New Act Mandates National Groundwater Rise Forecasts and Infrastructure Impact Studies Through 2100

The Groundwater Rise and Infrastructure Preparedness Act of 2025 is essentially a massive, federally funded data-gathering project aimed at getting ahead of one of the sneakiest climate threats: rising groundwater. Forget the dramatic storm surges for a second—this bill deals with the slow, silent creep of the water table underneath our feet.

The bill starts by acknowledging a reality check: sea level has risen 5 to 6 inches over the last 30 years, and we’re looking at another 8 to 15 inches by 2050. When the ocean goes up, the water underneath the land (the groundwater) rises too, which is bad news for everything built on the coast. Since no one has done a proper national study on this, Congress is stepping in to close that data gap.

The Underground Forecast: Mapping the Next 75 Years

This Act puts the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in charge of creating a massive National Groundwater Rise Forecast. Within 18 months, the USGS Director must start mapping out future groundwater rise for all coastal areas in the continental U.S., projecting these changes decade by decade all the way to the year 2100 (SEC. 3). Think of it like a long-range weather forecast, but for the dirt beneath your house. These maps aren’t just pretty pictures; they have to show how the rise will change flooding risks and how far saltwater will push inland, contaminating fresh water sources.

For anyone living or working near the coast, this mapping is critical. If you're a city planner trying to decide where to put the next water treatment plant, or a construction company building a new parking garage, this data tells you exactly how high the water table will be 50 years from now. The bill authorizes up to $5 million for the USGS to get this mapping done in fiscal years 2025 and 2026, and all that data has to be put on a public website for community planners and emergency managers to use (SEC. 3).

What Rising Water Means for Your Commute and Your Health

Once the maps are underway, the bill mandates a two-phase study by the National Academies (SEC. 3). This is where the real-world impact hits home. The study will look at two core areas:

Phase I: Infrastructure and Stability. This phase is about the stuff you use every day. It will examine how rising groundwater affects shallow coastal infrastructure: roads, bridges, underground utility pipes, subways, and building foundations. For a construction worker or a municipal employee, this means understanding which roads might start buckling or which sewer lines might flood more often. Crucially, the study also has to look at how rising groundwater might increase the risk of soil liquefaction—where the ground temporarily acts like liquid during an earthquake—a major concern for anyone in a seismic zone.

Phase II: Public Health and Water Supply. This phase focuses on the unseen threats. Rising groundwater can stir up existing underground contaminants, like old industrial waste or pollutants, and push them closer to the surface or into water sources. This study will evaluate those public health risks and look at how saltwater intrusion will threaten drinking water supplies and even coastal farmland (SEC. 3). If you rely on a well or live near an industrial area, this phase is designed to flag potential health hazards before they become a crisis.

The Trade-Off: Data vs. Property Values

Overall, this is a beneficial, proactive bill. It funds necessary science and forces the government to get smart about a long-term, expensive problem. However, there’s a flip side for coastal residents. When the USGS makes these detailed, high-risk maps public, it could significantly impact property values. If a map clearly shows that a specific neighborhood is projected to be sitting in a bathtub of groundwater by 2050, that’s going to change insurance rates, mortgages, and market perceptions immediately. The data is essential for safety, but its release won't be without financial consequences for some homeowners and businesses.

The USGS is required to report all findings to Congress within three years of starting the study, meaning local leaders and taxpayers need to brace themselves for the inevitable—and likely expensive—recommendations for mitigation that will follow.