I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9506 
To provide for the establishment of a Water Project Navigators Program, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 
Ms. PETTERSEN (for herself and Mr. CISCOMANI) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the establishment of a Water Project 
Navigators Program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Project Naviga-
tors Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY.—Except as 
otherwise defined by the Secretary based on current 
methodologies, the term ‘‘disadvantaged community’’ 
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means a community (including a city, town, county, 
or reasonably isolated and divisible segment of a 
larger municipality) with an annual median income 
that is less than the statewide annual median in-
come for the State in which the community is lo-
cated, according to the most recent decennial census. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State, Indian Tribe, acequia, land 
grant-merced, local government, water supplier, 
or municipal water district located in an eligible 
State; 
(B) any State, regional, or local authority 
located in an eligible State, the members of 
which include 1 or more organizations with 
water or power delivery authority; 
(C) a nonprofit conservation organization 
located in an eligible State; 
(D) an agency located in an eligible State 
that is established under State or Tribal law for 
the joint exercise of powers; or 
(E) a combination of entities described in 
subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
(3) ELIGIBLE
STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 
State’’ means— 
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(A) a State or territory described in the 
first section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (43 
U.S.C. 391; 32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093); 
(B) the State of Alaska; 
(C) the State of Hawaii; and 
(D) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
(4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(5) MULTI-BENEFIT
WATER
PROJECT.—The 
term ‘‘multi-benefit water project’’ means any 
project in an eligible State that— 
(A) enhances the overall resilience of water 
supplies to climate-related impacts, including 
through activities— 
(i) to increase water use efficiency; 
(ii) to reduce consumptive use of 
water; 
(iii) to promote system conservation; 
(iv) to reduce water supply-demand 
imbalances; 
(v) to promote water recycling and 
other advanced water treatments to aug-
ment water supplies; 
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(vi) to improve management or deliv-
ery of water resources; or 
(vii) to encourage sustainable surface 
water or groundwater management; and 
(B) provides benefits to communities and 
ecosystems, including through activities— 
(i) to conserve or enhance fish and 
wildlife habitat; 
(ii) to improve water quality; 
(iii) to improve watershed health and 
function; 
(iv) to enhance recreational opportuni-
ties; 
(v) to promote rural economic develop-
ment; or 
(vi) to address risks to communities 
and infrastructure from climate change. 
(6) NATURAL
FEATURE.—The term ‘‘natural 
feature’’ means a feature that is created through the 
action of physical, geological, biological, and chem-
ical processes over time. 
(7) NATURE-BASED FEATURE.—The term ‘‘na-
ture-based feature’’ means a feature that is created 
by human design, engineering, and construction to 
provide a means to reduce water supply and demand 
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imbalances or drought or flood risk by acting in con-
cert with natural processes. 
(8) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the Water Project Navigators Program established 
under section 3(a). 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 3. WATER PROJECT NAVIGATORS PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a program to support the development and imple-
mentation of multi-benefit water projects within eligible 
States, to be known as the ‘‘Water Project Navigators 
Program’’. 
(b) AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the Program, the 
Secretary may award grants or cooperative agreements to 
eligible entities to support the creation or continuation of 
multi-benefit water project navigator positions. 
(c) CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 
criteria and guidelines for awarding grants and co-
operative agreements under the Program that con-
sider— 
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(A) the potential of the eligible entity to 
accelerate development and implementation of 
multi-benefit water projects within— 
(i) the jurisdiction or service area of 
the eligible entity; or 
(ii) in the case of an eligible entity 
that is a nongovernmental applicant, an 
area in which the eligible entity has a dem-
onstrated history of productive engagement 
with the community and stakeholders; 
(B) any history of development of multi- 
benefit water projects by the eligible entity; and 
(C) any potential multi-benefit water 
projects the eligible entity has not yet imple-
mented due to lack of capacity. 
(2) PRIORITIZATION.—The criteria and guide-
lines developed under paragraph (1) shall include 
prioritization criteria for awarding grants or cooper-
ative agreements, which shall include prioritizing ap-
plications from eligible entities— 
(A) that would provide benefits for Indian 
Tribes, disadvantaged communities, and other 
eligible entities with limited project development 
resources and capacity; 
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(B) that would provide support for local 
job creation and retention; 
(C) with a demonstrated intent and ability 
to incorporate improvements to the condition of 
a natural feature or nature-based feature in 
multi-benefit water projects designed under the 
Program; 
(D) with demonstrated support from mul-
tiple stakeholders, including Indian Tribes, rep-
resentatives of irrigated agricultural production, 
hydroelectric production, municipal and indus-
trial water users, local governments, commu-
nity-based organizations, and nonprofit con-
servation organizations; 
(E) that would provide benefits for areas 
experiencing severe long-term drought; and 
(F) with the capability to work in coordi-
nation with other projects that have been fund-
ed under, or help advance the objectives of, 
other Department of Interior programs, includ-
ing a program authorized under— 
(i) section 9504 of the Omnibus Pub-
lic Land Management Act of 2009 (42 
U.S.C. 10364); 
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(ii) section 6002 of the Omnibus Pub-
lic Land Management Act of 2009 (16 
U.S.C. 1015a); 
(iii) section 1109 of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (33 U.S.C. 
2330c); 
(iv) title IX of division D of the Infra-
structure Investment and Jobs Act (43 
U.S.C. 3201 et seq.); or 
(v) section 50233 of Public Law 117– 
169 (commonly known as the ‘‘Inflation 
Reduction Act of 2022’’) (136 Stat. 2053). 
(3) PUBLIC COMMENT.—Before finalizing the 
criteria and guidelines developed under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall make the criteria and guide-
lines available for public comment. 
(4) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary may not 
award a grant or cooperative agreement under the 
Program that would fund activities to meet existing 
environmental mitigation or compliance obligations 
under Federal or State law. 
(d) DUTIES OF NAVIGATORS.—A multi-benefit water 
project navigator funded under the Program shall assist 
the eligible entity in planning, developing, and imple-
menting multi-benefit water projects, including— 
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(1) grant writing; 
(2) project management; 
(3) technical assistance, such as feasibility, de-
sign, preliminary environmental review, and engi-
neering; and 
(4) any other necessary activities. 
(e) DURATION
OF
GRANTS
AND
COOPERATIVE 
AGREEMENTS.— 
(1) LIMITATION.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 
grant or cooperative agreement under the Program 
shall be limited to a period of not more than 3 
years. 
(2) CONTINUATION AND EXTENSION.—At the 
discretion of the Secretary, the Secretary may issue 
a continuation grant or extend a cooperative agree-
ment awarded under the Program for not more than 
2 additional years, with additional funding to be 
awarded, as determined to be appropriate by the 
Secretary, if the recipient of the grant or cooperative 
agreement has demonstrated satisfactory perform-
ance with implementation of the proposal under the 
initial grant or cooperative agreement, as determined 
by the Secretary. 
(f) CONTINUOUS
ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary 
shall— 
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(1) make funding opportunities for the Pro-
gram available on a regular basis; and 
(2) allow applications for grants or cooperative 
agreements under the Program to be submitted and 
evaluated multiple times per year. 
(g) COST SHARE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (3), the Federal share of the cost of any activ-
ity awarded a grant or cooperative agreement under 
the Program shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost 
of the activity carried out under the grant or cooper-
ative agreement. 
(2) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL COST SHARE.—The 
non-Federal share of the cost of an activity awarded 
a grant or cooperative agreement under the Program 
may be in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. 
(3) REDUCTION; WAIVER.—With respect to a 
grant or cooperative agreement awarded to an In-
dian Tribe, acequia, land grant-merced, disadvan-
taged community, or any other eligible entity work-
ing in partnership with or on behalf of those entities, 
the Secretary may reduce or waive the non-Federal 
share of the cost of any activity that is the subject 
of the grant or cooperative agreement if the reduc-
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tion or waiver would further a compelling Federal 
interest, as determined by the Secretary. 
(h) COORDINATION.—In administering the Program, 
the Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal, Tribal, 
State, and local government technical assistance programs 
to enhance multi-benefit water project development. 
(i) COMPLIANCE.—A multi-benefit water project nav-
igator funded under the Program shall comply with all ap-
plicable Federal and State laws in carrying out the duties 
of the multi-benefit water project navigator under the Pro-
gram. 
(j) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 5 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives a report that de-
scribes— 
(1) the ways in which the Program assists the 
Secretary in— 
(A) reducing basin-wide water supply-de-
mand imbalances; and 
(B) enhancing drought and ecosystem re-
silience; and 
(2) the benefits that the Program provides, in-
cluding, to the maximum extent practicable, a quan-
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titative analysis of the multiple benefits advanced 
under the Program. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2029, to remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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