Congress and will remain priorities for our team looking ahead to the 119th Congress. Federal projects and programs that protect water resources and build community resilience are popular, provide local and national economic benefits, and produce significant returns on investment. In a time of increasing natural disaster costs, Audubon is eager to work across the aisle to support programs that leverage natural infrastructure to build ecosystem and community resilience.