U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the legislation, passed in December, will enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to complete several risk management studies on flooding and start new projects that are key to New York’s water restoration, waterway resiliency, and emergency flood protection.

It also includes provisions to prevent invasive species from accessing New York’s waterways, including the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.

WRDA has recently been passed every two years and authorizes water resource studies and projects and sets policies for navigation, flood control, hydropower, recreation, water supply, and emergency management for the Army Corps.

Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Dunkirk Director of Development Vince DeJoy

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer touted $10 million in funding for waterfront infrastructure projects in Dunkirk Thursday.

Schumer, in a visit to the Dunkirk harbor, said that the funding is part of the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus, which includes $8 million in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, “There’s $1.1 million for Barcelona Harbor. There’s $1 million for Cattaraugus Creek and $5.9 million for Dunkirk Harbor. Why is Dunkirk Harbor so much more? Cause every body will be dredged. You know the silt has really just gathered up and it hasn’t been cleared for a very long time. So we’re doing that in all three harbors. But in addition, in Dunkirk harbor they’re going to work on the breakwater, which we’ve needed for a long time and it’s so important for keeping this harbor strong and vital.”

Schumer said $2 million also will go to the Village of Mayville to construct a new water well, replacing existing contaminated wells.

He added that former mentor and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan always decried the fact that New York state always sent more tax dollars to Washington D.C. then it received back, “He called us a ‘donor state.’ However, this is the first year that we are getting more dollars back than we sent. For every dollar we sent to Washington, we’re getting $1.59 back. That’s the first time every and that’s why having a Majority Leader from New York State is a darn good thing.”

When asked where things are with the Federal Infrastructure Bill, Schumer said that bill has now been signed with money becoming available in September 2022.

Chuck Schumer (left) and Kirsten Gillibrand

WASHINGTON – New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to prioritize funding to protect the lake’s water quality from toxic algal blooms by including a Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in its Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan.

In a joint press release, the senators said Chautauqua Lake and its surrounding communities suffer from continued environmental, public health, and economic damage caused by repeated harmful algal blooms, and this study would allow USACE to evaluate the excessive phosphorous runoff that causes these harmful algal blooms.  Additionally, the USACE would be able to study flood risk management measures, assess ecosystem restoration efforts, and address the accelerated erosion along the lake’s tributary stream banks.

“Chautauqua Lake is a jewel of Western New York and a vital source of drinking water, recreation and economic activity for both residents and countless visitors alike, but it is threatened by harmful algal blooms that we must do more to reverse and prevent,” said Senator Schumer. “That’s why today I’m calling on the Army Corps to include the Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study in its Fiscal Year 2020 Work Plan, to carefully examine the destructive, repeated harmful algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake that have significantly diminished water quality. To successfully battle the blooms, Chautauqua Lake is going to need the Army Corps’ expertise and support.”

The Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study would enable the local communities to better understand changing flood risks and provide tools to help guard against future environmental degradation and property damage. The study would inform best practices concerning excessive weed and harmful algae growth, as well as mitigation for sediments deposited at the mouths of the tributaries, to further minimize flood risks harming the environmental health and economic viability of Chautauqua Lake.

A Blue Green Algae bloom on Chautauqua Lake. (Photo courtesy of Chautauqua County Department of Health)

WASHINGTON – A provision within the proposed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 includes a provision impacting Chautauqua Lake.

That’s according to Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, who say they are seeking funding to authorize a Chautauqua Lake Feasibility Study.

“Chautauqua Lake currently suffers from continued environmental and economic damage caused by repeated algal blooms, and this study authorization would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the excessive phosphorous runoff that causes these algal blooms,” stated a media release from Sen. Gillibrand’s office. “Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be able to study flood risk management measures, assess ecosystem restoration efforts, and address the accelerated erosion along the lake’s tributary streambanks. Erosion along Chautauqua Lake’s tributary streambanks have resulted in excessive sediment deposition, which also impairs the lake’s water quality.

Senator Gillibrand voted with her committee colleagues to unanimously advance S. 2800 out of the Senate EPW Committee earlier this week. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

The bipartisan America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 authorizes studies and projects carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the primary purposes of navigation, flood protection, and aquatic ecosystem restoration.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court opened the door to more lawsuits over the Clean Water Act in a Tuesday ruling that allowed businesses to challenge the federal government’s decisions on which wetlands and streams it can regulate.

The decision is being viewed as a big win for conservatives and property rights activists who have long challenged the federal government’s broad reach under the Clean Water Act.

In Tuesday’s case (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., Inc.) the eight active justices unanimously agreed that the determinations should be open to court review, with four offering concurring opinions outlining separate lines of reasoning for reaching that conclusion.

A former Justice Department attorney said that the fact that the ruling was unanimous shows that even the liberal justices will not automatically defer to the Obama administration’s Clean Water Act policy interpretations which impact property rights.

Following the decision, Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) – who is chairman of the congressional Private Property Rights Caucus – said he applauds the ruling.

“The Fifth Amendment Right to private property is critical to a free society,” Reed said in a released statement following the decision. “We care about protecting private property owners from the overreach of big government and stopping the federal government from riding roughshod over the rights of ordinary citizens. Allowing land owners to appeal the decisions of nameless Washington bureaucrats is the right thing to do, and we applaud the ruling.”

Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan.

MAYVILLE – The dredging of two Chautauqua County water channels on Lake Erie won’t be getting underway until next Spring.

That from Chautauqua County Executive Vince Horrigan, who said Tuesday that challenging weather conditions in and near Barcelona Harbor have delayed the dredging of the City of Dunkirk Harbor and Town of Hanover boat launches until 2015.

Earlier this year, county officials recognized the opportunity to dredge the three North County Harbors as one multi-phase project in an effort to reduce costs.  However, rough weather has caused the Barcelona project to take much longer than expected.  As a result, Horrigan said there is not enough time to complete the Hanover project before the fall steelhead run on Cattaraugus Creek, which begins in mid-September.

Officials say that both the Dunkirk and Hanover projects are relatively small projects, but require careful work and good weather.  As a result, they felt it would be best to delay the work in Dunkirk and Hanover until the spring and summer of 2015, versus trying to do it now.

Funding for the dredging was made possible through grants from both the federal and state governments, as well as local contributions from Chautauqua County.

According to the Corning Republican, Brigadier General Margaret Burcham – who oversees the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division of the Army Corps of Engineers – will be in Chautauqua County today for site visits and to review environmental restoration efforts for two projects in both Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake.

“We will be touring and having a conversation about areas of Chautauqua County that are a priority when it comes to the WRRDA Bill and also to the corps agenda for the area. Issues of dredging the Dunkirk Harbor, Barcelona and Cattaragus Creek. As well as trying to team up with the corps in regards to addressing Chautauqua Lake and invasive species and cleaning the lake up to a point where we can make sure it’s vibrant for generations to come.”

Reed also said he is obviously pleased to have the Brigadier General in town to personally review the projects.

“We’ve had some exciting conversations with the Brigadier General up to this point, but I don’t think there’s anything better than hosting key decision makers and people on the front lines so they can see with their own eyes what we’ve been talking about on paper.”

Reed made his comments during Monday’s conference call with regional media.

Funding for the two projects was recently announced through the federal Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). Joining Reed and Brigadier General Burcham will be representatives from the Buffalo and Pittsburgh District Army Corps of Engineers, New York State and Chautauqua County officials.

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

Tom Reed (R-Corning) and the House of Representatives voted last week to reauthorize the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA). WRRDA authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to facilitate waterway infrastructure improvements and environmental restoration. Priorities in the bill include strengthening water transportation networks, streamlining the environmental review process, and saving taxpayer dollars.

According to Reed, “Upstate New York is blessed with vital waterways that the federal government has a responsibility to strengthen and support. The Corning republican added that Keeping our harbors, lakes, ports, locks and other water infrastructure up-to-date will support competitiveness and economic growth in our 21^st century economy and will better position the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes to ‘make it here, sell it there.’”

Specific to New York’s 23^rd District, the benefits are many. “Dunkirk and Barcelona Harbors, Chautauqua Lake, Lake Erie and Cattaraugus Creek in particular all stand to gain from WRRDA,” Reed continued. “Whether it’s dredging our lakes and harbors, making repairs from Superstorm Sandy, environmental restoration or flood protection, our district has strong incentives to support our waterway transportation system.”

The WRRDA bill establishes the Great Lakes as a single navigation system, strengthening the area’s ability to compete for funding. WRRDA also saves billions in taxpayer dollars by deauthorizing $12 billion of old, inactive projects and setting hard deadlines on the time and federal cost of studies.

The program is intended to be reauthorized every two years but no bill had been signed into law since 2007.