Kildee Pushes for Repairs to Regional Waterways,

Washington, D.C.  - The House of Representatives today passed provisions authored by Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) that would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to rehabilitate Flint’s Hamilton Dam and improve drainage of the Cass River in Tuscola County.  The provisions were passed last night in the House-Senate Conference Report of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.

The provisions would pave the way for federal funds to be appropriated for Kildee’s initiatives.  This marks the first time that the federal government would authorize either project.  Congressman Kildee has submitted formal requests to the House Appropriations Committee to fund both projects.

Kildee’s Hamilton Dam provision allows the Army Corps of Engineers to repair, rehabilitate or replace the 87 year-old dam near the University of Michigan - Flint campus.  A study conducted in 2000 by the Army Corps of Engineers recommended that the dam be replaced and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has concluded that there is a possibility that it could fail.

Congressman Kildee has urged this project as a top priority as the possibility of collapse poses a threat to life and property.  The possibility of catastrophe has also impacted economic development in the region.

“The current state of the Hamilton Dam not only has potential to cause loss of life and property damage, but it also hinders the local economy,” said Kildee.  “New development is difficult to entice when there is a chance that investments could wash away with the next rain storm.”

Congressman Kildee’s provision to curb flooding and erosion of the Cass River watershed would authorize the second phase of a project in Tuscola County to improve drainage.  The Moore Drain Full Petition Project (MDFPP) would revegetate the area and establish erosion control structures.  Eroded sediment in the Cass River will be reduced by two to five tons per acre annually when the MDFPP is completed. 

“We are working to repair the damage that had been done to the beautiful Cass River in the past,” said Kildee.  “This project will help to ensure that waterways in mid-Michigan will be open to our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren for fishing and recreation.”

Accelerated erosion, caused by past land use practices, has reduced drainage capacity and impeded agriculture and recreational use of undeveloped land in the Cass River watershed.

The Conference Report of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 must be passed by the Senate and approved by the President.