Norton Gets Assurances from Army Corps of Funding for Spring Valley, Anacostia River, & More

Norton Gets Assurances from Army Corps on Funding for Spring Valley, Anacostia River, and Flood Prevention

March 4, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today got commitments from Robert L. Van Antwerp, U.S. Army Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on three vital issues affecting funding for the District of Columbia. At a hearing, held by the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, on which Norton sits, Commanding General Antwerp assured her that: (1) despite budget cuts, there will be sufficient money in the Army Corps' budget for the cleanup of the Formerly Used Defense Site (FUDS) World War I munitions in the northwest D.C. neighborhood of Spring Valley; (2) a study for the cleanup of the Anacostia River, which a Norton bill mandated, will have a roadmap for funding; and (3) the 17th Street levee to stop flooding in the downtown area will be paid for by the federal government with no D.C. funding required.

Norton received Commanding General Antwerp's commitment that funding will continue for the Spring Valley project until all the munitions have been removed, which she requests whenever the Corps appears before her. In the coming weeks, she will travel to visit the Explosive Destruction System (EDS) that will destroy the munitions. Norton has worked with the Corps and the Spring Valley community for 16 years on the cleanup of World War I toxic munitions that were buried there by the Army. Recently, Norton visited Spring Valley in August 2009 after a toxic mustard agent was discovered at one of its work sites. Her visit was followed by a community town hall meeting to fully inform residents of upcoming activities.

Norton also received further assurances from Commanding General Antwerp that the Corps has included a funding strategy in its soon-to-be-released 10-year comprehensive action plan for the cleanup of the Anacostia River, which has been called the "forgotten river," "the dirtiest river in America," and most appropriately "the congressional river," because it flows within 2,000 yards of the Capitol dome. The plan will be released at an event on April 19, which Norton will attend. While Norton is excited about the release of the action plan, she expressed concern about the price tag for implementing the actions that the plan will recommend. However, after questioning from Norton, Commanding General Antwerp reassured her that the action plan will contain a roadmap for funding, including cost-sharing strategies between the federal government and local jurisdictions. After years of fighting for the action plan, Norton was successful in getting her bill, which required the Corps to prepare the comprehensive study, included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.

Norton also received reassurance that the Corps has sufficient funding reserved for the construction of the downtown levee that protects homes, businesses and buildings near the national mall and the District's southeast and southwest neighborhoods. After hearings and direct conversations with the heads of the Corps and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Norton was successful in securing funding for the project through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, because of the considerable time and effort that the committee has spent moving the project forward, she questioned the top brass today to ensure that amount that the Corps has allocated for the project will be sufficient. Norton is still working to obtain reimbursement for the District for the $2.5 million that the city spent designing the levee.