Federal bill aids flood project

St. Helena Star

The omnibus spending bill passed by the Senate Tuesday includes another piece of St. Helena's flood control puzzle.

The $410 billion bill includes $100,000 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the local flood control project and approve it as a federal project eligible for federal reimbursements.

President Barack Obama signed the bill Wednesday after the Star's deadline.

The Water Resources Development Act, enacted in 2007, said the project could receive reimbursements if federal officials determine “that the plans and designs for the project are feasible,” but it didn't appropriate any money for the Corps to conduct that analysis.

“We need to make sure that our community is kept safe from floodwaters and coming up with a solid plan is the necessary first step,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, in a statement. “By investing in smart infrastructure projects like flood control in St. Helena, we can keep good jobs in our area and invest in our future. Failing to prevent a future flood will only cost us more in the long run, and so I'll continue to look for ways to keep this project moving forward.”

According to Thompson's statement, the city's flood project might also get a piece of the $4.6 billion in emergency funding approved for the Corps in the stimulus package signed by Obama last week.