WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today praised provisions in this year’s Water Resources Development Act that will directly impact the state of Mississippi. The conferenced version of the bill was included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, which is headed to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“Recent crises have shown the urgent need to improve our drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure, and this legislation includes provisions that would have a measurable impact,” Wicker said. “I am hoping the President will sign this bill into law without further delay.”

The Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) of 2022 includes a provision that would help the City of Jackson address its water infrastructure needs. Specifically, the bill includes a $100 million increase to the City of Jackson’s Section 219 environmental infrastructure authorization. This funding, which would ultimately need to be appropriated, can be used for drinking water, wastewater, and resiliency activities associated with that infrastructure.

Among other policies that would benefit Mississippi, WRDA would:

• Increase authorized funding for the Section 592 Mississippi Environmental Infrastructure account from $200 million to $300 million.
• Expand eligible uses for these Section 592 account dollars to include stormwater management, drainage systems, and water quality enhancement.
• Authorize Section 219 funding for environmental infrastructure in five Mississippi communities. Those funds include $13.6 million for Clinton, $10 million for Meridian, $10 million for Oxford, $10 million for Rankin County, and $10 million for Madison County.
• Expedite an Army Corps of Engineers study to construct a future flood control project in DeSoto County.
• Expand the pilot program for controlling Asian Carp to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
• Remind the Army Corps that addressing shoreline sloughing and erosion is an eligible Operations and Maintenance activity for Okatibbee Lake.
• Removes the non-federal cost share for a Lower Mississippi River study to identify changes and new features that could help reduce the risk of flooding and decrease reliance upon the Bonnet Carré Spillway.
• Establish a pilot program to allow localities and private entities to apply for funding assistance for conservation projects in the Lower Mississippi River Basin.