Central Valley Project
Credit: USBR

Bipartisan, Biennial Bill Passed by House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

May 24, 2022 - WASHINGTON, DC - On Monday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), who represents Solano Country and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the 3rd Congressional District, released the following statement on the passage of the “Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022” (H.R.7776) in the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure:

“The biennial Water Resources Development Act strengthens flood protection, water resources, precious ecosystems, and more in communities across California and the nation,” Garamendi said. “As a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I was pleased to secure several provisions in this bill to create local jobs by directing new federal investments into Mare Island, restore Bay Area wetlands, bolster flood control for local communities like Woodland, enhance environmental restoration efforts at Lake Tahoe, and more. I will now work tirelessly to ensure this legislation passes Congress and is signed into law this year.”

Garamendi secured the following provisions in the “Water Resources Development Act of 2022” (H.R.7776):

• Directing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to examine the economic and national security benefits of dredging the Mare Island Strait channel. No such examination has occurred since 1999, and this is the first step in Congressman Garamendi’s ongoing efforts to increase federal investment into Mare Island and its ship repair capacities for the U.S Navy and Coast Guard, following the $13 million private investment announced by Mare Island Dry Dock on March 23, 2022.
• Authorizing $50 million in new federal assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for environmentally friendly infrastructure projects to the five counties comprising the California Delta: Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Solano County, Sacramento, and Yolo.
• Securing Congressional authorization to begin construction of the Lower Cache Creek Flood Risk Management Project with the City of Woodland, Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and California Department of Water Resources to reduce flood risk and lower the cost of flood insurance for property owners.
• Doubling federal funding to $50 million to support restoration efforts at the Lake Tahoe Basin. This additional funding will help fund future restoration activities across the Tahoe Basin, such as the restoration of the Upper Truckee River and Marsh, to Keep Tahoe Blue.
• Requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use more dredged sediment from ongoing dredging in the Bay Area to restore Bay Area wetlands, instead of dumping that dredged sediment at sea.
• Reauthorizing the National Levee Safety Initiative to help manage flood risk across the nation, including the hundreds of miles of levees along the 200 miles of the Sacramento River in California’s third Congressional district.
• Making the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta a new focus area for the Army Corps’ efforts to combat invasive species, such as destructive water hyacinth.
  Source: Congressman John Garamendi