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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 the Hamilton City "J Levee" project. Herger made the following comment after House passage of H.R. 1495:
"The passage of WRDA is a key milestone in our effort to build a new J Levee," Herger stated. "Today's action by the House takes us one step closer to a higher level of flood protection for the residents of Hamilton City and nearby agricultural land."
Congressman Herger has been working with Reclamation District 2140 and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to obtain federal funds to help protect Hamilton City from flooding. Over the last two years, Herger has helped secure more than $800,000 to do the needed engineering and design work for this important project. By law, the J Levee project must be designed and built by a cost-share partnership between local, state, and federal government. The project needs additional funding to complete design work. The passage of WRDA keeps the J Levee project on track for a possible construction start in 2008.
"I'm very pleased we were able to secure passage in the House. I look forward to continuing to work with the residents of Hamilton City to obtain better flood protection for their community," Herger said.
The WRDA legislation also included two other provisions important to Northern California: authorization to construct the Yuba River Basin project in Yuba 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). |
