Manchin Urges Army Corps to Fund Flood Risk Reduction Project in Milton

Washington, DC – This week, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) urged Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon, Chief of Engineers and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Major General William Graham, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for USACE to dedicate risk reserve funds to the completion of the Lower Mud Flood Risk Reduction Project in Milton, West Virginia. USACE set aside funding in a risk reserve for situations like the Lower Mud Flood Risk Reduction Project in which expenses have far surpassed the original estimate.

Senator Manchin said in part, “As you may be aware, Milton, West Virginia has an extensive history of severe flooding that puts not only lives at risk, but also livelihoods of those living in the community…The Army Corps team at the Huntington District has worked diligently to limit project costs without compromising the flood risk reduction goal, but some factors are simply unavoidable. Skyrocketing costs associated with real estate acquisition, cultural resources recovery, river channel relocation, and the construction of the levee and two pump stations all contributed to the increased price tag of the project, but they are no excuse for inaction. It has been almost 30 years since the federal government determined that this community needed a large-scale solution to address historic and systemic flooding. The people of Milton cannot wait any longer.”

In 1993, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) completed a study of the Mud River that identified Milton as the focus area for flood risk reduction. Three years later, that study was taken over by the USACE. In the following years, Milton continued to experience significant flood events. The major flood of record, in 1997, was a 27-year flood event that at the time caused $23 million in damage. In today’s dollars it is estimated that damages from the 1997 event would cost upwards of $63 million. More recently, in March 2021, the community suffered a 12-year flood event that resulted in tens of millions of dollars in damages.

Senator Manchin continued, “I write to you today to urgently request you dedicate any remaining funding previously set aside for risk reserve from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA ’18) to the Lower Mud Flood Risk Reduction Project in Milton, West Virginia. Due to unexpected and uncontrollable cost increases, this crucial project is now estimated to cost nearly $200 million, a $66 million increase over the 2019 project cost estimate.”

Lieutenant General Spellmon and Major General Graham,

I write to you today to urgently request you dedicate any remaining funding previously set aside for risk reserve from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA ’18) to the Lower Mud Flood Risk Reduction Project in Milton, West Virginia. Due to unexpected and uncontrollable cost increases, this crucial project is now estimated to cost nearly $200 million, a $66 million increase over the 2019 project cost estimate.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) set aside funding for a risk reserve for situations just like this. While the majority of the BBA ’18 risk reserve was prioritized for states affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, it is my understanding that sufficient funding remains available to assist with the increased federal share for the Lower Mud project. Currently, the Lower Mud project has secured about $153 million in total funding. This includes a significant $49 million investment from the State of West Virginia.

The Army Corps team at the Huntington District has worked diligently to limit project costs without compromising the flood risk reduction goal, but some factors are simply unavoidable. Skyrocketing costs associated with real estate acquisition, cultural resources recovery, river channel relocation, and the construction of the levee and two pump stations all contributed to the increased price tag of the project, but they are no excuse for inaction. It has been almost 30 years since the federal government determined that this community needed a large-scale solution to address historic and systemic flooding. The people of Milton cannot wait any longer.

As you may be aware, Milton, West Virginia has an extensive history of severe flooding that puts not only lives at risk, but also livelihoods of those living in the community. In 1993, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) completed a study of the Mud River that identified Milton as the focus area for flood risk reduction. Three years later, that study was taken over by the USACE. It was then determined that the best course of action would be to construct a levee to protect the community.

In the ensuing years, Milton continued to experience significant flood events. The major flood of record, in 1997, was a 27-year flood event that at the time caused $23 million in damage. In today’s dollars it is estimated that damages from the 1997 event would cost upwards of $63 million. More recently, in March 2021, the community suffered a 12-year flood event that resulted in tens of millions of dollars in damages.

I again urge you to use all available risk reserve funding to address the increased federal share associated with the Lower Mud project. I appreciate your full and fair consideration of this request, and look forward to working with you to ensure this project is completed.