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W E E K L Y  U P D A T E  November 11,  2019
 
In This Issue
House Com. Approves Water Quality and Job Creation Act of 2019
Mapping Project - Migration Paths on Miss. River
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House Committee Approves the Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2019 

On Tuesday, October 29, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved H.R. 1497, a bipartisan bill that would authorize approximately $16.68 billion in wastewater infrastructure improvements over the next five years. The bill would help address America's crumbling wastewater infrastructure and water quality challenges by providing local communities more resources to address these waste and stormwater issues. 

The bill, which passed with broad support, significantly increases the amount of assistance made available to states and communities through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) by authorizing $14 billion in Federal grants over five years to better capitalize the SRF. 

Authors of the bill cite that these new resources will help create thousands of new domestic jobs, while reducing the cost of maintaining the nation's waste and stormwater infrastructure.

More information on this development can be found  here.

Please contact Senior Policy Analyst,  Chris Askew-Merwin , for more information.

New Mapping Project Shows Migration Paths of Mississippi River

Recently unveiled maps showcase the many pathways that the Mississippi River has historically taken. Lidar, aircraft mounted lasers that can measure topography, was used to reveal the lasting imprint of the migrations of the Mississippi River on the surrounding landscapes. These old channels and floodplains serve not only as historical markers but also as a warning for surrounding communities as flooding risks grow with climate change and human interference. 
In the last century, the United States has attempted to tame the Mississippi River through the use of canals, levees, dams, dredging and other flood control methods. Recent research has shown that these efforts have actually contributed to an increase in flood risk. In an analysis of Mississippi flooding over the last few centuries, researchers found that climate change has only contributed to an increase in flood risk by 5%. However, during this same period flood risk actually rose by 20% leading to conclusions that the remaining 15% increase was in fact due to flood control efforts. 
Does this mean that flooding along the Mississippi River is inevitable? To some extent, yes. Riverine flooding is a natural environmental process. What these new images of the Mississippi River show us is that historically, the river had large areas of wetlands and floodplains for this excess water to drain into. However, as we've tried to control the path of the river, all the excess water no longer has natural methods of drainage which results in greater flooding events hitting downriver communities. The alternative is to treat a natural threat with a natural solution. Rather than attempting to constrain and control the river, communities such as Grafton, Illinois are focusing on natural infrastructure such as reclaimed wetlands instead of levees to mitigate flooding. These efforts have been shown to not only protect the cities they are in but also reduce flood damage to communities downriver. 
More information can be found at the following sources: National Geographic, Grist.org, and Scientific American.
Please contact Senior Policy Analyst,  Chris Askew-Merwin , for more information.


This Week in Washington

In the Senate:


In the House:

 

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