Washington D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have reintroduced the Water Research Optimization Act of 2025, a bipartisan effort aimed at improving and modernizing the nation’s water forecasting systems. The legislation seeks to enhance the efficiency and coordination of hydrological research and operations within the National Weather Service (NWS), a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
A central component of the bill is placing all 13 River Forecast Centers (RFCs) under the direct supervision of NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction (OWP), shifting oversight from regional field offices to a centralized authority. RFCs provide critical hydrological data and warnings during severe weather events, supporting emergency management and community preparedness across the United States.
The legislation would also codify the National Water Center (NWC), located at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, as the primary hub within NOAA for water-related operational research, development, and coordination among federal agencies.
Senator Britt, who represents the state where the NWC is based, emphasized the importance of the center in national forecasting efforts. She stated that the NWC has played a key role in strengthening America’s water forecasting and preparedness capabilities. The NWC is recognized as the country’s first water forecast operations center and has become a collaborative hub for public-private research and technological advancement.
Senator Welch highlighted the bill’s relevance to nationwide flood resilience, particularly referencing hydrological research initiatives at the University of Vermont. He pointed to the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), a NOAA-supported partnership housed within the Alabama Water Institute (AWI), as a model for multi-institutional collaboration. CIROH includes 28 academic, governmental, and private partners, with both UA and UVM among its members.
In addition to the NWC, the University of Alabama supports several other water research initiatives, including the Alabama Water Institute, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, and the Global Water Security Center. These entities contribute to both domestic and global water research and forecasting, with some initiatives extending into national security analysis.
Supporters of the Water Research Optimization Act of 2025 argue that better alignment and investment in hydrologic modeling will enhance disaster readiness and improve the nation’s ability to respond to extreme weather events, such as floods.
