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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 6, 2007
CONTACT: Geoff Embler or Matt Mackowiak
Sen. Hutchison Delivers $10 Million for Rio Grande Levee Protection
FY 2008 Foreign Operations Funding Bill Passes Senate 81-12
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today secured $10 million for the Rio Grande Flood Control System Rehabilitation Project as H.R. 2764, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bill passed the full Senate by a vote of 81-12.
“This funding will be used to protect border communities from flooding by reinforcing the levees to handle major storms,” Sen. Hutchison said. “The Rio Grande is a powerful river prone to flooding under certain conditions and we must shield the families and businesses along the river with strong levees.”
The funding will be used for the repair and rehabilitation of levees located along the Rio Grande which are maintained by the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC). Recent studies and evaluations by the U.S. Section of the IBWC indicate the existing condition of the levee system is deficient both in hydraulic capacity and structural integrity, indicating there could be widespread overtopping and freeboard encroachment of the levees in the event of a 100-year flooding event. This project, once completed, will play a critical role in the flood protection of citizens residing along the U.S.-Mexico border from future storm events.
The bill now goes to a conference committee between the House and the Senate to reconcile their versions of the bill.
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