Walla Walla USACE district announces work plans for infrastructure funding

WALLA WALLA—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, has released their work plan for the funding appropriated by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA). The IIJA has allocated approximately $55 million directly to the Walla Walla District for the following projects in fiscal year (FY) 2022

• $22.7 million for the replacement of downstream gate gudgeon anchors, spillway hoists and gates, and the acquisition and installation of a second derrick crane, dredging and surveys, flowering rush abatement, the rehabilitation of levee drainage pump stations, upgrades to Hood Park’s septic system, and reconstruction of 3rd street’s roadway at McNary Lock and Dam.

• $13.9 million for fish hatchery electrical upgrades and road repaving at Dworshak Dam.

• $10.2 million for removing sediment and debris from the stilling basin and replacing the navigation lock’s electrical power systems at Lower Monumental Lock and Dam.

• $6.1 million for environmental infrastructure and development for water and wastewater facilities in rural Idaho under Section 595 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999.

• $6.1 million for dredging, surveys, and the removal of sediment and debris from the stilling basin deposited due to a court-ordered spill at Lower Granite Lock and Dam.

• $2.2 million for repairs to the navigation lock monolith water stops and removing sediment and debris from the stilling basin at Little Goose Lock and Dam.

• $175,000 for real estate boundary adjustments and recertification for environmental stewardship programs at Lucky Peak Dam and Lake.

• $150,000 to reduce flooding on the Big Wood River near Hailey, Idaho, under Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948.

• $60,000 for the continuation of environmental restoration feasibility studies along the Yakima Delta near Richmond, Washington, under Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.

“This funding will allow us to complete critical projects the District has been striving to fund for several years,” said Alan Feistner, Walla Walla District’s deputy district engineer. “When completed, these funds will have helped us lower the risk of infrastructure failure and flooding, protect the environment, and improve efficiencies to serve the public. This is a great benefit for our communities and the nation.”

Additional funding from the IIJA will be made available to the Walla Walla District in FY 2023 and FY 2024. The IIJA was signed into law in November 2021 and allocated approximately $17 billion in funding, nationally, for Corps infrastructure projects for FY 2022 through FY 2024.

The Walla Walla District is a civil works organization covering approximately 107,000 square miles in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and small parts of Nevada and Utah. The District operates five large multipurpose hydropower dams on the Columbia River and the Lower Snake River and manages flood control and hydropower projects on the Boise River, the North Fork of the Clearwater River, and Mill Creek. The District is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ second-largest hydropower producer, providing enough electricity to power approximately 1.5 million homes annually while providing navigation, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits to the Snake River Basin and the nation.