By DOUG SCHMITZ
Iowa Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week the department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will distribute $45 million in Recovery Act funds for 27 watershed rehabilitation projects in 11 Midwest states, which would include several at Wayne County’s Lost Creek in Missouri.

“These projects, we believe, will help to revitalize rural economies by creating jobs and supporting local businesses that produce products and services that are part of these projects,” he said in an April 6 news conference.

“Many dams and other important flood control structures across the country are in a race against time when it comes to their ability to protect people and property from flooding.

“This funding is going to projects to avoid the risk of infrastructure failure and the threat that would represent to life and property,” he said of the funds coming from the federal government’s stimulus package.

State and local sponsors would provide up to 35 percent of the monies for these projects through the USDA’s Watershed Rehabilitation Program. Among the projects being funded, Vilsack said $6.2 million will first go to a project in Fairfax, Va., for the rehabilitation of two flood control structures, with the total value of residential property below the dam is estimated at $57 million.
“The Recovery Act proceeds will be $4 million, and local funds will provide the balance,” he told reporters. “The dams will be upgraded to current safety standards, and will continue to provide protection for the nearly estimated 112,000 vehicles that use four major roads downstream from the structure on a daily basis, as well as providing protection for a number of railroads where the daily average ridership is approximately 9,000 individuals.”

Vilsack said $4 million will go to Adair County, Okla., to provide and to protect the water supply to the city of Stilwell, as well as a rural water district, with the local funds providing the balance of $2.1 million, totaling $6.1 million. Two flood control structure projects in Worcester, Mass., totaling $5.3 million will be funded by the Recovery Act, with about $3.5 million coming from local funds.
“This is designed to provide some protection from flood damage to 200 homes and businesses that are serviced by 24 bridges that are involved in this project, and over 2,000 residents will benefit as a result of our work here,” Vilsack said.

Moreover, Vilsack said the state of Georgia is offering $3 million as leverage for $6 million in the Recovery Act funding, where it will partner with the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission on watershed rehabilitation projects.

“We anticipate that as many as 168 jobs will be created, safeguarding 216 lives in small communities throughout the state and providing an estimated boost of over $14 million to the Georgia economy,” he said.

Vilsack added that there was also a $2 million project in Arkansas, providing protection of the water supply for the 80 residents of Waldron, as well as providing flood protection to the town and portion of U.S. Highway 17. In addition, Vilsack said there are projects in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Texas and West Virginia that will be funded.

There are planned spring rises on the Missouri River that would likely affect the state’s farmers, and according to Gov. Jay Nixon, there are many levees still in need of repair – specifically in the Lost Creek B-2 location.

“It’s a relatively small program, but a significant hazard,” Vilsack said. “It is currently noncompliant, according to NRCS and the state of Missouri. It’s approximately $400,000 of federal resource and $215,000 of local resource, and it’s really one of five projects in the general area that need to be addressed.”

NRCS Director Dave White said the USDA had selected projects from thousands across the nation that were “reaching the end of their useful life,” using a two-tier risk-based system: the condition of the dam and what the consequences would be if a dam failed.

“Metal components will rust and corrode,” he said. “(We) try to go back in and repair those. We also have the situation where development has occurred downstream, and it has changed the classification from a low hazard to a high hazard. And, we have to go in and upgrade the dams’ current safety conditions.

“So these particular ones that are on this $45 million list really takes care of all the construction projects that we had pretty much construction-ready and could meet the timeframes, and it takes care of a lot of the backlog.”

Vilsack said one of the benefits of the USDA’s involvement with the stimulus Recovery and Reinvestment Act is it would be using existing programs to funnel these resources.

“(We) were able to address backlogged circumstances, not just in this program, but also in our Direct Loan Single Family Home Loan Program and our Guaranteed Loan Program,” he said. “We are rapidly trying to put these resources to work so that we protect people and put folks back to work in rural communities across the country.”