Driving legislation through the hotly partisan 114th Congress was a struggle, so it’s no surprise that construction and water industry officials are happy to see one big infrastructure bill make it to the finish line—the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. But it will be a long time before the WIIN Act’s projects get construction funding.
Much of industry’s focus in the new law, enacted on Dec. 16, is on the its Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) title, which authorizes $10.3 billion in federal funds for 30 new Army Corps of Engineers projects. Nonfederal agencies also will help finance many of those projects.