Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act of 2026

This bill renews the federal Cooperative Watershed Management Program, which gives grants to local groups that manage watersheds. It raises the maximum first-phase grant from $100,000 to $150,000 and lets the Secretary extend a first-phase grant for up to 2 more years, at up to $150,000 per year, if the recipient performs well. It lets groups qualify by showing need due to drought, wildfire, or other natural disaster, and it names Indian tribes, including tribes with ancestral lands in the watershed, as eligible participants. It also expands allowed uses of funds to include grant writing, project management, technical help, and monitoring after construction, requires grant applications to be accepted multiple times a year if funds allow, and authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Steve Daines Republican sponsor
• 2 cosponsors