Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

NRCS watershed programs help communities bounce back from natural disasters and prepare for future ones. This includes communities that we’ve historically underserved.   

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided $918 million for watershed programs administered by NRCS, such as: 

• Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) Program: Helps to address watershed resource concerns;  
• Watershed Rehabilitation (REHAB) Program: Brings high-hazard potential dams to comply with current design safety and performance criteria; and   
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP): Funds fire recovery, flood assistance and the purchase of floodplain easements in underserved communities.   

At the end of March 2024: NRCS invested a total of $894 million of BIL funds into watershed programs: 

• $616 million in 238 projects in 49 states for WFPO and REHAB. (Two projects that received implementation funds have withdrawn. Those funds have been shifted to other previously funded BIL projects). Of the original 139 Preliminary Investigation Findings Reports (PIFRs) funded, 105 PIFRs have been completed. PIFRs provide reasonable assurance that a feasible plan can be developed that addresses one or more Public Law 83-566 purposes and that there are no apparent insurmountable obstacles. Additionally, two REHAB projects that received BIL funding have finished construction.
• $278 million for 29 EWP projects, which includes $133 million of BIL funding to cover 100 percent of the cost of post-wildfire recovery efforts in communities impacted by the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon wildfire in New Mexico and $49 million to cover 100% cost of Limited Resource Area Floodplain Buyouts related to the July 2022 Flooding in Southeast Kentucky.

NRCS, in cooperation with local sponsors, will use Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program BIL funds to implement much-needed aerial seeding — a successful post-wildfire conservation practice that helps reduce soil erosion, restore ground cover and establish native plant species. 

NRCS has set aside $70 million of BIL funds for covering 100% cost share of Floodplain Buyouts in Limited Resource Areas where structural projects to reduce threats from additional flooding are not cost effective and/or beneficial.

As part of implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NRCS has prioritized underserved communities, while providing ongoing relief to communities impacted by severe weather events such as wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.  

These investments complement America the Beautiful efforts and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Learn more about USDA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.