WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) announced today additional work that it will accomplish with funding provided in Public Law 116-20, the Additional Supplemental Appropriations Disaster Relief Act, 2019, signed into law June 6, 2019.

Among other things, Public Law 116-20 provided $3.258 billion in five appropriations accounts: Investigations; Construction; Mississippi River and Tributaries; Operation and Maintenance; and Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies.  Of that amount, $740 million was provided to construct flood and storm damage reduction projects and $35 million was provided for studies.

The Corps will use the $35 million provided in the Investigations account to complete flood and storm damage reduction studies in two states and three territories that will focus on the opportunities to reduce the overall flood risk facing the nation. 

The Corps will use an estimated $286.9 million provided in the Construction account to complete measures to reduce flood risks in the Tug and Levisa Forks and Upper Cumberland River Basins in two counties, Buchanan and Dickenson (Section 202 projects), in the commonwealth of Virginia. 

On Friday and yesterday, the Corps announced the allocation of a total of approximately $321.1 million of the $740 million provided in the Construction account.  With today’s announcement, the Corps will have allocated $608 million of the $740 million provided by Public Law 116-20 to construct flood and storm damage reduction projects.

On September 26, 2019, the Corps announced the allocation of $2.483 billion in the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies, Operation and Maintenance, and Mississippi River and Tributaries accounts to repair damages to projects resulting from natural disasters and perform emergency dredging of shoaled material deposited at Corps navigation projects by natural disasters.

“The allocation of funding in the Investigations account and additional construction projects announced today helps enable these communities to prepare for, and reduce the risk of  flood damages caused by potential weather events in the future,” said Mr. R.D. James, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

The table listing the projects and studies receiving funding are posted at https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Budget/ as “Supplemental Appropriations for Disasters 2019.”   

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SOURCE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers