Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton announced that the House’s Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA) authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to "conduct studies on a secondary drinking water source for the District of Columbia, swimming in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers in D.C., and flooding in the Federal Triangle area of D.C.," reported tthe Congresswoman's website.
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure marked up the bill May 18, 2022.
D.C. solely depends on the Potomac River for its drinking water, reported the Congresswoman's website.
Although the Washington Aqueduct produces drinking water from the river for D.C. and parts of Virginia, it only has a single day of backup water supply, reported the Congresswoman's website.
“There is an urgent need for Congress to act to protect the drinking water and other infrastructure of the nation’s capital from serious vulnerabilities, and I am pleased WRDA contains three provisions to address issues D.C. has long confronted,” said Norton in the statement on her website. “I previously announced that I would file these provisions, and it’s gratifying to see these critical needs for the District included in WRDA. I will work to ensure they remain in the final bill.”
The bills will redevelop the Southwest and Southeast waterfronts and there will be efforts to study if it is possible to swim in the Potomac and Anacostia rivers.
According to the Congresswoman's website, these decisions will also combat the repercussions of climate change induced flooding association with the Federal Triangle area.
