Urban Canal Modernization Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a plan to fix aging water canals in cities and towns. It focuses on "urban canals of concern," which are defined as canals where a failure would put at least 100 people at risk of injury or death.
• The federal government would cover 35% of the cost for these major repairs as a grant that does not need to be paid back. The government would lend the remaining 65% of the money to local water agencies to be paid back over time.
• This policy aims to prevent dangerous flooding in neighborhoods. Many of these canals were built a long time ago for farming, but now they run through crowded residential areas where a leak or break could cause a disaster.
• The bill also helps local water groups qualify for more federal aid. It allows the money they are paying back for these repairs to count toward the "matching funds" usually required to win other government grants.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.