Congress Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Mississippi River Navigation and Ecosystem

Press Release

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the Senate passage of the Water and Resources Development Act (WRDA). The WRDA bill includes Congressional authorization for locks and dam modernization on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and authorizes specific projects for navigation, ecosystem restoration, and flood and storm damage reduction.

"Passing WRDA will mean over 50,000 new jobs for the region, shorter shipping times, and improved business for Midwest producers along the river," said Durbin. "The Mississippi River transports $12 billion worth of products every year, affecting agriculture, commercial, and labor interests across the state. It is important to update and modernize the waterway to remain competitive in the years to come."

The most significant provision in the bill increases lock and dam capacity and improves the ecosystem of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The legislation authorizes $2.204 billion for replacing and upgrading locks and dams and another $1.717 billion for ecosystem restoration. "Updating these locks is critical for industry and agriculture in Illinois-- more than half of Illinois' annual corn crop is shipped to export markets on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Shipping via barge on the River keeps exports competitive and reduces transportation costs for Illinois farmers and businesses," said Durbin.

"We have included these environmental funds to make certain that at the end of the process we will leave a thriving river ecosystem for future generations," Durbin said.

Today's legislation also includes language that will allow a federally funded feasibility study to investigate the options and technologies available to prevent the spread of invasive species, including Asian Carp, between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and other aquatic pathways. Durbin has worked closely with Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) to enact legislation that would authorize federal funding for Asian Carp Barrier projects.

Asian Carp threaten the Great Lakes ecosystem by consuming large quantities of phytoplankton and competing with native fish for habitat. Originally, Asian Carp were introduced to the United States as a management tool for aqua culture farms and sewage treatment facilities. The carp have made their way north to the Illinois River after escaping from fish farms during massive flooding along the Mississippi River. Asian carp can grow to an average of four feet and 60 pounds, and can consume up to 40 percent of their body weight in plankton per day.

Also included is a provision that would establish independent review panels for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. This issue has received significant attention in the wake of the Gulf Coast hurricanes, which showed that major levee failures in New Orleans occurred because of faulty design, construction or maintenance. The Corps of Engineers is responsible for carrying out the majority of the projects contained in the WRDA legislation.

The provision would establish an independent panel of experts to review projects costing more than $40 million, projects requested by a state governor, projects for which the director of a federal agency has said could have a significant adverse impact, or projects that the Army's secretary has found to be controversial. The provision also calls for an independent safety review for critical flood damage reduction projects. The independent review process will not lengthen the time line for projects to be completed.

Specifically, the bill includes:

# $1.948 billion for the construction of seven new 1,200 foot locks at Locks 20, 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the Upper Mississippi River and at LaGrange Lock and Peoria Lock on the Illinois Waterway.

# $1.717 billion for ecosystem restoration, providing the Corps of Engineers authority to do island building, construction of fish passages, floodplain restoration, water level management, backwater restoration, side channel restoration, wing dam and dike restoration, island and shoreline protection, topographical diversity, use of dredged material for environmental purposes, tributary confluence restoration, land easement authority, and land acquisition.

# $256 million for small-scale and non-structural improvements such as traffic management and boats that push the barges through locks faster.

"We have been waiting seven long years for a bill to reauthorize navigation projects all over the country. Now the real work begins as we work on the floor of the Senate to pass this bill and to modernize the Mississippi waterway so our region can remain competitive in the years to come," said Durbin.

On April 19th, the House passed a version of the Water Resources Development Act. The House bill and the Senate bill will now be sent to a conference committee to work through the differences.

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