H.R. 9497

Water Resources Development Act of 2026

Sponsor: Sam Graves

3 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Water Resources Development Act of 2026

This bill authorizes and modifies certain water resource infrastructure projects and programs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and makes related requirements. For example, the bill authorizes and modifies various water resources feasibility studies and projects of the Corps of Engineers, such as studies or projects to

  • maintain ports and harbors,
  • make certain waterways more navigable,
  • reduce flood and storm damage,
  • restore aquatic ecosystems and protect fish and wildlife,
  • protect shorelines,
  • address harmful algal blooms,
  • rehabilitate dams,
  • manage recreational sites and facilities,
  • support water supply and storage projects, and
  • support other water resources infrastructure.

The bill also directs the Corps of Engineers to establish an Office on Alternative Delivery Methods in order to accelerate project delivery of infrastructure. 

In addition, the bill directs the Corps of Engineers to issue a rule that establishes categorical permissions for certain harbor or river improvements that will cause only minimal adverse environmental effects.

Text of the bill

Expand all

I General Provisions

Sec. 129. Fish and oyster habitat restoration Changed · Sep 3

Where this section came from

  1. Jun 29, 2026 · Introduced in House Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Jun 29
  2. Sep 3, 2026 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Jul 14 Reported by House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Sep 3 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What changed in the text

… 2 unchanged passages …

(2) in subparagraph (D)(v), by striking the period and inserting ; a and semicolon ; and

… 7 unchanged passages …

(v) activities relating to increasing the output of native oyster broodstock for seeding and monitoring of restored sites to ensure ecological success ; and (F) the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat for fish in the Choctawhatchee Bay and off the coast in the vicinity of Okaloosa County, Florida .

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What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

Section 704(b)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2263(b)(2)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (C), by striking and at the end;

(2) in subparagraph (D)(v), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and

(3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(E) the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat for fish, including native oysters, in the East River, Flushing Bay and River, and Bronx River, New York, including—

(i) the construction of oyster bars and reefs;

(ii) the rehabilitation of existing marginal habitat and oyster reef sites;

(iii) the use of appropriate alternative substrate material in oyster bar and reef construction;

(iv) the construction and upgrading of oyster hatcheries; and

(v) activities relating to increasing the output of native oyster broodstock for seeding and monitoring of restored sites to ensure ecological success; and

(F) the restoration and rehabilitation of habitat for fish in the Choctawhatchee Bay and off the coast in the vicinity of Okaloosa County, Florida.

II Studies and Reports

III Deauthorizations and Modifications

IV Water Resources Infrastructure

V Dam Safety