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Sen. Moran-Championed Provisions Included in FY2019 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan

Critical water supply and flood risk management projects in Kansas selected

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works – today announced the inclusion of provisions he advocated for in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan for FY2019. These provisions include funding for the Kansas River Reservoirs and Sediment Study, and a flood protection project in Manhattan. 

“The provisions we worked for that were included in the Army Corps of Engineers’ FY2019 Work Plan are critical developments for Manhattan residents, as well as all those who depend on the 18 federal reservoirs in the Kansas River Basin,” said Sen. Moran. “These projects will help secure the long-term sustainability of our water supply across a significant portion of the state and make certain our federal reservoirs can continue to support the fast growing populations near them with flood protection. More importantly, this will help protect people in the Manhattan community for generations to come.”

Kansas River Reservoirs Flood and Sediment Study:

  • Included in the FY2019 work plan is $1.5 million to complete the Kansas River Reservoirs Flood and Sediment Study. Reservoirs in the Kansas River Basin support the most populated and rapidly growing areas of Kansas for flood protection and water supply needs. Kansas at large depends on Corps of Engineers’ lakes for roughly 60 percent of its municipal and industrial water supply needs, and projections indicate the demand will exceed the available supplies sooner than previously anticipated. This study, done in partnership by the Army Corps of Engineers and local stakeholders, will help develop a long-term plan for the basin to make certain it can be sustainable for the future. It will identify solutions to mitigate current concerns in the basin that include flooding, aging infrastructure, ecosystem degradation, water quality and dangerous summer algae blooms.

Flood Risk Management Project:

  • Also included in the work plan is the Manhattan, Kan. Flood Risk Management Project. The work plan includes $18.5 million to fully fund and fiscally close out construction for flood protection improvement to Manhattan’s levees. Sen. Moran made this authorization request in the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, and has since stressed the need for federal support of this project, especially with the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility’s (NBAF) construction and impending operations.

Additional Items to Note:

  • Sen. Moran advocated for the Kansas River Basin Study to then-Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, in a November 2016 letter.
  • Sen. Moran advocated for the Study to then-Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army, Ryan Fisher, in a December 2017 letter.
  • Sen. Moran stressed the importance of the Study in an October 2018 meeting with Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, R.D. James.

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