Western States Water Council urges $50 billion in dam and water‑system repairs, recommends Reclamation Fund reform

Michelle Bushman, deputy director and general counsel at the Western States Water Council, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee that the West faces significant water infrastructure needs and recommended congressional action to stabilize financing and improve coordination.

Bushman said federal dams and related infrastructure “have largely exceeded their design life with an estimated $50,000,000,000 in needed repairs.” She urged stable, continuous funding and closer federal‑state coordination on dam safety and recommended that Congress examine converting the Reclamation Fund into a revolving trust to ensure receipts are appropriated for authorized purposes. The council also emphasized using the Bureau of Reclamation’s small‑scale programs to help rural water systems and supported negotiated Indian water rights settlements to deliver longstanding certainty for tribes and water users.

Bushman warned that closures and layoffs at federal offices are compounding these challenges by reducing regional data collection and disaster response capacity. She also highlighted the need for accurate water and snowpack data to support regional decision‑making and said regionalization of technical and managerial resources could help small systems that serve fewer than 10,000 people.

The council recommended that Congress fund negotiated settlements and ensure authorized settlements receive appropriations. Bushman asked lawmakers to improve federal coordination across agencies to speed project delivery and to support programs that help smaller public water systems scale technical and managerial resources.