Late last week, the U.S. Senate passed a three-bill spending package that provides FY 2026 funding for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Bureau of Reclamation, and the programs they administer. The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed the package, known as a minibus, which now heads to the President for his signature.
As we reported last week, the legislation slashes funding for the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Grants Program by 58 percent, from $30 million to $12.5 million, $10 million of which will be available for Title XVI competitive grants. The cut to Title XVI comes as part of a larger funding cut to the Bureau of Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account, within which Reclamation water programs sit. The package reduces funding for that account by more than $286 million, from roughly $1.75 billion to $1.47 billion. Appropriations Committee staff have pledged to work toward restoring Title XVI funding in FY 2027.
Whereas the bill slashes funding for Reclamation water programs, it largely maintains funding for key EPA water programs and provides start-up funding of $2 million for the Pilot Program for Alternative Water Source Grants, a top WateReuse priority. WateReuse will be working to grow funding for the Alternative Water Source Grants program over the next several years so that communities in every region of the country can access grant funding for water reuse.
The bill maintains level funding for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Programs; however, it dedicates a very significant portion of the SRF funding for earmark projects. |