Contact: Ernie Blazar 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Monday, July 21, 2003

WASHINGTON - Senator Kit Bond today announced that he has secured the approval from the Senate Appropriations Committee for $142 million to fund high priority water projects throughout Missouri.

"This money will help meet Missouri's critical water transportation, flood protection and environmental needs and opportunities," said Bond, a senior member of the powerful Appropriations Committee.

The projects are contained in the fiscal 2004 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. While the projects have cleared an important milestone they must still be blessed by the full U.S. Senate. And then the legislation must be reconciled with the version passed by the House of Representatives. Lastly, a common version will then go to the President for his signature.

Highlights that were funded in the Committee-passed bill include:

* $4.2 million – Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers Navigation Study - $4,216,000 is provided to complete the $60 million study on alternatives to modernize the aging locks and dams on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

* $10 million - Blue River Channel, Kansas City, MO - $10,000,000 is provided to proceed with scheduled design and construction of the flood protection project on the Blue River to protect industrial and commercial areas.

* $22 million – Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation - $22,000,000 is provided to help create and protect fish and wildlife habitat on the Missouri River below the upstream dams.

* $17 million – Lock and Dam 24, Mississippi River, Clarksville, Missouri - $17,000,000 is provided to expedite major rehabilitation of the decaying passageway.

* $10.2 million – Missouri River Levee System, (L-385), Riverside, Missouri - $10,200,000 is provided to continue construction of the 5.8 mile flood protection project.

* $1 million – New Madrid Harbor, Caruthersville Harbor, and Southeast Missouri Port, MO $1,044,000 is provided ($340,000, $330,000 and $374,000 respectively) for operation and maintenance to support Mississippi River access to these port terminals.

* $2.3 million – Missouri River Levee System, (L-15) St. Charles County, Missouri - $2,300,000 is provided to complete the final levee contract to enlarge the existing flood protection structure.

* $3 million – Missouri & Middle Mississippi Rivers Enhancement Project - $3,000,000 is provided to re-engineer structures in the river so that off-channel fish and wildlife habitat such as islands, side channels and slow water and shallow habitat are created.

* $500,000 -- Swope Park Industrial Area, Kansas City, MO - $500,000 is provided to complete the design phase of the flood control project.

* $650,000 – Kansas City Levees, $650,000 is provided for the continuation of the feasibility study to enhance existing flood protection system along the 60-mile structures currently employed on the Kansas and Missouri Rivers north, south and east of the downtown area.

* $1 million – Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway - $1,000,000 is provided to continue construction of flood protection project.

* $330,000 – Jordan Creek, Springfield - $330,000 to complete the feasibility phase to consider environmental and flood damage reduction alternatives.

* $150,000 – St. Joseph, $150,00 is included to continue studies on enhanced floor protection project.

* $304,000 – Lemay Wetlands Restoration - $304,000 is included to complete study and initiate construction of wetlands restoration project in southern St. Louis County.

* $3 million – Meramec River Basin, Valley Park Levee, MO - $3,000,000 is included to continue construction on flood protection project.

* $6 million – Missouri River - Rulo to Mouth - $6,000,000 is included for operations and maintenance to help sustain the river transportation channel, to provide for environmental enhancement, and support recreation.

* $12 million – O&M; St. Francis Basin, - $12,000,000 is provided for construction, operations and maintenance of the project to provide flood protection for Bootheal area counties.

* $2.5 million – Blue River Basin, Kansas City - $2,500,000 is provided to continue flood protection project.

* $500,000 – Bois Brule Levees, Perry County - $500,000 is provided continue enhanced flood protection project.

* $2.6 million – Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan - $2,600,000 is provided to continue evaluation of plans to enhance flood control and ecosystem restoration on the Upper Mississippi River above St. Louis.

* $1.7 million – Mississippi River between the Missouri and Ohio Rivers - $1,700,000 is included to construct river transportation support features on the bottleneck region.

* $150,000 – Ste. Genevieve Levee - $150,000 is included to continue final stages flood protection levee.

* $439,000 – Chesterfield - $439,000 is included to continue plans and specs for enhanced flood protection levee.

* $120,000 – Wears Creek, Jefferson City - $100,000 is included for continue feasibility study of flood protection project.

* $500,000 – Jefferson City, L-142 - $500,000 is included to continue engineering and design of flood protection project.

* $5.3 million – Stockton Lake - $5,362,000 is provided for operations and maintenance.

* $10.9 million – Harry S Truman Lake and Reservoir - $10,977,000 is provided for operations and maintenance.

* $5.5 million – Table Rock Lake - $5,500,000 is provided to construct dam safety enhancement features.

* $5.7 million – Table Rock Lake - $5,772,000 is included for operations and maintenance.

* $6.4 million – Clarence Cannon Dam and Mark Twain Lake, - $6,440,000 is included for operations and maintenance.

* $1.96 million – Clearwater Lake - $1,959,000 is included for operations and maintenance.

* $875,000 – Long Branch Lake - $875,000 is included for operations and maintenance.

* $1.83 million – Pomme De Terre Lake - $1,828,000 is included for operations and maintenance.

* $1.1 million – Smithville Lake - $1,118,000 is included for operations and maintenance.