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Washington, D.C. – Congressman Pete Visclosky today announced that a total of 9 local water and environmental infrastructure projects and advanced energy research initiatives will receive a combined $43.8 million in federal assistance. The funding, which will support critical infrastructure and cutting edge research, is included in the Fiscal Year 2010 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the conference report today, and the legislation is expected to pass the Senate shortly and be signed into law by the President.
“The work supported in this bill will have a profound impact on Northwest Indiana’s economy, job market, environment, and quality of life,” said Visclosky. “From job-creating construction projects such as the Little Calumet River Flood Control Project that reduces the costly risk of flooding for thousands of homes and businesses, to the Marquette Plan that opens up our Lake Michigan Shoreline for public access and creates economic development opportunities nearby, to cutting edge research into renewable energy technologies that creates new economic opportunities, these initiatives will have a lasting positive impact on the region. I am proud to support these projects that will make Northwest Indiana a better, more prosperous place for all of us to live.”
$37.8 million for Water and Environmental Infrastructure
The Little Calumet River Flood Control and Recreation Project will receive $20 million. Once complete, the project will include 22 miles of levees and flood walls that protect the citizens and businesses of Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Highland, and Munster. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that flooding on the Little Calumet River causes $11 million in damages annually. Flooding last fall caused considerably more damage in those communities and the completion of the flood control project will protect homes and businesses to minimize the costs associated with flooding. Other project components include the installation of a control structure at Hart Ditch, building almost 17 miles of hiking trails, and preserving over 500 acres of wetlands.
Indiana Harbor is slated to receive $13.5 million for the construction of a confined dredged material disposal facility (CDF) on a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) site located in East Chicago. The project will dredge the federal channel to authorized navigation depths, and will also include the removal of sediment in adjacent berthing and docking areas at non-federal expense.
The Marquette Plan, Visclosky’s initiative to open up Northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline for public access to improve quality of life and create economic opportunities nearby, will receive $3 million to begin design and implementation efforts for ecosystem restoration and management of contaminants for ecological and economic purposes for sites along the Lake Michigan waterfront in Lake and Porter Counties.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will utilize $800,000 designated for the shoreline erosion project at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to support additional sand placement along Lake Michigan. Harbor structures outside of the Lakeshore interrupt the natural movement of sand within the park and accelerate the erosion of beaches and dunes. The funding will be used to combat the accelerated erosion by strategically placing additional sand on the beaches and dunes.
The Grand Calumet River project will receive $500,000 to complete the feasibility phase and begin preliminary engineering and design to improve water quality and enhance aquatic and terrestrial habitat.
$6 million for Advanced Energy Research
Purdue University Calumet will receive $5.5 million for three advanced research programs, and Valparaiso University will receive $500,000 for another.
First, $3 million will go to Purdue University Calumet’s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) to support further expansion of computational tools and equipment. The CIVS provides an innovative way to learn and understand extremely complex information through visualizing, manipulating, and interacting with computer-generated simulations and models, as well as allows users to interact with three dimensional computerized environments. Rapid advancements in computation speeds, sophisticated graphics, and numerical methods enable the widespread use of simulation, including the design and optimization of industrial systems. For example, Purdue Calumet’s visualization laboratory made it possible for researchers to simulate wear inside steelmaking blast furnaces, see how erosion in the furnaces is distributed, and evaluate ways to decrease damage.
Second, Purdue University Calumet will receive $2 million for the Energy Efficiency & Water Institute Research Facility. The funding will support the expansion and equipping of laboratory and research space for two academic research programs, the Energy, Efficiency and Reliability Center and the Water Institute Research Facility. The project will modify 4,400 square feet of research and lab space and equip the facility with fume hoods, computer analysis stations, microscopes, and other equipment that allow students and faculty to conduct cutting edge research.
Third, Purdue University Calumet, along with Purdue West Lafayette, will receive $500,000 for the Comprehensive Wind Energy Program. The funding will support efforts to expand a research and development program for engineers focusing on wind technologies. The first aspect of the project will be the construction of a wind turbine and improvements to the existing wind tunnel research infrastructure. The second aspect will support research activities focused on turbine design and development, aerodynamic modeling and simulation, and additional scope essential to the successful deployment of cost-effective wind technologies.
Finally, Valparaiso University will receive $500,000 for its Solar Furnace Research Program. The funding will support an interdisciplinary program for undergraduate and faculty research on solar energy. The program will utilize a solar furnace, a device that concentrates sunlight to produce heat, for research into ways to harness sunlight to produce materials that can be used as sources of energy. |
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