WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District including Colonel Steven Sattinger, Commander and District Engineer for the Rock Island District, to discuss the need for continued federal investment in Illinois’ water infrastructure and flood risk management for the Upper Mississippi River region. Durbin also discussed the importance of preventing the spread of Asian Carp to the Great Lakes, and rehabilitation of the LaGrange Lock in Versailles, Illinois. Durbin passed an amendment in last year’s Energy and Water appropriations bill ensuring $28.8 million in federal funding will be available for the project.
“The Army Corps’ work directly impacts Illinois’ businesses and residents that either use Illinois rivers and waterways to ship their products or live in flood-prone areas,” said Durbin. “I’ll continue to work with Colonel Sattinger and the Rock Island Corps to ensure the area’s economy isn’t hampered by delays in critical projects, and residents’ property and lives aren’t at risk in their own homes.”
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Durbin also pressed the members of the Rock Island Corps regarding funding for the Upper Mississippi River Restoration (UMRR) program to restore Quincy Bay near Quincy, Illinois. Last month, Durbin, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL-18) sent a letter to the Corps requesting $20 million for Quincy Bay. During the past 70 years, the bay has filled with sediment, and the water depth is now 1-3 feet. The need for remediation has been recognized since the 1980s.
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