California Water Views

On December 11, 2025, Representative Adam Gray (D-CA-13) and Representative Jim Costa (D-CA-21) announced a legislative package entitled the End California Water Crisis Package. The bills “aim to expand California’s water storage capacity by providing funding and technical support to both develop and maintain water infrastructure projects”, They seek to accomplish their goals by “authoriz[ing] additional California water storage projects, eas[ing] permitting restrictions, and creat[ing] enforceable timelines for environmental review processes.”

Both lawmakers represent the Central Valley and are members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives. While the proposals clearly reflect regional priorities, they could have statewide impacts if passed.

The Bills

The package includes three bills: the WATER Act, the Build Now Act, and the Central Valley Water Solution Act.

• R. 6639, the Water Agency and Transparency Enhancement Review (WATER) Act 
  • The bill text can be found here.
  • The bill codifies sections (2) (f) and (2) (g) from President Trump’s Executive Order 14181, which we detailed here.
    • The bill would create interagency coordination to identify permitting obstacles caused by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
• R. 6640, the Build Now Act
  • The full text of this bill has not yet been released.
  • According to the summaries, this bill would create a one-year maximum for the permit applications and environmental reviews under the ESA and NEPA.
    • Extensions would require applicant approval.
• R. 6641, the Central Valley Water Solution Act
  • This bill is co-sponsored by Representative Josh Harder (D-CA-9), who also represents the Central Valley.
  • The bill text can be found here.
  • The focus of this bill is to secure funding for 22 listed projects.
    • It requests nearly $4.4 billion in funding.
    • The most expensive project is the San Luis Canal/California Aqueduct Subsidence Correction Project, for which the bill requests $850 million.
    • Arvin Edison Water Storage District has the most projects listed, at five, although the total for those five projects (~$224 million) is still smaller than many of the projects on their own.

Representative Costa and Representative Gray provided summaries of the bills and a list of endorsing organizations.

Impact/Going Forward

If enacted, this suite of bills could significantly impact California’s water system. While the Central Valley would experience the greatest benefit, accelerating environmental reviews and removing barriers would have statewide implications.

Even if this package does not advance in Congress, its introduction is notable. It signals that California stakeholders, especially water providers, are actively seeking out ways to improve water quality, quantity, and reliability. The proposed $4.4 billion could go a long way in modernizing California’s water system, especially when combined with the $10 billion approved by California voters last fall through Proposition 4.

Regardless of the outcome, these bills, Proposition 4, and other recent initiatives underscore  Californians’ growing concern about water security. Further action seems inevitable; the only question is what will the specifics of that movement be.