WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley today praised Senate passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016 by a vote of 95 to 3. 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 contains references to flood protection needs in Cedar Rapids, authorizes studies of flood protection in Dubuque and the levees along the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, and authorizes 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 Senate-passed bill are:

•    Cedar River, Cedar Rapids.  The bill states that the Corps of Engineers shall expedite the completion of four projects (the Chicagoland Underflow Plan in Chicago, the Cedar River project in Cedar Rapids, and the Comite and Amite rivers projects) for flood damage reduction and flood risk management.

“I have constantly worked with the Environment and Public Works Committee to address the flood reduction needs in Cedar Rapids since the 2008 floods,” Grassley said.  “I helped get this item authorized in the last WRDA bill, and I’m glad to have helped lead the effort to include language to highlight the importance of and expedite it in this bill.”

•    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.  This authorization is one of 27 proposed feasibility studies and modifications submitted to Congress by the Corps.

“Dubuque is actively working on addressing all of its flood protection needs,” Grassley said.  “This study would assist the city’s efforts by determining if additional protection or modifications are needed along the Mississippi River.”

•    The bill authorizes a Government Accountability Office study on the Corps of Engineers’ methodology and performance metrics used to calculate benefit-cost ratios and evaluate construction projects.

“I was happy to cosponsor the Ernst amendment to have the GAO study how the Corps calculates and evaluates benefit-cost ratios in construction projects,” Grassley said.  “We’ve heard from Iowans regarding multiple projects, most recently the City of Des Moines and its flood protection efforts, that there are concerns about the methodology.”  

•    Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers Comprehensive Flood Risk Management.  The bill authorizes a study of the levees along the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers on a system-wide basis to evaluate the flood damage risks on a system-wide rather than local basis and justify projects on that 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.

“Senate passage of a new WRDA bill was important to show a commitment to a sound process for water infrastructure needs,” Grassley said.  “This bill builds on the reforms included in WRDA 2014 and keeps the predictability of enacting a WRDA bill every two years.” 

 

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