Clarifications regarding small communities and rural water projects

(a) Definitions Section 5022 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3901) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (11) through (15) as paragraphs (13) through (17), respectively; (2) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (11); (3) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following: (10) Rural water project The term rural water project includes— (A) a rural water supply project authorized under the Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 2401); (B) any project authorized under part III of subtitle A of title X of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–11), for a federally recognized Indian Tribe; and (C) any rural water project or rural water supply project authorized under— (i) section 1110 of title XI of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260); or (ii) any other Federal law.; and (4) by inserting after paragraph (11), as so redesignated, the following: (12) Small community The term small community means a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of not more than 25,000 inhabitants.. (b) Eligible project costs Section 5028(a)(2)(B) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3907(a)(2)(B)) is amended by striking $5,000,000 and inserting $1,000,000. (c) Authority To provide assistance for project development Section 5023 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3902) is amended by adding at the end the following: (c) Technical assistance to small communities (1) In general The Administrator may provide technical assistance to small communities to aid such communities in developing a proposal for an eligible project and seeking assistance under this subtitle to carry out such project. (2) Types of assistance Assistance under paragraph (1) may be in the form of engineering and financial planning assistance.. (d) Conforming amendments (1) Eligible project costs Section 5028(a)(2)(B) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3907(a)(2)(B)) is further amended by striking a community of not more than 25,000 individuals and inserting a small community. (2) Funding Section 5033 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3912) is amended— (A) in subsection (b)(2) by inserting (other than technical assistance under section 5023(c)) after technical assistance; and (B) in subsection (c)(1) by inserting and for technical assistance to small communities under section 5023(c) before the period at the end. (3) Outreach plans Section 5036 of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 3915) is amended to read as follows: 5036. Outreach plan to small communities Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Amendments of 2025, the Administrator, in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, shall develop and begin implementation of an outreach plan to promote financial assistance available under this subtitle to small communities..