Flood control could benefit under Obama; Thompson looks for extra funds from incoming administration

Napa Valley Register

America's current economic problems could be a godsend for the Napa flood project, producing millions in federal aid as part of President-elect Obama's economic stimulus efforts.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is working to secure extra federal money for Napa if Congress and the new president can agree to boost spending on the nation's aging infrastructure, Heather Stanton, local flood manager, said this week.
This would be a dramatic change in fortunes for the flood project, which has fallen years behind schedule because of inadequate federal funding.

Greater flood control spending would create scores of local jobs while ensuring that the City of Napa gets flood protection sooner rather than later, Stanton said.

Thompson, who is traveling in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released a statement Wednesday saying that he supported expanding federal spending on the nation's infrastructure as part of a larger stimulus package.

“Not only do capital projects pay off in the long term by making our communities safer, infrastructure investments like the Napa flood project also stimulate our economy and provide good jobs while building the foundation for future economic expansion,” Thompson said.

Over the past decade, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, sponsor of the Napa flood project, has never received an annual allocation of more than $16 million for Napa River work.

Now the corps is requesting up to $90 million, which would allow it to go full-speed on railroad relocation while tackling flood defenses on Napa Creek and construction of a flood bypass channel.

The corps needs $40 million for the second phase of the $65 million railroad track and bridge contract awarded this fall to Suulutaaq Inc., an Alaskan native corporation, Stanton said.

Instead of the railroad work taking three years, as currently scheduled, it could be wrapped up in close to two years, with the creek and bypass phases starting ahead of schedule, she said.

Without an emergency federal program to boost highway, bridge and flood control project, there is the possibility that next year's federal funding for Napa flood control would be insufficient to keep the railroad work on schedule, Stanton said.

The possibility that the nation's economic woes could have a silver lining for the Napa flood project was talked about in September when local officials went to Washington D.C. to lobby federal officials for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, Stanton said.

In past years, the Bush administration has cited the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina to explain why there wasn't enough money to keep the Napa project on schedule.

“Finally, one of those catastrophes could go our way,” Stanton said. “We're keeping our fingers crossed that we get that funding.”

A federal program to boost infrastructure funding is only in the talking stages among Congress, the Bush Administration and President-elect Obama.

Increased funding for public infrastructure projects is being talked about as part of an economic stimulus package that would also include extended unemployment and food stamp benefits, aid to states and the auto industry.

The Army corps recently issued a notice to begin construction to Suulutaaq, Julie Lucido, local flood engineer, said Wednesday. Relocation of Napa Valley Wine Train facilities will begin with track relocation near downtown.

The corps has $14 million of the needed $65 million for bridge work, with the remainder to be allocated in the next two fiscal years if the work is to be finished on time.

Napa Creek defenses, estimated to cost $20 million, aren't scheduled to start construction until 2010 unless special grants can be obtained before then.

A comparable sum will be needed to build the bypass channel, which would divert half the water in a major flood from McKinstry Street to the river at Napa Creek.