{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/9/stanton-delivers-key-arizona-priorities-in-bipartisan-water-infrastructure-bill", "Stanton Delivers Key Arizona Priorities in Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Bill", "2026-09-22", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Greg Stanton", "S001211", "stanton.house.gov", "stanton", "https://stanton.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Includes Additional $151 Million for Critical Water Infrastructure; Resources for Drought-Stricken Communities\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Last week, U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (AZ-04) celebrated the final passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 out of the House of Representatives. As the only Arizona member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Stanton helped shape the bipartisan legislation to authorize critical water infrastructure projects in Arizona and across the Southwest through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The bill is now headed to the Senate.\n\nStanton spoke on the House floor ahead of passage, saying, \u201cMy home state of Arizona has faced more than a quarter century of drought. Water stewardship and conservation are core parts of our culture.\u201d He continued, \u201cThese federal investments are mission-critical to help us ensure reliable water services for our residents and businesses.\u201d\n\nTo address water and wastewater infrastructure needs across Arizona, Stanton secured several Arizona wins in the final bill, including:\n\nArizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority. Adds $151,598,000 to Stanton\u2019s signature Arizona Environmental Infrastructure Authority (AZEI), bringing the program\u2019s total authorization to $401 million. Stanton created the program during his first term to help small, rural, and Tribal communities fund critical water infrastructure projects. Since 2020, it has funded more than 30 water conservation and reuse projects across Arizona, including water lines, wells, wastewater systems and aquifer recharge projects\u2014helping communities get the most out of every drop of water.\n\nPrioritizing Tribal Water Rights. Secures $10 million for the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) to support water infrastructure projects that will affirm historic water rights and support water conservation efforts through new diversion dam and canal projects.\n\nTribal Partnership Project Completion. Directs the USACE to expedite the completion of the Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project with the Gila River Indian Community, a first-of-its-kind tribal partnership with the Los Angeles District of USACE. When completed, 962 feet of solar panels above the GRIC\u2019s irrigation canals will provide the Community with a steady source of renewable energy while conserving water.\n\nTres Rios Completion. Directs the USACE to expedite the completion of the Tres Rios ecosystem restoration project in Phoenix, which will restore and revitalize several miles of the Salt and Gila River corridors. Tres Rios is part of Rio Reimagined, an ongoing effort along the Rio Salado that was spearheaded by the late Sen. John McCain and Rep. Ed Pastor. More than $100 million in federal funding has already been invested in the project, but construction stalled after reaching its federal authorization limit. Stanton secured $1.8 million in federal funding in 2022 to complete the necessary work to adjust that limit and move the project toward completion.\n\nOffice of Water Supply, Water Conservation, and Drought Resilience. Creates a new office at the USACE that specializes in conservation to work directly with local communities facing severe drought and shore up water supplies.\n\nStudies and Projects on Drought Resiliency. Creates a new Continuing Authority Program that allows the USACE to work with communities on small-scale drought resilience studies and projects, like addressing invasive salt cedar or constructing water storage projects.\n\nDisaster Debris Removal. Revises the USACE emergency debris removal contracts following floods to minimize harmful impacts to private property, key habitats, and wildlife. This will help Arizona communities recovering from floods to rebuild safely and quickly.\n\nWater Storage Capacity Pilot Program. Directs the USACE to establish a pilot program to allow states to remove sediment from Corps-owned reservoirs to restore storage capacity.\n\nExpedites Dozens of Arizona Projects. Directs the USACE to expedite 28 additional Arizona-specific projects and studies across the state, including flood control, water and wastewater infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration projects. These projects include the Ak-Chin Levee in Pinal County, the McCormick Wash in Globe, the Cave Buttes Dam, the Corazon de los Tres Rios del Norte plan in Pima County, the Winslow Levee, and Rio de Flag flood control project in Flagstaff.\n\nA section-by-section HERE.\n\nA \u2018by the numbers\u2019 HERE.", 1, "2026-09-23T09:45:16Z", "2026-09-23T09:46:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/9/stanton-delivers-key-arizona-priorities-in-bipartisan-water-infrastructure-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6135219484567642, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}