Money flows for Napa flood work

Napa Valley Register

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, announced Tuesday that the Napa River Project will receive more than $99 million in federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The funds will help provide flood protection for 2,700 homes, 350 businesses, and about 50 public properties by widening the river and constructing levees, concrete flood walls, sheet pile flood walls and a new Oxbow Bypass channel.

“When I voted for recovery funding for our country, it was for projects exactly like this that will create good jobs, make smart investments in infrastructure to leave our community stronger than before, and provide an important boost to our local economy,” Thompson said in a prepared statement. “This funding will help keep generations of Napans protected from floods and keep our homes and businesses safe.”

The estimated cost of the Napa flood control project has ballooned to $398 million from the $182 million projected in 1997 when the project was being designed. With inflation and a lagging construction schedule weighing the project down, many have been skeptical of the projected 2016 completion date, but this new federal funding has everyone encouraged.

“This is absolutely thrilling,” Napa Mayor Jill Techel said. “This funding will open up a lot of opportunity for our community. Not only will this project keep our businesses and homes safe, but it will also create good jobs, and encourage more investment in our community from businesses that were considering relocating to Napa. I can't overstate the importance this funding will have, and I'm excited to see hope being brought to our community in a very real way.”

Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd said the project will “keep our community safe from floods, help our environment, and stimulate our economy.”

Said Dodd, “Not only will this funding protect our homes and businesses from floods, but it will also protect our bottom line, since the cost of flood repair is much greater than the cost of investing in flood control. This is an incredible day for Napa County.”

Col. Thomas Chapman, district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, called the funding “a shot of adrenaline to the people of the Sacramento District and our project partners.”

“These projects are already many of our highest priorities and we will continue to work with all of our partners to see the spirit and goals of the Act fulfilled,” Chapman said.

On Friday, Thompson and the Army Corps of Engineers are scheduled to discuss the details of the funding.