I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7408 
To provide for the establishment of a Water Project Navigators Program, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2026 
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 of the Interior 
based on current methodologies, the term ‘‘disadvan-
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taged community’’ means a community (including a 
city, town, county, or reasonably isolated and divis-
ible segment of a larger municipality) with an an-
nual median income that is less than the statewide 
annual median income for the State in which the 
community is located, according to the most recent 
decennial census. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a State; 
(B) an Indian Tribe; 
(C) any acequia, land grant-merced, local 
government, water supplier, special district, 
conservation district, or municipal water district 
located in an eligible State; 
(D) 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; 
(E) a nonprofit conservation organization 
with a demonstrated history of working in part-
nership with 1 or more entities described in any 
of subparagraphs (A) through (D); or 
(F) a combination of entities described in 
subparagraphs (A) through (E). 
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(3) ELIGIBLE
STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 
State’’ means— 
(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 a 
community or region to climate-related impacts 
on water supplies, including through activi-
ties— 
(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; 
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(v) to promote water recycling and 
other advanced water treatments to aug-
ment water supplies; 
(vi) to improve management or deliv-
ery of water resources; 
(vii) to address risks to water infra-
structure from weather-related events and 
climate change; 
(viii) to provide or improve access to 
safe drinking water in communities that 
lack reliable access to adequate clean water 
supplies; 
(ix) to promote investment in the 
economies of rural communities, Tribal 
communities, or disadvantaged commu-
nities through water projects; 
(x) 
to 
enhance 
water-based 
rec-
reational opportunities for the benefit of 
community members and the local rec-
reational economy; or 
(xi) to encourage sustainable surface 
water or groundwater management; and 
(B) provides benefits to ecosystems and 
watersheds, including through activities— 
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(i) to conserve or enhance fish and 
wildlife habitat; 
(ii) to protect or improve water qual-
ity; 
(iii) to improve watershed health and 
function; 
(iv) to protect against invasive species; 
(v) to restore aspects of the natural 
ecosystem; or 
(vi) to maintain sustainable ground-
water supplies for multiple uses, including 
for riparian or wetland ecosystems. 
(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 
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). 
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(9) RURAL
COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘rural 
community’’ means a community or group of com-
munities, each of which has a population of not 
more than 50,000 inhabitants, which may include 
Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, dispersed home-
sites, and rural areas. 
(10) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of the Interior (acting through 
the Commissioner of Reclamation). 
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; PRIORITY.— 
(1) CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall de-
velop criteria and guidelines for awarding 
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grants and cooperative agreements under the 
Program that consider— 
(i) the potential of the eligible entity 
to accelerate development and implementa-
tion of multi-benefit water projects with-
in— 
(I) the jurisdiction or service 
area of the eligible entity; or 
(II) in the case of an eligible en-
tity that is a nongovernmental appli-
cant, an area in which the eligible en-
tity has a demonstrated history of 
productive engagement with the com-
munity and stakeholders; 
(ii) any history of development of 
multi-benefit water projects by the eligible 
entity; and 
(iii) any potential multi-benefit water 
projects identified to meet needs in the 
area to be served by the multi-benefit 
water project navigator that the eligible 
entity has not yet implemented due to lack 
of capacity. 
(B) PUBLIC COMMENT.—Before finalizing 
the criteria and guidelines developed under sub-
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paragraph (A), the Secretary shall make the 
criteria and guidelines available for public com-
ment. 
(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants or coopera-
tive agreements under the Program, the Secretary 
shall prioritize applications from eligible entities that 
would directly serve Indian Tribes, disadvantaged 
communities, rural communities, and other eligible 
entities with limited resources and capacity to de-
velop multi-benefit water projects, including— 
(A) applications from eligible entities— 
(i) 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; 
(ii) with demonstrated support from 
multiple stakeholders, including Indian 
Tribes, representatives of irrigated agricul-
tural production, hydroelectric production, 
municipal and industrial water users, local 
governments, community-based organiza-
tions, and nonprofit conservation organiza-
tions; 
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(iii) that may promote job creation 
and retention in Tribal communities, dis-
advantaged communities, and rural com-
munities; and 
(iv) with the capability to work in co-
ordination with other projects that have 
been funded under, or help advance the ob-
jectives of, other Department of the Inte-
rior programs, including programs focused 
on 
drought 
resilience 
and 
watershed 
health; and 
(B) applications that address any other 
priorities that the Secretary determines to be 
appropriate. 
(3) 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— 
(1) grant writing; 
(2) project management; 
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(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 make funding opportunities for the Program avail-
able on a regular basis. 
(g) COST SHARE.— 
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(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 Sec-
retary determines that contribution of the non-Fed-
eral share would result in a financial hardship for 
the entity. 
(h) COORDINATION.—In administering the Program, 
the Secretary shall coordinate, to the maximum extent 
practicable, with other Federal, Tribal, State, and local 
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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; 
(B) enhancing drought and ecosystem re-
silience; and 
(C) supporting multi-benefit water project 
development and capacity building by disadvan-
taged communities, Indian Tribes, rural com-
munities, and other eligible entities; 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 2027 through 
2032, to remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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