Hatch Meets with NCRS to Help Restore Washington County Riverbeds

HATCH MEETS WITH NRCS TO HELP RESTORE WASHINGTON COUNTY RIVERBEDS

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) met today with Sylvia Gillen, the Utah head of the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), to receive an update on the work being done on the flood in Washington County, Utah. The NRCS is tasked with restoring the Virgin and Santa Clara riverbeds, and Gillen reported that the agency is working to secure an additional
$3.5 million in the very near future toward preparing the rivers for the spring runoff.

"The NRCS has been by far the most responsive agency working with us in Washington, County," Hatch stated. "They are focused on restoring the area's riverbeds, which is critically important considering there's a record snowpack ready to come down the river corridors. I let Sylvia know how grateful we are to the NRCS for recognizing how urgent our needs are and for digging so deep to help us."

Although encouraged by the NRCS's quick initial appropriation of $6 million to Washington County's rebuilding efforts, Hatch has been concerned about the amount of work that needs to be done before the area is restored. The agency estimates it will need another
$66 million to finish the job, and the Utah delegation is seeking to secure some or all of those funds on the Emergency Supplemental appropriations bill, which is targeted to aid the war in Iraq and the tsunami victims.

"If we have a billion dollars for flood victims in Southeast Asia," Hatch said, "we should be able to find several million to aid and protect our own."

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