The Rundown
- The House version of the Water Resources Development Act prohibits diversion of Missouri River water to a state outside of the basin unless all 10 basin states approve.
- President Trump’s Chesapeake Bay executive order revokes Obama-era guidance and rails against stormwater fees.
- Bureau of Reclamation will do additional analysis on a proposed pumped storage hydropower project in Wyoming.
- U.S. Geological Survey researchers use satellites to measure temperature changes in lakes.
- Federal appeals court nixes an expired Department of Energy emergency order to keep a Michigan coal plant operating.
- U.S. Forest Service will assess the environmental impacts of a proposed uranium mine in northwestern New Mexico.
And lastly, EPA promotes targeted standards for water reuse at a G20 ministerial summit.
“Fit-for-purpose may mean using water of treated quality appropriate for the application, taking into account applicable water quality requirements and criteria and operational needs of each end use, while recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to water reuse and to related technologies.” – G20 initiative to facilitate the treatment and reuse of wastewater and tailor regulatory standards for the end use of the water. The initiative is a voluntary collaboration and does not aspire to international standards for human and environmental safety.
By the Numbers
137,394: Lakes in the contiguous U.S included in a data set that used satellites to measure surface water temperature changes over more than a decade. The U.S. Geological Survey researchers who contributed to the study said it provides data for “for tens of thousands of lakes that would otherwise be untenable to measure with traditional approaches.”
News Briefs
WRDA in the House
The House passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act, an enormous potpourri of a bill that, among many things, authorizes Army Corps of Engineer water projects.
Also included in the bill is a provision that prohibits diversions of Missouri River water to a state outside of the basin unless the governors of the 10 basin states all approve.
North Dakota, a basin state, wants to divert Missouri River water out of the basin to its eastern region, a move that prompted a rebuke this year from Missouri officials.
For flood-control studies, the bill instructs the Army Corps that “non-structural” fixes – buyouts, elevating houses, relocating houses, restricting floodplain construction – “should be given equal consideration in every feasibility study” as levees, seawalls, dams, and other hard structures.
Coal Orders
A federal appeals court struck down a Trump administration order that forced a coal-fired power plant in Michigan to stay open, costing ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Consumers Energy, however, will keep operating the J.H. Campbell Generating Plant because the court ruling applies only to the first 90-day emergency order, Bridge Michigan reports.
The Department of Energy issued the initial order in May 2025. It has been renewed five times, most recently on August 14, 2026.
Studies and Reports
Chesapeake Bay Policy
In an executive order, the White House revoked Obama-era guidance for Chesapeake Bay restoration that established a framework for federal, state, and local collaboration to clean up the nation’s largest estuary.
Trump called out “harmful economic impacts” from projects to reduce water pollution. In particular he singled out stormwater fees that municipal governments have put in place to build local infrastructure to keep pollutants out of waterways.
The order directs the EPA to “take measures to encourage the repeal or rescission” of local stormwater fees.
Criticism of the order came swiftly.
“For 17 years, the 2009 executive order has helped provide the federal leadership, coordination, science and accountability needed to restore the Chesapeake Bay,” said Hilary Harp Falk, president and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in a statement.
“Repealing it weakens this historic federal-state partnership at exactly the moment we need greater accountability and collaboration. Its replacement undermines the federal government’s role while eroding the ability of states and local governments to fix problems ranging from pollution to flooding.”
On the Radar
Wyoming Pumped Storage Hydropower
The Bureau of Reclamation will complete additional studies on the environmental impact of the Seminoe Project, a 972-megawatt pumped storage hydropower project proposed for southern Wyoming.
Black Canyon Hydro, the project developer, would construct a second reservoir near Reclamation’s existing Seminoe Reservoir, on the North Platte River.
Some 13,400 acre-feet of water would fill the new reservoir, which would require about 672 acre-feet a year to account for evaporation.
In context: Massive Energy Storage Project Eyed for Four Corners Region
New Mexico Uranium Mine
The U.S. Forest Service will begin assessing the environmental impacts of a uranium mine proposed for northwestern New Mexico.
The Roca Honda mine, an underground development, would span hundreds of acres of federal, state trust, and private land. The project includes a water treatment facility and wastewater pipeline that would discharge into Rio San Jose. The ore would be processed off site, in Blanding, Utah.
In March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to increase U.S. mineral production, including uranium.
Public comments on the scope of the assessment should be submitted by October 14.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
