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Washington, D.C. - Today, the House passed legislation, originating in Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson’s Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, which authorized approximately $21 billion for about 900 water resource project and studies nationwide. Specifically the measure authorizes $298 million for development within the Trinity Corridor in Dallas. The measure goes to the President once it wins final approval from the Senate.
Congresswoman Johnson was one of the principal authors of the legislation, known as the Water Resources Development Act or WRDA, and served as a conferee with the Senate. She gave the following remarks upon final House consideration of the bill:
“The clock is working against the infrastructure of our country.
The seven years we have waited to enact a Water Resources Development Bill have lead to significant increases in costs to adequately address the nation’s deteriorating water resources and flood control infrastructure.
I am delighted that we, as conferees, have come to an agreement on the issues of independent review, environmental infrastructure, and individual projects that have, up until now, prevented us from crafting a final conference report.
We do right by this country when we invest in its infrastructure.
Enactment of a Water Resources bill this year is critical to economic prosperity, job creation, protection of the environment, and public safety.
Since Congress last passed a Water Resources Development Act, we have seen Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastate the Gulf Coast and my home state of Texas, flooding cities, damaging economies and businesses, and threatening public health.
No water resources bill has been enacted since the year 2000 – the entire term of the current administration. I deeply regret that the Administration has decided to turn its back on a bill that will put Americans to work with good paying jobs, protect lives and property, and bolster our nation’s infrastructure.
A recent report by the Texas Section of Civil Engineers assessed my state’s infrastructure and rendered a dismal, cumulative grade of below average. The assessment of the state’s flood control faired even worse, with the state receiving a failing grade of D minus.
Over the past decade, Texas has experienced 15 federally declared disasters, most involving flooding. Moreover, Texas leads the nation in terms of dollars paid for flood claims, second only to the State of Louisiana.
The population of Texas is expected to double in the next 30 to 40 years. Development in and near floodplains can be expected to increase, as developers continue to build near the State’s rivers, lakes, and coastline.
In my district the Dallas Floodway accepts 1,600 square miles of Trinity River watershed runoff and safely moves the floodwaters through the City of Dallas by virtue of levees that form both sides of the 2,000-foot wide floodway. The Floodway levees protect the downtown Dallas vicinity from a potential flood damage loss to properties and infrastructure of $8 billion or more.
The 23 miles of levees for the Dallas Floodway were originally constructed by local interests in 1932 and reconstructed by the Corps in 1960. Since 1960, the upstream watershed has experienced exploding population growth that was not expected, which has significantly increased runoff, overwhelmed our antiquated interior drainage pumps, and greatly reduced the flood protection afforded by the Dallas Floodway levees.
My district’s flood control needs are great, and like other communities across the nation, they are anxiously anticipating the resumption of a predictable, consistent, and two-year WRDA cycle.
I am glad our work here today brings us one step closer to that reality.
The bill before us authorizes a number of studies and projects, particularly for the restoration of coastal Louisiana, the restoration of the Florida Everglades, and the restoration of the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway System.
Again, we do right by this country when we invest in its infrastructure. Communities across the country have been waiting seven long years to begin their noteworthy flood control and water infrastructure projects.
I am pleased that we have been able to put our heads together and once and for all advance this vitally important and long overdue legislation for the American people.
The time to act is now.”
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