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(Washington, DC) - Congressman Wally Herger today voted for H.R. 1495, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA), which the House passed 394 to 25. The bill authorizes several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) projects throughout the U.S., including navigation, dredging, and flood control. Included in the bill is language offered by Congressman Herger to authorize the Corps to construct critical flood control projects in Yuba County. Herger made the following comment after House passage of H.R. 1495:
"The passage of WRDA is a key milestone in our effort to rehabilitate the levee system in Yuba County," Herger stated. "Today's action by the House takes us one step closer to providing greater protection for the citizens in this area."
The Yuba River Basin language of H.R. 1495 seeks to give the Corps a congressional "go-ahead" to continue to analyze flood-related challenges in the area and to begin advanced design and construction of key levee features in Yuba County. When fully complete, the Yuba River Basin project will provide Yuba residents with a minimum of 200-year level flood protection - the highest such level of any flood prone area in California's Central Valley.
Congressman Herger has been working extensively with the Yuba County Board of Supervisors, the Yuba County Water Agency, and other area officials to obtain federal funds to advance this important project. Over the last five years, Herger has helped secure nearly $4 million to continue a comprehensive analysis of flooding problems in the area.
"As a Yuba-Sutter native, I know how critical it is that we do everything possible to protect at-risk communities from flooding. I look forward to continuing to work with Yuba County leaders to see the Yuba River Basin project to completion." Herger said.
The WRDA legislation passed by the House also included two other provisions important to Northern California: authorization to construct the Hamilton City "J Levee" along the Sacramento River in Glenn County and authorization to investigate alternatives to protect the fish screen and pumping plant that provides water to farmers in the Princeton-Codora-Glenn and Provident Irrigation Districts in Glenn and Colusa Counties. Both projects were included in H.R. 1495 at the request of Congressman Herger.
Prior to receiving federal funding, House rules require that Congress authorize the existence of, and funding for, most programs and projects. The House appropriations committee may fund the project up to the funding level recommended in the authorization measure (in this case, WRDA). |
