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| South Valley Flooding and Albuquerque Water projects to benefit from federal spending bill |
November 05, 2001 |
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| Energy and Water measure includes funding for Wilson projects
WASHINGTON, DC - Congress this week approved $475,000 to continue the Southwest Flood Management Initiative and $2 million for Albuquerque water reclamation projects. Wilson made the funding requests, which were included in the House version of the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Wilson pushed to have them included in the final version of the spending measure passed by the U.S. House and Senate yesterday.
“The flood management project is a very important victory for the residents of the South Valley,” said Wilson. “We need to stop moving water from one side of the road to the other. These funds bring us one step closer to finally dealing with this chronic problem for the citizens of the South Valley.”
The Southwest Valley Flood Management Initiative was conceived to alleviate frequent flooding in Albuquerque’s South Valley and will create a flood control project in the valley south of Central to Isleta Pueblo. The lead for the project is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project is currently in the feasibility study phase and the $475,000 included in this year’s budget will allow the study to be completed.
The current irrigation infrastructure in the area, parts of which date back to 1922, prevents effective drainage and often causes “ponding” in the surrounding neighborhood. During the monsoon season, flood waters pond in roads and intersections causing dangerous traffic conditions, damage to residential and commercial property, and further degradation of existing infrastructures.
Last year, Wilson secured $330,000 for the feasibility study by the Army Corps of Engineers. If the feasibility study shows that it is cost-effective to build a comprehensive flood control project in the South Valley, the area would be eligible for significant federal funding over the next decade to actually build the project.
The legislation also included Wilson’s request for $2 million to fund water reclamation projects for the Albuquerque area. The funding will help the City of Albuquerque pay for two important water projects. The Non-potable Surface Water Reclamation project consists of the construction of a diversion facility in the Rio Grande to use some San Juan-Chama water for irrigation and industrial purposes. The second project is the Southside Municipal Effluent Reuse project, which consists of treatment, piping and pump stations to use treated municipal effluent for irrigation. These projects were also included in the original House bill and retained in negotiation with the Senate.
The final spending measure also included significant funding for Sandia National Labs, including $67 million for the Micro-systems and Engineering Sciences Applications Complex (MESA). Sandia’s Z Accelerator, the worlds most powerful and energetic source of x-rays, received $20 million for operating and renovation expenses. Nuclear weapons activities are funded at $5.4 billion. When the Energy and Water Appropriations bill passed the House in June, Wilson argued that the House funding levels for the nation’s nuclear weapons program were woefully inadequate. The level was increased in Conference negotiations. |
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