Rising sea levels are already impacting coastal areas, but their effects on underground water levels, or groundwater, are less understood. This bill addresses a critical knowledge gap by providing a national assessment of where groundwater will rise and what its specific impacts will be. Rising groundwater can lead to increased flooding, destabilize building foundations, damage underground utilities, contaminate drinking water, and compromise sewage systems, directly affecting daily life and public safety.

If this bill becomes law, communities would have access to detailed, forward-looking maps and expert studies, enabling them to proactively plan for and adapt to these threats. This means decisions about new construction, infrastructure repairs, and emergency responses could be based on more accurate and comprehensive scientific data. Without this bill, communities would continue to rely on less coordinated or incomplete information, potentially leading to more costly damage and greater risks to public health and safety in the future.