A Senate committee has moved quickly to approve a new, $11-billion water resources bill that would authorize 27 new Army Corps of Engineers projects and also provide funds to deal with drinking-water system emergencies including the one that has hit Flint, Mich.
The new Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA—which the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved on April 28 on a 19-1 vote —authorizes $5 billion in federal funds for Corps navigation, flood control, port dredging, environmental restoration and other projects.
That includes $1.65 billion that the committee added in its voting session for two Corps flood-control projects in California: one in West Sacramento and the other in the American River watershed.