March 28, 2023

Duckworth Discusses Quad Cities Water Infrastructure with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), author of the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act (DWWIA), which is helping rebuild our nation’s crumbling and dangerous water infrastructure, this morning met with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Rock Island District Commander Colonel Jesse Curry to discuss critical water infrastructure projects in the Quad Cities region, which includes several hundred miles of the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway. Duckworth, a leading voice on water infrastructure and environmental justice, was briefed on ongoing lock rehabilitation and maintenance and the status of the Brandon Road Project. Photos from the meeting are available here.

“Colonel Curry and I had a great discussion about the importance of the ongoing water infrastructure projects throughout the region that will safeguard our environment and bolster our economy,” Duckworth said. “Federal infrastructure investments are critical to the safety of residents, neighborhoods and businesses, and I look forward to working with Colonel Curry and continuing to work with USACE to improve our infrastructure.”

Duckworth secured several provisions in the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2022. The Senator’s provisions, which include support for the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), are aimed at bringing environmental justice to marginalized communities by supporting projects in economically disadvantaged communities and lowering costs for major water infrastructure projects critical to Illinois and throughout the country.

USACE allocated funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Brandon Road Project last year to construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent Asian Carp from moving further north to the Great Lakes. Senator Duckworth was able to assist the Brandon Road project in achieving a significant cost-share reduction for the local, non-federal sponsor in the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 and this new funding announced will allow the Corps to complete design on the project and begin construction.

This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also fully authorized Duckworth’s DWWIA, which includes the most significant federal investment in water infrastructure in history, with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

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