Congress extends water recycling grants, adds feasibility studies.
S. 3693 — Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act · Filed by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jan 27, 2026 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill extends and expands a federal grant program for large-scale water recycling and reuse projects. It allows grants to fund feasibility studies (not just planning), increases the project completion deadline from 30 to 60 months, extends the program's authorization from 5 to 10 years, and grandfathers in projects already under construction when the program would otherwise end.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to extend and modestly expand an existing federal grant program for water recycling infrastructure. It is a straightforward reauthorization with technical amendments to timelines and eligible activities.
What the text implies
- Grandfathering projects under construction as of program termination may create a window where applicants rush to begin construction before the deadline to lock in extended timelines.
- Feasibility studies as an eligible use may delay actual construction if studies consume grant funds that could otherwise fund capital projects.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands a public water infrastructure program by broadening eligible uses and extending timelines, enabling more water recycling projects to reach completion in water-stressed regions. Citizens in those areas gain improved water security and resilience without new restrictions or costs.
Who stands to gain
- water utilities and municipal water agencies
- engineering and consulting firms (feasibility study contractors)
- construction firms (project implementation)
Named in the bill
Section 40905, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, water recycling and reuse programs
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Jan 27, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jan 27, 2026 — Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources”
- Mar 17, 2026 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. Hearings held”
- Jun 10, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a…”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
6 lobbying clients named this bill on 7 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $540,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 17 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 82% of bills with at least one filing.
Catherine Cortez Masto, the sponsor, reported $298,634 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Association of California Water Agencies — $250,000 on 2 filings
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California — $190,000 on 1 filing
- City of St George — $30,000 on 1 filing
- Southern Nevada Water Authority — $30,000 on 1 filing
- Inland Empire Utilities Agency — $20,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (810 characters) on Jul 9, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Mar 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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