Front view of the Capitol

Rep. Carter Secures Important Resources in Water Bill for Louisianians

June 26, 2024
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). WRDA is passed by every session of Congress and authorizes and funds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s activities for flood control, navigation, and ecosystem restoration. The legislation now heads to the full House for consideration.

 

“I proudly voted for this bill to help communities like ours strengthen water resources infrastructure,” said Rep. Carter. “Water is the lifeblood of our nation’s economy, public health, and environment. In Louisiana we also know that we must plan comprehensively to safely manage water in our communities. WRDA is the mechanism Congress uses to provide flood protection in south Louisiana and build a stronger, healthier water system for our nation. I am proud to have achieved meaningful successes for Louisiana in this legislation and I look forward to voting for its passage in the House.”

 

Congressman Carter requested and won the inclusion of specific funding and support for priorities and projects within this entire package that will help improve daily life for his constituents and all Louisiana residents. These include:

 

Water Resource Development Act Provisions for LA-02:

 

  • Monthly Notification of Deferred Payment Agreement Requests – Congressman Carter and Congressman Garrett Graves (R-LA) co-authored this amendment which requires that the Corps provide the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee with monthly reports regarding the status of requests for deferred payment requests from non-federal partners. Congressman Carter sought this language to expedite the Corps responses to non-federal partners, like the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, on their renegotiations of their interest payments, which can cost local non-federal project partners millions of dollars while they await renegotiation terms.

 

  • Authorized feasibility study of the New Orleans area saltwater intrusion issue - In 2023, extended drought conditions in the Mississippi River and Ohio River watersheds brought the Mississippi River’s flow in south Louisiana to near historic lows. The lack of flow from the river allowed a saltwater wedge from the Gulf of Mexico to push its way upriver toward the New Orleans metro area. New Orleans and the surrounding parishes and municipalities get their municipal water supply from the river. If the saltwater reached water intakes it would have threatened the ability to provide drinkable water for months. This bill authorizes a Corps feasibility study to explore projects to prevent future saltwater intrusion and positions the region to secure a Corps-approved prevention project.

 

  • Hurricane Storm Disaster Risk Reduction System (HSSDRS) payback clarification - Clarifies that Louisiana has met its payback obligations for the HSDRRS system, the Greater New Orleans area flood control and levee system, through the state’s first two payments to USACE totaling $800 million. This clarification saves the state potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in additional payments and interest.
  • Lafourche Parish – Authorized a Corps study to provide recommendations for levees systems constructed to federal standards, but not constructed by the USACE, to become federally recognized levee system. This will help local levee systems, like the South Lafourche Levee District, which constructed much of their levee system without the USACE, to become compliant in the view of the federal government and eligible for future federal support.

 

  • Authorized feasibility study for the Lake Pontchartrain Barrier Project - The Lake Pontchartrain Barrier project is included within Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan and has risk reduction benefits across an entire region. The concept would be for USACE to install closure gates and weirs to an elevation of 2 feet across the passes at Chef Menteur, the Rigolets, and other minor passages for storm surge risk reduction within the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

 

  • Upper Barataria Basin and Morganza to the Gulf project tie-in - The 7-mile gap between the Morganza to the Gulf and Upper Barataria Basin projects is the only area without planned structural hurricane protection from Terrebonne Parish to the New Orleans HSDRRS System. This bill requires that the Corps evaluate measures to close this gap, aiming to provide continuous risk reduction for most coastal southeastern Louisiana residents.

 

  • Extension of Authorization for West Bank Vicinity Project to 2033 - In 2014, the Corps was authorized to lift levees that have settled below the design grade. This authority, set to expire in 2028, is now extended to 2033 allowing the Corps to continue to maintain the West Bank levee system at 100-year storm protections.

 

  • Continuation of Non-Federal Implementation Pilot Program (Section 1043) to 2030 - The Non-Federal Project Implementation Pilot Program allows local Corps project partners, like the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, to execute and construct Corps authorized projects. Given local interest in utilizing this program for major flood protection projects, this program is extended though 2030.

 

Read the full WRDA here.

 

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