S. 3792 — Water Project Navigators Act

This section defines terms for purposes of the Act, including: (1) disadvantaged community (i.e., a community with annual median income less than the statewide median, per the most recent decennial census); (2) eligible entity (i.e., a State, Indian Tribe, acequia, land grant-merced, local government, water supplier, special district, conservation district, municipal water district, certain authorities, nonprofit conservation organization, or combination thereof, located in an eligible State); (3) eligible State (i.e., a State covered by the Reclamation Act of 1902 [43 U.S.C. 391], Alaska, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico); (4) Indian Tribe (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304); (5) multi-benefit water project (i.e., a project in an eligible State that enhances community resilience to climate impacts on water supplies, promotes water efficiency and recycling, addresses infrastructure risks, improves drinking water access, supports rural/Tribal/disadvantaged economies, enhances recreation, or encourages sustainable water management, while providing ecosystem benefits such as habitat conservation, water quality improvement, and invasive species protection); (6) natural feature (i.e., a feature created by physical, geological, biological, and chemical processes); (7) nature-based feature (i.e., a human-engineered feature that reduces water imbalances or drought/flood risk in concert with natural processes); (8) Program (i.e., the Water Project Navigators Program established under section 3(a)); (9) rural community (i.e., a community or group of communities, each with a population of not more than 50,000 inhabitants, potentially including Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, dispersed homesites, and rural areas); and (10) Secretary (i.e., the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation).

This section establishes the Water Project Navigators Program, to be implemented by the Secretary of the Interior not later than 180 days after enactment, to support the development and implementation of multi-benefit water projects in eligible states through grants or cooperative agreements to eligible entities for navigator positions. The Secretary must develop award criteria considering entities' potential and history in accelerating such projects, with public comment required; prioritize applications serving Indian Tribes, disadvantaged or rural communities, or those incorporating nature-based features, stakeholder support, job creation, or coordination with other Interior programs; and prohibit funding for existing environmental mitigation or compliance obligations. Navigators must assist with grant writing, project management, technical assistance (e.g., feasibility studies, design, preliminary environmental reviews, engineering), and related activities; grants or agreements are limited to 3 years, with discretionary 2-year extensions and additional funding for satisfactory performance; and funding opportunities must be available regularly. The federal share is capped at 75 percent (non-federal share in cash or in-kind), with reductions or waivers possible for Indian Tribes, acequias, land grant-mercers, disadvantaged communities, or partners if financial hardship exists. The Secretary must coordinate with other federal, Tribal, state, and local technical assistance programs; ensure navigator compliance with applicable laws; and submit a report to Congress within 5 years of enactment.