Norton Highlights D.C. Provisions in Committee-Passed Water Resources Development Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - After the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee (T&I) marked up and passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (WRDA) today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) celebrated the committee passage of several provisions she got included that are beneficial for D.C., all of which were maintained during the markup.

"There's an urgent need to protect D.C.'s drinking water and infrastructure from critical vulnerabilities, and I'm pleased that the T&I Committee voted to maintain the important provisions I got included addressing those issues in today's markup," Norton said. "Significantly, the bill addresses the recent failure of the Potomac Interceptor by authorizing an additional $200 million for water and wastewater infrastructure, a critical step to repair and fortify the Interceptor to prevent future failures.

"Furthermore, our nation's capital cannot remain the only major metropolitan area in the country wholly dependent on a single source of drinking water. Authorizing the second phase of the study I got included in WRDA in 2022 to find a secondary source of drinking water is an important stride towards securing the long-term safety of D.C. residents and continuity of federal government operations in the event of a disaster.

"Finally, I'm pleased to have secured a provision shifting the cost burden entirely to the federal government for the Federal Triangle flood study. Previously, local D.C. would have been responsible for paying for 50% of the study to find solutions for flooding in this area, which is federal property."

The bill expands existing WRDA funding eligibility for the Potomac Interceptor and increases the funding levels for water and wastewater infrastructure by $200 million, a critical victory for the National Capital Region after a failure in the Potomac Interceptor pipeline in January resulted in nearly 250 million gallons of sewage spilling into the Potomac River.

The legislation also authorizes the second phase of the Washington Metropolitan Area secondary drinking water supply study which Norton got included in the 2022 WRDA. Currently D.C. is wholly dependent on the Potomac River for its drinking water, and natural or man-made events could render the river unusable for drinking. The federally-owned and operated Washington Aqueduct produces drinking water from the river for D.C. and parts of Virginia. However, the aqueduct maintains only a single day of backup water supply. Many other highly populated metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco have a second source of drinking water, and many are in the planning stages for a third source.

Today's committee-passed version of WRDA also authorizes a study on flood mitigation in the Federal Triangle area of D.C. and shifts the cost from 50% to 100% federally-funded. Previously, local D.C. would have been responsible for half of the cost of the study. With heavy rain projected to become more frequent due to climate change, the Federal Triangle area is increasingly susceptible to flooding. In June 2006, an intense storm produced flooding in the area, which caused power outages and major disruptions to federal and D.C. operations, forcing closures of local businesses, public transportation hubs and federal buildings. Smaller but still significant storms in the area in 2018, 2019 and 2020 resulted in closures of Constitution Avenue, power and transportation disruptions, and flooding of buildings.

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