DORGAN SECURES FUNDING TO BOLSTER DEVILS LAKE LEVEES
Conference committee approves final version of bill including funds critical to Devils Lake
Friday, June 12, 2009
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – A congressional conference committee today approved a final version of an emergency appropriations bill that includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) that will help the city of Devils Lake protect itself from threatening water.
Dorgan, a member of the conference committee, said the provision ensures federal funding will be available to raise levees protecting the surrounding community from Devils Lake. The provision refills a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers account for a federal program devoted to flood control and coastal emergencies throughout the nation.
Dorgan, who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that funds the nation’s federal flood control projects, said the Corps will use part of the money to raise the levees to protect local residents from the rising Devils Lake, which has reached a record high level.
“The city of Devils Lake needs immediate assistance to fend off record water levels in adjacent Devils Lake, and this investment will do that,” said Dorgan. “I’m pleased the effort to raise the levees is moving ahead.”
This bill fulfills a pledge Dorgan made during remarks to the North Dakota Legislature earlier this year to secure a 75 percent federal match for this project. The estimated total cost of the Devils Lake project could be as much as $125 million. During his remarks to the Legislature, Dorgan pledged to add the federal share for the levee raise and challenged the state to find the resources to ensure the local match could be met.
—END—