September 11, 2013
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (H.R. 3080) with much fanfare today. As the title proves, the bill is one of the most policy and reform focused Water Resources Development Acts (WRDA) to be introduced in the past few decades. Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA)......
How WRDA Can Reduce Risks and Costs of Future Floods
June 06, 2013
In a Monday briefing, representatives from the Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and the Nature Conservancy gathered to discuss the opportunities in the proposed WRDA bill to reduce flood risks and the potential damages from flood disasters. The nation’s dam and levee system is characterized by low......
Get to Know North Carolina’s Mediocre Infrastructure
June 05, 2013
Today, North Carolina’s civil engineers released a new Infrastructure Report Card. After spending a year diving into the details of the state’s infrastructure – from bridges to beaches to dams – they determined that North Carolina’s infrastructure only deserved a mediocre C grade. Like many areas of the country, North Carolina has some work to......
National Dam Safety Awareness Day
May 31, 2013
Today marks the 124th anniversary of the Johnstown Flood, the the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, which was situated 14 miles upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The dam failed after a period of heavy rainfall, however it was not properly maintained for years and in fact modified in ways that......
May 15, 2013
ASCE applauds the Senate today for passing the Water Resources Development Act (S. 601). The 83 – 14 vote on final passage caps off a huge bipartisan effort from Environment and Public Works Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member David Vitter (R-LA). The final $12 billion package includes several of ASCE top priorities for......
WRDA on Senate Floor…Call Your Senator Today!
May 08, 2013
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) has reached center stage in the Senate this week, with votes beginning on amendments at 2pm today. The legislation provides much needed improvements to locks, dams, levees, and other waterway elements across the country through the authorization of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers programs. The first hurdle for the......
Senate to Take Up Water Resources Development Act (WRDA)
May 06, 2013
The Senate is expected to take up the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) when Senators return to Washington today. At this time, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said that he will hold a cloture vote on the legislation Monday evening. Cloture requires 60 votes and limits debate in order to block an attempt at......
Alabama Needs a State Dam Safety Program
April 17, 2013
Op-ed by Shelia Montgomery-Mills, President of the Birmingham Branch of the America Society of Civil Engineers. Originally published in the Birmingham News, April 13, 2013. Alabama continues to be the only state in the country without a state dam safety program. We do not know precisely how many dams we actually have, much less their......
Dam Rehab Bill Introduced in House
August 10, 2012
Representatives Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Steve LaTourette (R-OH) introduced H.R. 6254, the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 2012, before Congress left for the August work period. The legislation would establish a program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund dam rehabilitation and repairs and would award grants for assistance to publicly-owned deficient......