U.S. Sens. Mike Johanns and Deb Fischer, both Republicans from Nebraska, supported passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), which passed by a 91-7 vote in the Senate earlier this week. The waterways infrastructure bill will now go to President Obama’s desk for signature.

Johanns said the nation’s waterways play an important role in transporting goods throughout the United States and around the world.

“This bill makes improvements to that system while improving congressional oversight and helping our economy grow,” he said. “I’m pleased we took this opportunity to work together on meaningful legislation that makes real improvements to our infrastructure.”

Fischer, who is a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the legislation establishes priorities for the Army Corps of Engineers to manage the backlog of corps projects, maintain navigable channels, reduce flood and storm damage, and restore aquatic ecosystems.

The bill, she said, also contains provisions to advance stalled flood control projects, including authorization of the Western Sarpy-Clear Creek flood control project.

Fischer said the bill goes a long way in moving important projects forward to protect valuable water resources and metropolitan drinking supplies in Nebraska.

WRRDA authorizes funding necessary for the Western Sarpy-Clear Creek flood control project to proceed. Fischer worked with three metropolitan area natural resource districts to address needed changes to the law for this flood control project located along the banks of the Platte and Elkhorn Rivers in eastern Nebraska.

The area has a long-term flooding problem and levee improvements are needed to provide flood protection to portions of Interstate 80 and Highway 6 that have hundreds of homes, Nebraska Army National Guard buildings, and water supply infrastructure supplying drinking water to 50 percent of Nebraska’s population — including the Lincoln and Omaha area.

According to the National Corn Growers Association, many of the nation’s locks and dams that transport cargoes today were built in the 1920s and 1930s to accommodate far smaller loads and far less river traffic. For farmers in particular, NCGA said it is crucial because more than 60 percent of the nation’s grain exports are transported by barge.