WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley today praised the final passage of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which includes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016. This bill addresses the civil works program of the Army Corps of Engineers and drinking water and wastewater funding programs through the Environmental Protection Agency. It highlights the flood protection needs in Cedar Rapids and authorizes studies of flood protection in Dubuque and the levees along the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The Committee on Environment and Public Works will also be sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting a study of the Corps’ methods used to calculate benefit-cost ratios of interest to Iowa communities including Des Moines.
“It’s critical to Iowa’s economy to maintain the flow of commerce by improving and updating the country’s water infrastructure,” Grassley said. “I’ve been an advocate for inland waterways and ports for a long period of time. Shippers and consumers depend on the ability to move more than 604 million tons of cargo valued at more than $232 billion on these waterways every year. The nation’s inland waterways system also provides a cost-effective, fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly way to move bulk products.”
Grassley said the legislation also contains a number of provisions to expand and add additional flexibility to programs that assist communities with drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. “Many Iowa communities have major water infrastructure needs, particularly with EPA mandates becoming increasingly burdensome,” Grassley said.
Specific Iowa-related provisions included in the bill are:
· Cedar River, Cedar Rapids. The bill states that the Corps of Engineers shall expedite the completion of this authorized project for flood damage reduction and flood risk management.
The Cedar Rapids project is listed as one of nine projects to be expedited by the Corps. The other projects are Chicagoland Underflow Plan, IL; Comite River, LA; Amite River and Tributaries, LA, East Baton Rouge Parish Watershed; Asension Parish, LA; East Baton Rouge Parish, LA; Iberville Parish, LA; Livingston Parish, LA; and Pointe Coupee Parish, LA.
Cedar Rapids endured a 500-year flood in 2008 and faced near record flooding again this year. After the 2008 floods, the City of Cedar Rapids worked with the Corps of Engineers to develop a project to address the flood risk. Congress authorized the project in the Water Resources and Reform Act of 2014. To date, no construction funds for this project have been budgeted. This provision clearly shows the intent of Congress for this project to be a priority at the Corp of Engineers.
“I have constantly worked with the Environment and Public Works Committee and other committees in the Senate to address the flood reduction needs in Cedar Rapids since the 2008 floods,” Grassley said. “I helped get this project authorized in the last WRDA bill, and I’m glad to have helped lead the effort to include language to highlight the importance of the project in this bill. This year’s flood event proves that it would be wiser to build the permanent flood protection structure instead of building temporary emergency structures, which cost millions and lead to the federal government spending billions in emergency measures over time.”
· Dubuque. The bill authorizes a study to determine the feasibility of modifying the flood protection system to increase the level of flood protection and reduce flood damages.
“Dubuque is actively working on addressing all of its flood protection needs,” Grassley said. “This study will assist the city’s efforts by determining if additional protection or modifications are needed along the Mississippi River.”
· Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The bill authorizes a study of the riverine areas located within the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River basins to identify the risks and vulnerabilities of those areas to increased flood damages.
This study will evaluate the flood damage risks on a system-wide rather than local basis. This review was recommended by the Corps in a 2008 study and by the Secretary in a 2009 letter to Congress to address the fact that a rehabilitation of a levee at a single location often cannot be cost-justified but each location is an integral part of a levee system that provides essential flood protection benefits.
The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee will be sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting a study, asked for by Senators Ernst and Grassley in the Senate version of the WRDA bill then supported by the Iowa delegation in the House, on the methodology and performance metrics used by the Corps to calculate cost-benefit ratios and evaluate construction projects.
“I am very concerned with how projects in Iowa, such as Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, and across the country fare in the Corps calculations of benefit-cost ratios to determine the federal interest in construction projects,” said Grassley. “It should not be only urban centers or beach front property with high property values receiving federal assistance and the expertise of the Corps.”
Earlier this year, Senator Grassley and Ernst sent letters to the Corps leadership on both the Cedar Rapids flood protection project and how the benefit-cost ratios are calculated. The letters can be viewed by clicking here and here.
“Passing this bill is important for Iowa,” Grassley said. “It builds on the reforms included in WRDA 2014 and keeps the predictability of enacting a WRDA bill every two years.”
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