Delaware's Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., announced on March 7 that it had secured $51.7 for critical water infrastructure projects in the state as a part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) work plan for fiscal 2023.
The federal funding was sourced from several different Water Resources Development Acts (WRDA).
Sen. Tom Carper, along with fellow Democrats Sen. Chris Coons and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, each worked to get their state the money needed to improve several projects.
The largest part of the funding, $31.1 million, will go toward operations and maintenance work on the Intracoastal Waterway from the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay, including rehabilitation work on the 63-year-old Summit Bridge that carries Del. Highways 71/896 over the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.
"Investing in Delaware's water resources infrastructure is critical for maintaining a nurturing environment for job creation," said Carper, who previously served as the state's governor from 1993-2001. "As Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, I have led the effort to provide the Army Corps with robust resources and authorizations for this and other critical work. These projects will ensure the operation of our port and the navigability of our waterways, which are vital to the First State's economic well-being."
In a statement, Coons, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, explained, "From allowing commerce and recreation to flow along our rivers to maintaining our beautiful coastline, the [USACE] protects our natural resources and our way of life here in Delaware, and I'm glad we were able to fully fund their projects in our state for fiscal year 2023.
"Protecting our infrastructure also supports our economy and improves our resiliency to the devastating effects of climate change as the nation's lowest-lying state," he continued.
"Delaware's water infrastructure plays a critical role in helping to keep our communities healthy, our economy strong, and improve our quality of life," said Blunt Rochester, who has served as the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district since 2017 and is the first woman and first African American to represent the state in Congress.
"I'm proud to join Senators Carper and Coons to announce over $51 million in federal funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide them with the resources they need to invest in vital water infrastructure projects to bolster the impact of these projects across the First State."
Beyond the effort to improve the Intracoastal Waterway from the Delaware River to the Chesapeake Bay, seven other public works are due to receive the federal funding:
- Annual dredging, operations and maintenance work in Wilmington Harbor ($10.5 million).
- Continuing efforts to perform needed dredging and do common operations and maintenance work in the Intracoastal Waterway from Rehoboth Bay to Delaware Bay ($7.5 million). This is in addition to the more than $4 million secured in fiscal year 2022 appropriations and from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Dredging activities in Cedar Creek, a tributary to Delaware Bay ($1.1 million).
- The Indian River Sand Bypass plant's operations, maintenance and rehabilitation ($850,000).
- The Indian River Inlet's common operations and maintenance work ($281,000), including a major maintenance report to help with the more than $43 million previously secured from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.
- Delaware Navigation Channels will perform surveys to decide project needs and determine when shoaling may impact safe navigation ($225,000).
- Assisting USACE's inspection of locally owned levees ($71,000).
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