WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C., 10th District) says Mooresville’s federal authorization for water and wastewater infrastructure would jump from $4 million to $20 million under a House-passed water bill he backed.
Harrigan’s office said he voted Sept. 16 for H.R. 9497, the Water Resources Development Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation that includes the higher Mooresville authorization he secured. The measure now goes to the Senate.
“Mooresville is one of the fastest-growing communities in our region, and I worked to make sure this bill reflects what that growth actually requires,” Harrigan said in the release. “Increasing Mooresville’s authorization from $4 million to $20 million gives our community significantly more capacity to pursue the water and wastewater infrastructure families and businesses will depend on for decades. This is exactly the kind of work I came to Congress to do, taking the needs I hear about at home and turning them into results in Washington.”
An authorization sets a ceiling for future federal funding under Army Corps of Engineers programs. It is not the same as an appropriation that puts cash in the bank. Local projects still have to compete for actual dollars after a bill becomes law.
Beyond the Mooresville line, Harrigan’s office said WRDA authorizes and updates Army Corps work nationwide on water and wastewater systems, flood risk, ports and harbors, inland waterways, dam safety, and other water-resources needs. The package also includes process changes meant to speed delivery, improve contracting and permitting, and make Army Corps programs easier for local governments to use.
Harrigan represents North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, with a district office in Hickory. Mooresville sits in Iredell County, just north of Catawba County, in a corridor of fast housing and industrial growth that has strained utilities across the metro fringe.
Source: Office of U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan, press release, Sept. 16, 2026.
Earlier coverage: Mooresville mayor to leave office Sept. 30
