Infrastructure in the News: Water Infrastructure Bill WIINS over Many
December 16th, 2016 | By: Olivia Wolfertz
From farmers to manufacturers, shippers and countless water associations to all Americans, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act’s benefits promise improvement across several water resource sectors. The act, which authorizes nearly $10 billion in federal investment, will fund stormwater management projects, initiatives to help develop alternative water supplies to deal with persistent drought and more than 330 port, levee and dam projects. WIIN benefits our nation at state and local levels. Michigan celebrates the bill’s provision of up to $170 million for Flint and significant funding for Great Lakes harbor maintenance and pollution cleanup. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) will receive $300 million a year through 2021 to maintain ports and strengthen programs for restoring and protecting fish and wildlife. In California, where drought has caused 1 million acres of farm land to go fallow, 2,400 private water wells to dry up and 35,000 people to lose jobs, residents are especially grateful for WIIN’s provision of $558 million for drought relief. WIIN will also greatly improve our nation’s ports. Thanks to input from the American Association of Port Authorities (APA), WIIN modernizes the cost-share depth for navigation construction projects from 45 to 50 feet deep to reflect the growing size of the world vessel fleet, and ensures that Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) funding targets will increase by 3 percent over the prior year. Georgia is excited that WIIN will fund the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project and maintenance fees for Savannah’s and Brunswick’s ports. Florida is also praising the bill’s provision of more than $1.5 billion in funding for state projects including the Central Everglades planning project. One of the most exciting parts of WIIN from ASCE’s perspective is a new program for dams. The Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act, thanks to hard work from sponsors Sen. Jack Reed and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, will establish a federal investment program to allow states and local governments to seek funding for the rehabilitation of high-hazard publicly-owned dams. The federal government will invest $445 million over ten years, providing 65 percent of funding, while states and local jurisdictions will provide 35 percent of matching funds. WIIN has many benefits that promise growth and improvement throughout the nation. Now that it’s been authorized, the next Congress will need to appropriate the provisions of the bill. Hopefully lawmakers can continue to work together in the new administration to appropriate the necessary funds for our nation’s water resources infrastructure.Dam Safety Deserves Awareness
May 29th, 2015 | By: Whitford Remer
Extreme storms in Texas and Oklahoma are testing the strength of many dams this week. Our thoughts are with those affected, and it is hoped that there are no dam failures contributing to the challenges these communities face. Such failures have had dire effects; it was this same week back in 1889 when the worst dam failure in U.S. history occurred – known as the Johnstown (Penn.) Flood – when the South Fork Dam failed killing more than 2,200 people. On Sunday – May 31st –we commemorate this day as National Dam Safety Awareness Day to remind ourselves of the lessons learned after that failure.
As we approach National Dam Safety Awareness Day, it’s important to take a minute to underscore the state of dam infrastructure across the nation, given a “D” grade in the Infrastructure Report Card.
Dams are an extremely important part of this nation’s infrastructure—equal in importance to bridges, roads, airports, and other major components of the infrastructure. They can serve several functions at once, including water supply for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and community use; flood control; recreation; and clean, renewable energy through hydropower. However, dams also pose a tremendous potential hazard to downstream residents and infrastructure, so dam owners and regulators must observe proper safety methods to maintain these important functions and minimize downstream risk.
Could the South Fork Dam failure happen today? Advances in dam safety engineering practices and regulation coupled with emergency action planning make living near a dam safer. Historically, dams that failed had some deficiency, which caused the failure. These dams are typically termed deficient. Currently, there are about 4,400 deficient dams in the U.S. There are dams with this classification in nearly every state. (A majority of states and federal agencies define a deficient dam as one that has been found to have hydraulic or structural deficiencies that leave it more susceptible to failure.) Lagging behind is the number of deficient dams that have been repaired. The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) has determined that it could cost up to $18 billion to rehabilitate the back-log of non-federal (those subject to state regulation) high-hazard potential dams that need repair. High–hazard potential dams, should they fail, would most likely cause loss of life and significant economic losses.
To help address these investment needs, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 reauthorized the National Dam Safety Program. While ASCE and ASDSO have made advances to promote dam safety programs, increase awareness, provide training, and fund rehabilitation initiatives, there are still significant financial shortfalls. Tell congressional appropriators to fully fund the WRRDA authorized programs. It should not take another Johnstown or a dam failure in Texas and Oklahoma to raise awareness to fund these essential safety programs.
This post is co-authored by Lori Spragens, executive director of ASDSO.
Tags: Dam Safety, dams
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This Week in Infrastructure: Investment Ensures Infrastructure Effectiveness
May 30th, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan
The goal of infrastructure is to keep people safe as they live their lives. This is realized in the millions of people who successfully drive or take public transit to work each day; in the clean water that comes out of the tap; and the safety offered by dams. But unfortunately we know that sometimes this goal is not achieved. This week we are reminded of this as National Dam Safety Awareness Day remembers the unnecessary loss of life in Johnstown, Penn. 125 years ago. When we invest, we are less likely to experience these tragedies, as it ensures that infrastructure succeeds in what it was designed to do. The Water Resources Reform & Development Act (WRRDA) reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program is one step that offers this assurance, but there is still more that must done. This is also true of the Highway Trust Fund. Road conditions are a factor in one in three U.S. traffic fatalities. As the Trust Fund moves toward insolvency in the next few months, states will have less funding to repair roads or start new projects. This will be hard on commuters, summer road travelers and the economy. As Vermont Rep. Peter Welch said, “potholes don’t fix themselves.” Whether you’re paying for it in gas taxes, tolls, or time idling in your car, you are paying for it. It is time to #fixtheTrustFund so we can benefit from investment, rather than suffer the consequences of inaction.
