U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Peter Welch Reintroduce Bipartisan Water Research Optimization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are reintroducing the bipartisan Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 to streamline hydrological forecast modeling within the National Weather Service.

The Senators’ legislation would place our nation’s 13 River Forecast Centers under the supervision and oversight of the Office of Water Protection (OWP).

Additionally, the Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 would codify the National Water Center (NWC) as the primary center within the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research, development, and coordination of water related operational activities between various departments within the Federal Government. Read the full text of the bill here.

“The National Water Center has been instrumental to NOAA’s efforts to strengthen America’s water forecasting capabilities, improve weather-preparedness, and modernize water research technologies,” said Senator Britt. “I’m proud of the Center’s world-class capabilities, and I have no doubt this legislation will further enhance critical research and applied sciences that benefit our entire nation. I’m grateful to Senator Welch for his support and leadership through our bipartisan bill.”

Located at the University of Alabama (UA), the NWC is the nation’s first-ever center for water forecast operations and has evolved into a revolutionary, collaborative hub between the public and private sector for research and development.

River Forecast Centers support stakeholders with hydrological data and help deliver accurate and timely warnings to Americans across the nation in times of severe weather. Currently, these Centers are accountable to their respective regional field offices.

“Investing in hydrology modeling and prediction is crucial to boosting flood resilience across the country, from Vermont to Alabama. That includes supporting important hydrology research and programs at the University of Vermont that improve hydrologic forecasting, such as the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology,” said Senator Welch. “Our bipartisan Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 will strengthen and align current hydrology research at the National Weather Service with vital research at UVM to foster flood-resilience and help communities rebuild better after natural disasters.”

The University of Alabama (UA) has made water-related research a priority area, and has established UA and Tuscaloosa, Ala., as a national hub for water science and prediction, founding the Alabama Water Institute (AWI) in 2017. UA also houses the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, a partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which opened in August of 2024. Additionally, UA is home to the Global Water Security Center, another arm of the national hub that works closely with the U.S. Department of Defense to analyze global factors related to water that could have future national security implications.

Another significant water research entity, a partnership between NOAA and UA within the AWI, is the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operation in Hydrology (CIROH). CIROH is a national consortium consisting of 28 different academic, government, and private institutions. Both the UA and the University of Vermont are members of CIROH. Senator Britt has previously touted UA’s water research capabilities, saying, “The hydrological research conducted at the University of Alabama is critical to our country’s national security and future.”

AWI is a supporter of the Water Research Optimization Act of 2025.

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