Sponsors
The bill directs federal money and technical support to a small set of watershed projects with stronger data, performance payments, and oversight—boosting results-driven conservation for participating communities while raising recurring taxpayer costs, limiting geographic reach, and creating transparency, matching, and administrative challenges.
Local communities, rural areas, and farmers will receive federal funding and technical assistance to design and implement watershed projects that can increase surface and groundwater and improve watershed health.
Watershed partners (including local governments and nonprofits) can receive up to 50% of estimated project costs annually plus performance payments, making projects more financially viable and helping leverage non‑Federal funds.
Taxpayers fund a dedicated appropriation of $17 million per year (FY2026–FY2031), which enables the Secretary and agencies to carry out the program and support watershed activities.
Taxpayers will bear a recurring $17 million per year cost for six years, increasing federal outlays and potentially adding budgetary pressure.
Many communities (especially rural and under-resourced areas) may be excluded because the program is limited to no more than five watershed projects, concentrating benefits and leaving unmet needs elsewhere.
Low-income communities, small localities, and tribes may be unable to participate if they cannot meet matching requirements or if federal funding caps limit support, perpetuating inequities in access to program benefits.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive program to fund watershed projects using advance analytics and pay-for-performance, and authorizes $17M annually for FY2026–FY2031.
Introduced April 1, 2025 by Ronald Lee Wyden · Last progress April 1, 2025
Creates a competitive program at the Department of the Interior to fund and support watershed-scale conservation projects in Reclamation States using upfront technical analysis and pay-for-performance contracts. It directs the Secretary to select local partners, provide technical and financial assistance (including up to half of estimated project costs annually), require monitoring and reporting, and authorizes $17 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2031.