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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) voted to pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) to improve and invest in key water infrastructure systems throughout the country. The legislation includes provisions championed by Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen to fund environmental improvement projects within the Lake Tahoe Basin and water infrastructure upgrades throughout rural Nevada. “I’ve made it a priority in the Senate to protect Nevada’s water resources and improve water infrastructure across the state,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation delivers on those promises by funding water projects throughout Nevada, investing in our rural communities, and protecting our natural resources, from Lake Tahoe to Lake Mead.” “Lake Tahoe is a critical natural resource and we must continue to protect it for future generations,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to have secured provisions in this bipartisan bill to help the Lake Tahoe Basin ecosystem and fund water infrastructure projects across rural communities.” Enacted every two years, WRDA legislation authorizes water infrastructure projects for the Army Corps of Engineers to study, plan, and develop. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen’s provision, included in the legislative package, increases funding for the U.S. Army Corps’ Lake Tahoe 108 Program by $25 million, bringing the program level to a total of $50 million. This program was created in 2005 to support environmental infrastructure projects within the Lake Tahoe Basin. Additional funding will help combat invasive species, support Truckee River restoration projects, and fund improvements to public infrastructure around the lake. The senators also secured an additional $105 million for the Western Rural Water Program, which provides water infrastructure funding to rural communities. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have diligently worked to combat drought and support water infrastructure. Senator Cortez Masto drafted legislation for the bipartisan infrastructure package she and Senator Rosen helped pass to create a $450 million competitive grant program for large-scale water recycling projects across the Western U.S., and she is continuing to build on the popularity and success of this program. Earlier this year, Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen pushed to protect Nevada’s drinking water through the Senate passage of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act and secured a total of $17 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next five years. They were also instrumental in passing the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan Authorization Act, which requires the Department of the Interior to carry out the Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan signed by the seven Colorado River Basin states, including Nevada. ### |