H.R. 6279 – Urban Canal Modernization Act

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Updated November 23, 2025 at 12:02 PM UTC

The Urban Canal Modernization Act amends the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act to create a new category called “urban canal of concern.” It lets the Interior Secretary and canal operators perform urgent repair and maintenance on these canals, and provides federal money—covering 35 % of the costs without repayment—while the rest can be borrowed and later repaid. The bill targets canals whose failure would threaten large populations or cause major property loss.

Key Provisions

Adds a definition of “urban canal of concern,” covering any transferred canal segment whose failure would endanger more than 100 people or cause over $5 million in property damage, or that the Bureau of Reclamation designates as such.
Allows the Secretary of the Interior or the canal’s operating entity to carry out extraordinary operation and maintenance work on these urban canals when deemed necessary.
Requires the federal government to fund 35 % of the extraordinary work costs on a non‑reimbursable basis, with any additional federal funds treated as reimbursable loans to be repaid later.
Treats any reimbursable funds used for this work as a non‑federal source for meeting cost‑sharing requirements on other federal grants.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

November 21, 2025

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

November 21, 2025

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Natural Resources Committee

November 21, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued November 21, 2025

I

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 6279

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 21, 2025

Mr. Simpson (for himself, Mr. Fulcher, Mr. Newhouse, and Mr. Gray) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals of concern.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Urban Canal Modernization Act.

2.

Extraordinary operation and maintenance work performed by the Secretary of the Interior

(a)

Definitions

Section 9601 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 510) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), and (7) as paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (1), respectively;

(2)

by arranging the redesignated paragraphs in numerical order;

(3)

in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by striking et seq.) and inserting et seq.));

(4)

in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by striking mean and inserting means; and

(5)

by adding at the end the following:

(8)

Urban canal of concern

The term urban canal of concern means a transferred works or segment of a transferred works—

(A)

that is—

(i)

a canal reach, the failure of which would result in—

(I)

an estimated at-risk population of more than 100 individuals; or

(II)

an estimated property damage of more than $5,000,000; or

(ii)

a canal reach determined by the responsible Bureau of Reclamation regional or area office to be classified as an urban canal reach; and

(B)

with respect to which the Secretary determines, pursuant to the guidelines and criteria developed under section 9602(a), that if a failure were to occur, the failure would result in loss of life and property in the vicinity of the failed transferred works or segment of transferred works.

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(b)

Extraordinary maintenance and operation work on urban canal of concerns

Section 9603 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 510b) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(e)

Extraordinary operation and maintenance work on urban canals of concern

(1)

In general

The Secretary or the transferred works operating entity shall carry out any extraordinary operation and maintenance work on an urban canal of concern that the transferred works operating entity, with the concurrence of the Secretary, determines to be necessary.

(2)

Funding

In the case of extraordinary operation and maintenance work on an urban canal of concern authorized under paragraph (1), or if the Secretary determines that a project facility inspected and maintained pursuant to the guidelines and criteria set forth in section 9602(a) requires extraordinary operation and maintenance work pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary shall provide Federal funds on a nonreimbursable basis sufficient to cover 35 percent of the portion of total cost of the extraordinary operation and maintenance work allocable to the transferred works operating entity that is needed to carry out the extraordinary operation and maintenance work on the urban canal of concern, with the remaining share of any additional Federal funds advanced by the Secretary for the extraordinary operation and maintenance work to be repaid under subsection (b).

(f)

Reimbursable funds

Any reimbursable funds provided under this section shall be considered to be a non-Federal source of funds for purposes of any cost-sharing requirement for a Federal grant.

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