Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the passage of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) through the Senate. Senator Cortez Masto fought for several Nevada priorities in the legislation, which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve water infrastructure and address drought. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
“Drought is one of the biggest issues facing Nevada families, and it’s my priority to ensure every Nevadan has access to clean water,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to have passed important water infrastructure improvements in this legislation that will help communities throughout the Silver State safeguard their water supply and mitigate drought.”
Senator Cortez Masto successfully pushed to include the following provisions to support water protection and management in Nevada:
- Allowing local authorities to proceed on their preferred plan to build the Truckee River Flood Management Project.
- Extending the authorization of the Invasive Species in Alpine Lakes Pilot Project through 2030 to help continue measures that combat invasive species in the Tahoe Basin.
- Raising the funding cap to $65 million for the program that supports erosion control projects around the Las Vegas Wash, which plays a critical role in helping the Las Vegas Valley return water to Lake Mead.
- Developing infrastructure in Pahrump Valley to help protect and stabilize groundwater levels.
- Investing $4,000,000 to facilitate flood control plans in Pahrump.
- Providing $20,000,000 for Lake Tahoe water and wastewater infrastructure.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader working to support conservation efforts and combat drought. As part of the Great American Outdoors Act, she secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Cortez Masto fought to deliver $4 billion to combat drought in the states bordering the Colorado River in the Inflation Reduction Act and helped pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will continue to make a historic amount of funding available for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements across the country over five years.
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