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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that the Little Calumet River Flood Control and Recreation Project will receive $3 million in federal stimulus funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will support the completion of three pump stations in Hammond and Munster and keep the whole project moving toward completion.
“In choosing to support the Little Calumet River Flood Control and Recreation Project, the Administration has wisely decided to create jobs in the near-term on a project with long-term economic benefits,” said Visclosky. “Northwest Indiana has been devastated by floods too many times and we cannot finish the levee system soon enough. The federal funding is on the table and our local leaders are working diligently to finish the project.”
The stimulus funding is in addition to the $24 million Visclosky secured for the project in Fiscal Year 2009 and the $14.76 million he secured in Fiscal Year 2008. The stimulus funds will be utilized to continue and complete the construction of the Indianapolis Boulevard Pump Station in Hammond, the Southside Pump Station in Hammond, and the Jackson Avenue Pump Station in Munster.
Once complete, the whole project will include 22 miles of levees and flood walls that reduce the risk of floods for more than 9,500 homes and businesses in Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, and Munster. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that flooding along the Little Calumet River causes nearly $11 million in average annual flood damages. The completion of the flood control project will increase the protection of homes and businesses as well as minimize the costs associated with flooding. The stimulus funds do not alleviate the need for non-federal matching funds to be made available in order to complete the project. |
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