Water Resources Development Act of 2016
Floor Speech
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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Chairman, residents and businesses in the Chicagoland area are vulnerable to significant urban flooding that has the potential to cost millions of dollars and to endanger the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.
To address this problem, Congress authorized the Chicagoland Underflow Plan as a flood risk management project in the Water Resources Development Act of 1988. A key component of the plan is the construction of the McCook Reservoir, which is a major flood damage reduction reservoir. This benefits the city of Chicago and 36 suburbs by aiding flood mitigation. It also helps to protect thousands of structures and millions of people.
According to the Army Corps' 2015 fact sheet to Congress, the reservoir is already 65 percent complete and would offer significant benefits to Chicago residents and businessowners. It is also among the Army Corps' most economical projects, boasting a 3 to 1 benefit-to-cost ratio. The second phase of the construction in McCook has a 9 to 1 benefit-to-cost ratio.
Since its authorization in the late 1980s, the congressional intent of this project has been clear: it is for flood risk management, and it is constructed to help alleviate flooding problems in the metropolitan area of Chicago.
However, the Army Corps omitted funding for the critical second stage of this project in their FY17 budget due to the mistaken belief that stage two is related to water pollution control which is not handled by the Corps. It is, in fact, for flood control and is fully authorized and documented in the Corps' system as such. That is why my amendment would ensure that the Army Corps continues to do McCook as flood damage reduction system, consistent with legislative intent, and expedites the completion of this vital public work.
After many years of strong support for one of the Corps' most competitive flood protection projects, now is not the time to abandon funding for McCook. The livelihood of too many families and businesses are at stake.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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