The bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) was signed into law by President Joe Biden on January 4, 2025, following unanimous approval in the Senate on August 1, 2024, and a 359-13 vote in the House of Representatives on July 22, 2024. The final agreement on the legislation was announced by bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on December 3, 2024. 

WRDA 2024 authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Civil Works Program to advance critical infrastructure projects, including projects important to landscape architecture such as ecosystem restoration, green infrastructure, and addressing sea-level rise, extreme weather, and similar challenges posed by our changing climate. The legislation plays a key role in enhancing economic growth, environmental health, community safety, and job creation. 

A hallmark of bipartisan collaboration, Congress has consistently passed WRDA every two years since 2014, enabling local, state, and federal partnerships to address water resource infrastructure needs. The act mandates a two-step approval process for Corps projects: feasibility studies and construction authorization. Approved projects are based on favorable recommendations from the Corps Chief of Engineers and funded jointly by non-federal sponsors and the federal government. 

WRDA also serves as a platform for policy reforms, ensuring the Corps’ Civil Works Program remains responsive to national and local priorities.