U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-WV, today announced approval by the full U.S. House of Representatives of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), including authorization for a total of $99 million for the Army Corps of Engineers' Marlinton Flood Protection project, an increase from the previously authorized level of $47 million.

"This is a significant increase in authorized funding that will go a long way toward advancing the Marlinton project," said Rahall. "For too many years, the residents of Marlinton and the Greenbrier River Basin have been plagued by flooding and water shortages. The higher authorization level in this bill will help to ensure that the Corps has the funds needed to move forward with construction and bring an added measure of safety to area residents and businesses."

The $99 million, subject to appropriations and a non-federal match in funding, will allow the Army Corps of Engineers to continue the detailed design and begin construction of the levee/flood wall system intended to protect downtown Marlinton, which lies along the Greenbrier River and suffered devastating flooding in 1985, 1996, and earlier this year.

Rahall serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which oversees the Army Corps of Engineers, and was selected to serve as a member of the Conference Committee. The WRDA bill must still be approved by the Senate and then signed into law.

"It has been seven years since updates have been made to WRDA, and as a result, the Corps has been spread thin in West Virginia," said Rahall. "The funds authorized in this bill are welcome, but there is still much work to be done."