Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

“I’m pleased that the bill includes funding for so many important projects in our area, especially given this year’s tough budget constraints,” Cardoza said.  “The appropriations provide much-needed support in several important areas, particularly critical maintenance, drainage, and flood control.”

The House Appropriations Committee refused to go along with a White House bid to eliminate funding for many civil works water projects.

The following 18^th District projects are funded in the bill:

San Joaquin River - Stockton Channel Dredging ($3,800,000)

This project includes annual maintenance dredging, conducted to support growth and national economic demands at the Port of Stockton.  The President’s budget typically includes funding for this purpose.  However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inadvertently omitted this project from their FY 2005 budget.  This funding is critical to ensuring the federal channel remains open.

Grassland Area Regional Drainage Plan, a component of the Westside Regional Drainage Plan ($1,000,000)

Specifically, projects to be implemented include groundwater management, source control, drainage reuse, treatment and salt disposal.  The project will have beneficial impacts to the San Joaquin River by reducing discharge of drainage water and will provide needed drainage service to the westside of the San Joaquin Valley.

San Joaquin River Basin, West Stanislaus County, Orestimba Creek ($200,000)

This project addresses issues related to recent floods in western Stanislaus County, including the City of Newman. Over the past 50 years, changes to the topography and drainage patterns have occurred with the construction of the Delta Mendota Canal, the California Aqueduct, and Interstate 5.  Orestimba Creek has flooded the City of Newman and surrounding areas more than 13 times in the past 43 years.  Flood waters have damaged commercial and residential properties, agricultural land, the Delta-Mendota Canal, Central California Irrigation District facilities, and numerous bridges and road crossings.  Continued investigations will analyze potential solutions for flood reduction, eco-system restoration and related purposes for Orestimba Creek.

Merced County Streams ($500,000)

This project will provide critical flood protection to residential, agricultural and commercial lands adjacent to the City of Merced.  Continued funding for this project is critical in order to implement the planning, design and future construction of projects that would have provided significant protection to the City and County of Merced had they been in place during the floods of 1998.  Completion of this project will provide a higher level of protection for life and property during flood events and relieve the requirement of costly flood insurance premiums for property owners currently within the FEMA floodplain.

Tuolumne River Flood Control Project ($200,000)

This project is located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in Tuolumne and Stanislaus Counties and comes as the result of the many damages caused by the January 1997 floods, which resulted in costs estimated at $14 million to areas in and adjacent to the City of Modesto.  Continued funding for this project will enable the Corps to investigate the feasibility of identified options for increased flood control protection along the Tuolumne River and its tributaries.