Sponsors (3)
The bill creates a rapid federal assessment to identify Puerto Rico’s water and wastewater needs and recommend ways to speed projects and access funding, but the report does not itself provide money and may be rushed—so residents may learn what’s needed without immediate repairs and additional spending could be required to act.
Puerto Rico residents and local planners will receive a federally produced assessment within 180 days that identifies vulnerabilities and modernization needs for water and wastewater systems, giving communities concrete, centralized information to guide planning.
Local governments and utilities will get a report that pinpoints delays and gaps in existing projects and recommends Federal–local coordination improvements, which can help prioritize fixes, speed project delivery, and reduce future service disruptions after disasters.
Local governments and utilities can use the comprehensive federal assessment to strengthen applications for federal funding and technical assistance for modernization and resilience projects.
Puerto Rico residents and local governments may still wait for costly repairs because the assessment does not authorize funding or immediate repairs; identified needs could remain unaddressed.
Local and state governments (and federal reviewers) may get an incomplete or limited report because the 180‑day deadline could force a rushed assessment.
Implementing recommendations and accelerating projects could require additional federal resources or reprogramming, potentially increasing costs for taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Army Corps to assess Puerto Rico’s water and wastewater infrastructure and report needs and recommendations to Congress within 180 days.
Official title: To require the Secretary of the Army to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the water and wastewater infrastructure modernization needs of Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 5, 2026 by Pablo José Hernández · Last progress February 5, 2026
Requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform a comprehensive assessment of Puerto Rico’s water and wastewater infrastructure needs and report findings and recommendations to Congress. The Corps must complete the assessment in consultation with Puerto Rico’s Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and other relevant agencies within 180 days of enactment, describing current conditions, project status, resilience needs, and steps to improve Federal–local coordination.