Water Resources Development Act of 2005

The Water Resources Development Act of 2005 (S. 728) is a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to authorize and fund a wide array of infrastructure projects managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The bill focuses on improving national navigation, reducing flood and storm damage, and restoring aquatic ecosystems across dozens of states. For everyday citizens, this means federal investment in local safety measures like levees and dams, the maintenance of shipping channels to support the economy, and the protection of coastal areas and wetlands from erosion and environmental degradation.

Beyond specific local projects, the bill introduces several national policy changes, such as requiring independent peer reviews for major engineering projects and establishing new recreational user fees to help maintain Corps-managed parks and sites. It also places a heavy emphasis on large-scale environmental recovery, specifically targeting the restoration of the Louisiana Coastal Area and the Upper Mississippi River. While this specific version of the bill was introduced in 2005, its provisions were largely incorporated into the final Water Resources Development Act that was ultimately enacted into law in 2007.