H.R. 4144 — Groundwater Rise and Infrastructure Preparedness Act of 2025

This section states congressional findings on sea level rise and groundwater impacts, including that sea level has risen 5 to 6 inches over the last 30 years along the U.S. coastline and is expected to rise an additional 8 to 15 inches by 2050; that shallow coastal groundwater responses to sea level rise vary across areas, complicating State, local, and Tribal planning; and that groundwater rise threatens infrastructure and human health through increased flooding and soil liquefaction risk, destabilization of underground infrastructure and building foundations, drinking water contamination, sewage system damage, and mobilization of underground contaminants, with no national assessment conducted to date.

This section directs the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), not later than 18 months after enactment, to establish a program to (1) develop maps of groundwater rise—defined as the upward movement of the shallow, coastal water table due to short- or long-term fluctuations in sea level—for all coastal areas in the continental United States, with decadal projections through 2100 depicting associated changes in flooding risk and saltwater intrusion; (2) identify priority areas at increased risk of flooding due to groundwater rise; and (3) make recommendations to Congress on resources and research infrastructure needed for more accurate projections of average and extreme-event groundwater rise and saltwater intrusion. The USGS Director must also establish a public website displaying these maps and other relevant information for community planners and emergency managers, and $5 million is authorized for FY2025 and FY2026 to carry out these activities. Not later than six months after completing the forecast program, the USGS Director, in consultation with specified federal agency heads, must seek an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a two-phase study on groundwater rise impacts—Phase I on infrastructure exposure (e.g., roads, utilities, sewers) and costs, including soil liquefaction risks during earthquakes, and Phase II on public health risks (e.g., mobilization of below-ground contamination and threats to drinking water and agriculture from saltwater intrusion)—with a report to Congress summarizing findings not later than three years after initiating the study.