[Senate Hearing 118-157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





                                                        S. Hrg. 118-157

                       PERSPECTIVES ON ECOSYSTEM
        RESTORATION PROJECTS OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

                              COMMITTEE ON
                      ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                              JUNE 7, 2023

                               __________

  Printed for the use of the Committee on Environment and Public Works





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               COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                  THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware, Chairman
          SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia, Ranking Member

BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland         KEVIN CRAMER, North Dakota
BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont             CYNTHIA M. LUMMIS, Wyoming
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Oklahoma
JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon                 PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska
EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts      JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas
DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan            ROGER WICKER, Mississippi
MARK KELLY, Arizona                  DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska
ALEX PADILLA, California             LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania

               Courtney Taylor, Democratic Staff Director
               Adam Tomlinson, Republican Staff Director  
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
                            C O N T E N T S

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                              JUNE 7, 2023
                           OPENING STATEMENTS

Carper, Hon. Thomas R., U.S. Senator from the State of Delaware..     1
Capito, Hon. Shelley Moore, U.S. Senator from the State of West 
  Virginia.......................................................     3
Ricketts, Hon. Pete, U.S. Senator from the State of Nebraska, 
  prepared statement.............................................    56

                               WITNESSES

Eikenberg, Eric, Chief Executive Officer, The Everglades 
  Foundation.....................................................     5
    Prepared statement...........................................     7
Balluff, Tricia, Environmental Programs Coordinator, Water, 
  Wildlife and NEPA, Office of Environmental Programs, City of 
  Phoenix; Phoenix, Arizona......................................    12
    Prepared statement...........................................    14
Riggin, Lorianne, Director of Environmental Programs, South 
  Carolina Department of Natural Resources.......................    23
    Prepared statement...........................................    25

 
 PERSPECTIVES ON ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS 
                              OF ENGINEERS

                              ----------                              


                        WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2023

                                       U.S. Senate,
                 Committee on Environment and Public Works,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:03 a.m. in 
room 406, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas R. Carper 
(Chairman of the Committee) presiding.
    Present: Senators Carper, Capito, Kelly, Padilla, and 
Graham.

          OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS R. CARPER, 
            U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF DELAWARE

    Senator Carper. Good morning, everybody. I am happy to call 
this hearing to order.
    This hearing room was used about a month ago for Bring Your 
Children to Work Day. The room was full of children of our 
staff, Democrats and Republicans. We had just a lovely time and 
a lovely celebration.
    I think we have, this is like, somebody got the memo a 
little bit late, but Eric, I think your son is here, and he is 
14. He looks like he is about 44. What a big guy. We are going 
to watch to see if his lips move when you speak. There you go.
    For those of you who are not children of our witnesses, we 
welcome you as well.
    I am happy to call the hearing to order. Today, we are here 
to conduct, as you know, oversight of one of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers' primary missions: That is ecosystem 
restoration. The Army Corps of Engineers' work to support 
commerce through navigation and flood control is, I don't think 
it is an overstatement to say, the backbone of our economy. It 
is a big part of what we do in this Nation.
    Still, addressing the toll that this commerce takes on our 
environment is, and will continue to be, a top priority for us 
on this Committee and also a top priority for the Army Corps of 
Engineers.
    From large scale, multi-decade initiatives to small, 
focused projects, the Corps' ecosystem restoration work is 
critical. It has been and it remains critical. This is 
especially true as climate change continues to threaten 
communities, wildlife, and our economy, all of which depend on 
healthy ecosystems.
    As many of us know, the biennial Water Resources 
Development Act, known as WRDA, establishes the authorities to 
the Corps' future work. In the 1986 WRDA, Congress first 
directed the Corps to lead ecosystem restoration efforts for 
the Upper Mississippi River, laying the foundation for an 
expanded environmental restoration role for the agency.
    In every WRDA since then, Congress has expanded the Corps' 
ability to address critical ecosystem restoration. From the 
Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast and from the Chesapeake Bay to 
the San Francisco Bay Delta, communities across our country 
have benefited from this important work.
    Most recently, we expanded the Corps' definition of 
ecosystem restoration in WRDA 2022 to include factors such as 
climate change and coastal and riverine restoration.
    Last month, Assistant Secretary Connor sat right there, and 
he testified before our Committee that the Corps' budget 
request for fiscal year 2024 included more than $650 million 
for aquatic ecosystem restoration, the most ever in a budget 
request. The growing amount, paired with the more than $1.9 
billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, highlights 
Congress' ongoing commitment to the Corps' work.
    These funds, however, are only the tip of the spear when it 
comes to the long term needs of the Army Corps in this regard. 
Today's hearing will help us better understand the current size 
and scope of ecosystem restoration needs and what more our 
Committee, this Committee, can do to address community 
environmental restoration efforts.
    The Corps' ecosystem restoration portfolio includes roughly 
140 ongoing ecosystem restoration construction projects and 
studies. These initiatives focus on restoring the landscape and 
hydrology to more natural conditions and connecting the 
restoration and navigation projects, a win-win not just for our 
environment, but also for our economy.
    For example, let's take Poplar Island in Maryland. Poplar 
Island could be Popular Island, in Maryland, but it turned out 
almost to be a nonexistent island in Maryland, but it was 
originally home to more than 1,000 acres in size and home to a 
small community of residents. From 1846 until recently, the 
island has slowly eroded, as some of you know, from what it was 
down to about four acres. Imagine that: Four acres.
    Thanks to the Corps' work pairing dredged materials from 
Baltimore Harbor and channel maintenance projects with 
environmental restoration, Poplar Island has been restored from 
four acres to more than 1,700 acres today. The project 
exemplifies how the Corps' ecosystem restoration mandate 
supports the economic activity we depend on from our ports and 
harbors while creating wetlands and wildlife habitats, and 
according to Senator Cardin, it is a beautiful place to visit. 
I am sure when he arrives, he will reaffirm that.
    Today, we will hear more from our witnesses about the 
Corps' role in specific ecosystem restoration efforts. That 
includes the Everglades in Florida, along with Tres Rios in 
Arizona, and the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary in South Caroline. 
Before we do, let me offer a couple of thoughts on each of 
these efforts, and then turn it over to Senator Capito.
    First, there is the Corps led Everglades restoration, which 
includes Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater body in 
the contiguous United States. If Senator Stabenow were here, 
she would tell us that Lake Michigan is No. 1.
    The effort in Lake Okeechobee is the largest ecosystem 
restoration effort in the Corps' Federal portfolio. According 
to the Corps, these Federal investments in Florida are 
generating annual cost savings of over $300 million by 
preventing flood damage to property while fortifying water 
supply infrastructure and protecting fish and wildlife.
    Next, there is Tres Rios in Phoenix, Arizona, an aquatic 
ecosystem found in the desert that unifies flood control, 
ecosystem restoration, and recreation. This project includes an 
engineered levee as well as the restoration of over 1,200 acres 
of wetlands, hiking trails, nature trails, and much more. These 
wetlands are critical for a State that is going through a 
historic drought.
    Last, but not least, there is Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary. 
I love that, Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary in South Carolina. 
This project is considered a landmark legacy of the Charleston 
Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project. The deepening work from below 
the water resulted in the dredged materials for 42 acres of 
prime nesting ground above the water for over 15 species of 
shore and seabirds, another win-win.
    Let me just close, if I could, by thanking members of our 
staffs and for the great work that you all did on WRDA 2022. I 
hear, not every day from our colleagues, but frequently from 
our colleagues, Democrat and Republican, from across the 
country, their gratitude for the work that this Committee does.
    I know that, as hard as you and I work, we know we couldn't 
do any of this without the great work of our staffs. I wanted 
to just say that again.
    We look forward to hearing from each of you today on your 
experiences with the Corps and what more Congress might be 
doing to support those critical efforts. Our hearing today will 
also help inform our oversight efforts and future legislative 
action on ecosystem restoration, specifically as we gear up for 
WRDA 2024, I can't believe we are about ready to start this 
again, which is just around the corner.
    With that, I am happy to turn it over to Ranking Member 
Senator Capito for her opening remarks.
    It is good to be with you. Welcome.

        OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, 
          U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA

    Senator Capito. Thank you, Chairman Carper, for calling 
today's hearing.
    Since 2014, the Committee has kept to a biennial WRDA 
schedule, authorizing water resources projects and setting 
national policies for the Civil Works Program, as the Chairman 
was saying. I look forward to continuing that track record next 
year. It does seem like deja vu all over again. I think we just 
did this.
    The EPW Committee also plays an important role overseeing 
how the Corps executes these authorities and funding provided 
by the Congress. Today's hearing will focus on one of the 
Corps' main mission areas, which is aquatic ecosystem 
restoration. This hearing will allow us to learn more about the 
successes and challenges of three of the Corps' aquatic 
ecosystem restoration projects.
    I would like to extend my appreciation for our witnesses 
here today. I look forward to hearing your perspectives on 
these matters.
    Lessons learned from completed and ongoing projects are 
critical to informing what, if any, modifications are needed to 
the Corps' existing authorities in future WRDA legislation. 
When designed appropriately, aquatic ecosystem restoration 
projects can play an important role in restoring critical 
habitats while also mitigating loss of property and life.
    The scale of these projects varies greatly across the 
country, and the Corps uses different authorities and programs 
to carry them out. Large scale projects are not the only option 
for protecting and restoring our aquatic ecosystems.
    Often, small projects or modifications to existing water 
resources infrastructure can yield positive outcomes to aquatic 
ecosystems at a low cost. This flexibility is key to ensuring 
that the Corps' design solutions are tailored to address the 
diverse aquatic ecosystem restorations of all communities. In 
my opinion, the three projects that are the focus of today's 
hearing do a good job of underscoring all of these points.
    While the Corps' aquatic ecosystem restoration efforts are 
important, the Corps and Congress must balance these efforts 
with the Nation's needs under the two main missions of the 
Corps: Navigation and flood and coastal storm risk management. 
As we will hear today, win-win solutions are possible.
    I am excited that Lorianne Riggin from the South Carolina 
Department of Natural Resources is here today. The South 
Carolina DNR partnered with the Corps in 2021 on the Crab Bank 
Seabird Sanctuary in Mount Pleasant, a beautiful spot, South 
Carolina.
    This project was completed under the Corps' 204 authority. 
This authority allows the Corps to carry our aquatic ecosystem 
restoration projects in connection with dredging at an existing 
navigation project. The Federal costs of a project under this 
authority cannot exceed $10 million.
    For this particular project, the Corps and its partners 
utilized dredged materials from the Charleston Harbor Deepening 
Project for the replacement of the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary. 
This project, like others, faced initial challenges. However, 
the Corps and the non-Federal sponsor were able to adjust their 
game plan and find a solution that benefited shorebirds without 
impeding on economic opportunities for the local community.
    Since the completion of the project, the small island has 
seen a return of shorebirds and seabirds. This project is an 
excellent example of how Federal, local, State, and private 
groups can partner together to provide meaningful, lasting 
results in an effective manner. I know and look forward to Ms. 
Riggin's testimony, because she will share this project's story 
in South Carolina.
    Our witnesses' project specific stories will help us 
understand how we can balance our water resources needs and 
maximize the use of our taxpayer dollars. I look forward to 
hearing also about the challenges and suggested improvements to 
existing authorities as we prepare for the next WRDA.
    Last month, as you mentioned, we held a hearing on the Army 
Corps' fiscal year 2024 budget request and implementation of 
WRDA 2022 with Secretary Connor and Lieutenant General 
Spellmon. It was evident at the hearing that each of our States 
faces a diverse range of water resources issues and 
opportunities. I am hopeful that we take lessons learned from 
the projects discussed today and use them to improve water 
resources projects of all types across the country.
    Chairman Carper, I look forward to continuing our 
partnership to develop the next bipartisan WRDA bill.
    Again, I express my gratitude to our witnesses.
    Senator Carper. Senator Capito, thank you so much for those 
remarks.
    Now, we are going to hear from our panel of witnesses, who 
will share with us their perspectives on the Corps' ecosystem 
restoration projects.
    We are going to start off with Eric. Let me just make some 
brief comments about Eric. He is the Chief Executive Officer of 
the Everglades Foundation, an environmental nonprofit that is 
focused on restoring America's Everglades. He has served in 
this role for over 10 years, leading a team of nationally 
recognized scientists, educators, policy experts, and 
communications and development professionals.
    Mr. Eikenberg and the team are committed to protecting the 
roughly 3 million acres of endangered habitat that is vital to 
Florida's economic and environmental viability.
    Mr. Eikenberg, we thank you for being with us today. You 
may proceed with your statement that will be made part of the 
record in its entirety. Thank you so much. Please proceed. 
Welcome.

                 STATEMENT OF ERIC EIKENBERG, 
       CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION

    Mr. Eikenberg. Thank you.
    Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito, and to the 
Committee. My name, as the Chairman mentioned, is Eric 
Eikenberg, and I am privileged to be CEO of the Everglades 
Foundation, celebrating its 30th anniversary in helping to 
restore America's Everglades through science, advocacy, and 
education. I want to thank the Committee for this hearing and 
for inviting me here today.
    Restoring America's Everglades is producing benefits far 
beyond their ecological value, including driving Florida's 
clean water economy, protecting drinking water supplies, 
providing flood risk mitigation, and carbon sequestration. The 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been an indispensable partner 
in this undertaking together with the State of Florida.
    Thanks to recent Federal and State investments, we are at a 
point of incredible progress and momentum. Following 
congressional passage of WRDA 2000, Everglades restoration 
incorporates 68 separate public works projects that will store, 
clean, and send water south on the Florida peninsula. It is a 
national example of how traditional and natural infrastructure 
can be combined on a massive scale.
    Under the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, or 
CERP, these projects were funded with a 50-50 Federal-State 
cost share. We thank Congress for their recent investments, 
including the funding to the Army Corps within the Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law and for your recognition of the importance 
of America's Everglades. The Army Corps has completed several 
non-CERP projects like the Herbert Hoover Dike repair, and in 
partnership with the State of Florida, restoration of the 
Kissimmee River and the construction of bridges along the 
Tamiami Trail.
    In recent years, the pace of CERP projects is 
unprecedented. For example, east of Lake Okeechobee, in Martin 
County, construction of the C-44 Reservoir is complete. East of 
Naples, a 55,000 acre habitat restoration project in the 
Picayune Strand is nearly finished. South of Lake Okeechobee, 
the Corps recently broke ground on the crown jewel of 
Everglades restoration: The EAA Reservoir. This reservoir is a 
national priority and a model for prudent and efficient way to 
fund megaprojects with taxpayer dollars.
    These and other projects confirm that restoration works, 
and I cannot overstate the importance of these results. With 
improved southerly flow, we are already seeing habitats 
reestablished in areas of Everglades National Park that just 5 
years ago were parched by drought for half the year.
    As you may know, Florida's coastal estuaries have been 
plagued by toxic blue-green algae that closes beaches, 
restricts fishing, and is a harmful threat to wildlife and 
people. The algae blooms are fed by the unavoidable dumping of 
polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. The fortified Herbert 
Hoover Dike and the EAA Reservoir will reduce those harmful 
discharges by 55 percent, having a profound positive impact on 
Florida's tourism based economy.
    Storing, cleaning, and sending this clean water south is 
essential to Florida Bay. Its gin clear waters and lush 
seagrass meadows make Florida Bay the fishing capital of the 
world: A body of water alive with manatees, dolphins, and a 
wide variety of coveted game fish. Today, however, the bay is 
suffering from too little fresh water.
    A restored Everglades will also provide a natural defense 
against saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise. Flowing more 
water south will protect our Nation's largest mangrove forest. 
Restoration will also protect existing peat soils in the 
Everglades that enhance the sequestration of new carbon.
    We are at a critical juncture. With sustained Federal and 
State investments, this can be the Everglades decade in which 
we achieve the dream of a robust, healthy river of grass 
following a century of development. The stakes are high, both 
for the 9 million people who rely on the Everglades for fresh 
water and for the Nation as a whole. Florida's tourism based 
economy depends on clean water, and our economic research shows 
that Everglades restoration yields a four to one investment.
    Senators, you should be proud of the bipartisan progress in 
restoring America's Everglades. On behalf of the anglers, the 
realtors, the fishing guides, the business owners, and the 
millions who depend on the Everglades, let me say thank you, 
and please do not stop now.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Eikenberg follows:]

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    Senator Carper. Thank you. We won't.
    Ms. Balluff, please proceed. Welcome. We are delighted that 
you have joined us.

      STATEMENT OF TRICIA BALLUFF, ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS 
COORDINATOR, WATER, WILDLIFE AND NEPA, OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
          PROGRAMS, CITY OF PHOENIX; PHOENIX, ARIZONA

    Ms. Balluff. I appreciate the opportunity to speak before 
the Committee about the importance of Army Corps support for 
ecosystem restoration projects. I would like to thank Chairman 
Carper and Ranking Member Capito and especially Senator Kelly 
for inviting me to be here today.
    The city of Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United 
States and is the local sponsor for multiple U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers ecosystem restoration projects associated with the 
Salt River, which is our main river channel through Phoenix and 
the surrounding cities. These projects are part of Senator 
McCain's Rio Reimagined legacy for the Phoenix metropolitan 
area. Rio Reimagined recently became the 20th EPA Urban Waters 
Federal Partnership location.
    Historically, urban uses of the Salt River have included 
industrial activities, such as landfills and sand and gravel 
mining. The construction of Federal dams upstream has resulted 
in highly altered river flows, and as a result, there has been 
significant degradation of ecosystem values and reduced 
recreation opportunities.
    In the arid western United States, riparian areas are 
estimated to be less than 2 percent of total land area, are 
considered the most productive habitat, and provide important 
water quality benefits. Seventy percent of threatened and 
endangered vertebrates in Arizona depend on riparian habitat 
along rivers.
    In Arizona, it is estimated that as much as 90 percent of 
riparian forests have been lost. Invasive species, such as salt 
cedar, a highly competitive shrubby tree, are now in almost 
every drainage system in the Southwest. Since the 1990s, 
Phoenix has worked with the Corps to achieve habitat 
restoration and improve flood risk management on the Salt 
River.
    The first major project to be completed was Rio Salado 
Phoenix, located in a historically disadvantaged area, which 
restored 5 miles of the Salt River and provides valuable 
recreation and education opportunities for the community. 
Downstream of this completed project are two congressionally 
authorized Corps projects that have not yet been completed: Rio 
Salado Oeste and Tres Rios. These are both ecosystem 
restoration, flood risk management, and recreation projects.
    When combined with the completed Rio Salado Phoenix, these 
will create approximately 19 contiguous miles of restored river 
corridor through Phoenix, directly benefiting river flows, 
habitat, wildlife, heat risk, and access to the river in 
disadvantaged communities. This is why, for the last 10 years, 
the city has been focused on obtaining the support and funding 
from the Corps and our congressional delegation to complete 
these two projects.
    Today, I would like to highlight the Tres Rios Project to 
illustrate the multiplicity of benefits from Corps ecosystem 
restoration funding. Tres Rios, when complete, will cover 
approximately 7 miles of river channel and the adjoining bank, 
including almost 400 acres of constructed wetlands, a levee, in 
river restoration, and effluent treatment elements.
    Tres Rios's use of constructed wetlands to treat wastewater 
using natural processes make this a unique Corps project that 
help compliance with the regulatory standards while 
simultaneously providing quality habitat. By implementing this 
ecofriendly infrastructure, the city has avoided the need to 
spend $375 million on additional infrastructure for the 91st 
Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant.
    Through the treatment and direction of wastewater, combined 
with the invasive species removal and native species plantings, 
the area supports more than 200 species of birds and other 
wildlife, including some species listed as threatened or 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
    This habitat also provides recreational access to natural 
river spaces in an urban environment and offers benefits from 
carbon sequestration, shading, and other cooling effects, which 
are important heat mitigation elements in our desert city.
    A substantial amount of the invasive tree, salt cedar, was 
removed as part of Tres Rios. This removal and the preservation 
and additional planting of needed vegetation reduces fire risk, 
both in terms of fire severity and frequency. Salt cedar 
removal is also beneficial to native habitat by creating a more 
conducive environment for native plants to germinate and grow.
    The river channel through Tres Rios facilitates passive 
aquifer recharge by allowing water to naturally infiltrate 
groundwater, while the levees constructed on the north bank of 
the Salt and Gila Rivers protect nearby neighborhoods from 
flooding.
    As I have shared, the benefits from Tres Rios are wide 
ranging from habitat to flood reduction to recreational 
opportunities. The city of Phoenix is appreciative of the many 
benefits that have come from collaborating with the Corps, and 
we fully support the Corps' mission in undertaking and 
completing ecosystem restoration, particularly in the 
Southwest.
    This year the Corps' Los Angeles District has been working 
on a post authorization change report to update the cost for 
the remaining phases of Tres Rios. The city of Phoenix will be 
seeking an authorization for construction in the 2024 WRDA bill 
to complete Tres Rios's in river restoration and trailheads.
    Thank you very much.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Balluff follows:]

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    Senator Carper. Thank you very much.
    Ms. Riggin, welcome. Good to see you. Thank you for joining 
us.

    STATEMENT OF LORIANNE RIGGIN, DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL 
    PROGRAMS, SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

    Ms. Riggin. Thank you so much.
    Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Capito. I am so excited to 
be here today to share with you the success of the Crab Bank 
Ecosystem Restoration Project in South Carolina.
    For the record, my name is Lorianne Riggin, and I am the 
Director of the Office of Environmental Programs for the South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources. I have been with the 
agency for 17 years and have had the pleasure of working with 
many interested conservation partners, the surrounding Mount 
Pleasant community, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
Charleston District to help oversee the Crab Bank Ecosystem 
Restoration Project.
    Crab Bank is a dedicated heritage trust property and a 
seabird sanctuary managed and owned by the South Carolina DNR. 
It is located in the Charleston Harbor near the mouth of Shem 
Creek in the Mount Pleasant community. Crab Bank was originally 
formed with the placement of dredged material in the 1950s.
    However, over time, due to wave action, tropical storms, 
and hurricanes, this important seabird sanctuary eroded away. 
In the early 2000s, Crab Bank was approximately 23 acres, but 
by 2017, Hurricane Irma came and washed away the remaining 
half-acre of high ground in the early fall, which removed any 
opportunity for nesting birds the following summer.
    Prior to Hurricane Irma, the island served as an important 
predator free refuge for a variety of State Wildlife Action 
Plan conservation priority species. Although all these species 
may not nest on the island each year, here are a few examples 
that have nested here at Crab Bank: Brown pelican, royal tern, 
sandwich tern, gull-billed tern, black skimmer, laughing gull, 
American oyster catcher, willet, snowy egret, and tricolored 
heron.
    Besides providing nesting habitat, the sanctuary provides 
winter loafing and feeding habitat for numerous species, 
including large flocks of shore birds that roost on the island 
at night. Of the 65 seabird, shorebird, and wading bird 
species, collectively known as waterbirds, that utilize South 
Carolina's coastal habitats throughout the year, 47 are listed 
in our State's Wildlife Action Plan as high conservation 
concern. Three are federally listed, and four are State listed. 
These waterbirds nest in colonies with thousands of other birds 
laying their eggs on the ground.
    Crab Bank is one of the few places on the coast where these 
species can come nest undisturbed from human presence. This is 
incredibly important, as lack of nesting habitat may be 
limiting shorebird population stability and growth. Research 
shows that shorebird and seabird populations have shrunk 
overall by 70 percent in the last 50 to 70 years, with an 
accelerated decline during the last three generations for most 
shorebird species.
    The coast of South Carolina is the most rapidly developing 
area of our State, and much of this is occurring along our 
shorelines, which has the potential to further decrease 
abundance and distribution of coastal water birds throughout 
their life cycle. In addition, increased recreational use along 
our shorelines further limits available nesting habitat. Thus, 
restoration of Crab Bank was an extremely high priority for the 
survival of many coastal water birds.
    The South Carolina DNR had an incredible, once in a 
lifetime opportunity with the deepening of the Charleston 
Harbor to partner as a non-Federal sponsor with the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers Charleston District under Section 204 of the 
Continuing Authorities Program to restore Crab Bank and support 
shorebird populations.
    Construction on Crab Bank was completed in 7 weeks in 2021. 
Approximately 660,000 cubic yards of dredged material was 
placed with varying elevations to diversify habitat. This 
increased Crab Bank in size from less than half an acre to 80 
acres total, with 32 acres of available shorebird and seabird 
habitat above mean high water.
    As of June 5th, 2023, the overall projects expenditures 
cost shared 65 percent to 35 percent between the Federal 
Government and South Carolina DNR have totaled $695,939. The 
purpose of the project included restoration and enhancement of 
an important seabird sanctuary, protection of the salt marsh 
located near Crab Bank, and development of wildlife viewing and 
shorebird educational opportunities for Shem Creek ecotourism 
and the greater Charleston area.
    Through the Water Resources Development Act, the South 
Carolina DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were able to 
successfully meet all the goals of this project. In 2022, Crab 
Bank provided nesting habitat for 107 pairs of least tern, 192 
pairs of gull-billed tern, 283 pairs of black skimmer, and 8 
American oyster catcher pairs.
    I am happy to share today that nesting activity is in full 
swing for 2023, and there have been two nesting pairs observed 
so far of the State threatened Wilson's plover.
    The South Carolina DNR is thrilled with the benefit that 
the Water Resources Development Act authority provided to 
restore Crab Bank. This project was of great benefit to the 
public by supporting shorebird conservation and the beneficial 
use of the material dredged from the Charleston Harbor.
    The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources would 
like to encourage the Committee to continue to provide 
authorization for important ecosystem restoration projects like 
Crab Bank.
    In closing, thank you for the opportunity to share the 
success of Crab Bank. This incredible project will have a 
lasting and important impact on waterbirds and the citizens and 
visitors to South Carolina for generations to come.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Riggin follows:]  
    
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    Thank you all for your testimonies.
    Ms. Balluff, you mentioned John McCain in your testimony, 
didn't you? Our former colleague, he and I were naval officers 
and served together in the Vietnam war. He was a great hero, 
and later, he and I were elected the House Representatives 
together the same day, joining forces again in the House and 
then later, in the U.S. Senate.
    He was not a member of this Committee, but he was someone 
who cared a lot about the environment. Take just a minute and 
talk about his involvement in the project, if you will, that 
you just discussed, very briefly. What did John do? What was 
his role?
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, Senator Carper, thank you. I am happy to 
do that.
    Senator McCain really spearheaded what is called the Rio 
Reimagined Initiative in Phoenix, and he has been very 
supportive of all of the ecosystem restoration that has been 
happening throughout Phoenix but also in surrounding cities.
    Rio Reimagined really came to be because of him. It is a 56 
mile stretch of the Salt and Gila Rivers through the Phoenix 
metropolitan area that involves many different cities, Tribal 
Nations, and nonprofits, educational institutions such as 
Arizona State University for example, that have all come 
together to collaborate and look for ways to work together to 
improve the overall river corridor through this metropolitan 
area for the benefit of all of our citizens.
    Senator Carper. Good, thank you. This Memorial Day, we 
celebrated the 50th anniversary of the return and release of 
hundreds of Vietnam POWs. POWs were released by the Vietnamese 
all those years ago. We celebrated their lives.
    John McCain and I and John Kerry worked together with 
former President George Walker Bush to get the Vietnamese 
government to turn over information on hundreds of additional 
missing in actions from the war that led to the normalization 
of relations between the United States and Vietnam. They are 
now one of our top 10 trading partners in the whole country, 
and U.S. Navy vessels call on Vietnamese ports, and we have 
remarkably strong economic and actually, defense relationship 
with them.
    That is a bit far outfield, but I can't let the mention of 
John's name go by without saying some of that.
    I like to quote Mark Twain from time to time. He said a lot 
of things that are worth remembering. One of the things that he 
said is that the two most important days of our life are the 
day we are born and the day we figure out why.
    I understand in your life that there is an interesting 
twist to that story, and that quote has a special meaning to 
you. When did you figure out why you were born? What career 
might you have been in?
    Ms. Balluff. Was that question directed at me, Senator 
Carper?
    Senator Carper. Yes. OK, wrong witness.
    We will try Ms. Riggin, same question. When did you figure 
out why you were born? Then we will come back and figure out 
why Ms. Balluff was born.
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Riggin. I would say, there are lots of whys. The most 
recent why is my 9 year old son, but early on, as a child, I 
had a strong desire to make a difference in this world, and my 
strong desire was to make a difference for natural resources. I 
learned that at a very early age that that is where I needed to 
focus my energy, and I have a lot of it.
    Senator Carper. I believe you do.
    Ms. Riggin. And so, in eighth grade I sent a letter to the 
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources requesting 
information about what kind of jobs I could do for the State 
and serve the State and its citizens and the natural resources. 
They provided me some information, and I ran with it, got a 
degree and got my foot in the door, and I have been there ever 
since.
    Senator Carper. Good.
    I am going to turn to Mr. Eikenberg, whose son is actually 
sitting back in the first row, over his right shoulder, his 14 
year old son.
    We welcome both of you today.
    For folks, young people, it might be like his contemporary 
in high school or maybe in college or not. Why should his 
generation, your son's generation, care about what we are 
discussing here today? Why is it relevant in their lives?
    Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, thank you for that question. 
In the spirit of bipartisanship, I do want to take a moment to 
acknowledge your former colleague, Senator Bob Graham. When the 
Everglades restoration was passed in the year 2000, he worked 
with my former boss, Congressman Clay Shaw, to ensure that that 
was a bipartisan effort, and it continues to be that way to 
this day.
    Senator Carper. That is great.
    Mr. Eikenberg. For children, watching our body politic to 
find our environmental issues where we can come together in a 
bipartisan way, I think it is a great example for the next 
generation.
    I will just say that 10 years ago, from my perspective, 
watching what was billed as the ``lost summer'' in Florida due 
to algae outbreaks stemming from the Army Corps discharging 
water from Lake Okeechobee. It rallied voices that had not been 
at the table: Business leaders, tourism officials, realtors. 
These men and women became the foot soldiers in ensuring that 
we have restoration that we can not only do it this generation, 
but then pass it on to the next generation.
    For me, that was a moment to realize that what we are doing 
is greater than ourselves, but we are able to pass it on soon 
to the next generation.
    Senator Carper. Good.
    Bob Graham and Clay Shaw, two good friends. It is nice to 
hear their names again. Bob Graham was a Governor of Florida 
and also a United States Senator from Florida for many, many 
years.
    When I was thinking of running for the U.S. Senate, I went 
down to Florida to meet with him, have breakfast, and he 
arranged for me to meet some folks down there. I remember that 
I asked him, I said, when you had the opportunity to be a U.S. 
Senator, when you had the opportunity to be Governor, which job 
do you prefer and why?
    He said, you know, to use the football analogy, he said, 
when you are the Governor, you are the quarterback on the 
field, calling every play. When you are the United States 
Senator, you are the general manager sitting up in a box, 
watching the game.
    I said, well, which do you prefer? He said, well, I like to 
be on the field calling every play. He said, every team needs a 
good general manager. Besides, the seats are pretty good. The 
seats are pretty good.
    With that, let me yield the floor to the Senator from West 
Virginia.
    Senator Capito. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Ms. Riggin, let's talk about the Crab Bank Seabird 
Sanctuary. I have trouble saying that whole thing at once.
    I know it was a public-private partnership. Can you talk 
about the public-private partnerships, both in this case, and 
others that you see in your State and how they really help to 
get the completion of the projects?
    Ms. Riggin. Absolutely, happy to.
    When we first started with the Crab Bank project, we had a 
short timeline. We were in 2019, and we had a feasibility 
report that gave us an estimate of what the total cost of the 
project would be, which would have required the State to have 
$1.4 million sitting, waiting, and ready.
    Given budget constraints, we figured out we needed some 
help, and so we also already had conservation interest groups, 
like the Coastal Expedition Foundation, which is a nonprofit 
arm of a local ecotourism outfit, the Coastal Conservation 
League, Audubon South Carolina, that had the expertise to help 
fundraise.
    Under the State's statute, we have something called the 
Non-Game and Natural Area Statute that allows the South 
Carolina Department of Natural Resources to receive funds for 
the purpose of non-game management. We utilized that funding 
opportunity under that existing State statute and the expertise 
of our conservation partners to help us rally within the 
community to help leverage additional funds to bring to the 
table, so that we were sitting, waiting, and ready for that 
$1.4 million, had that been the ask of the Department of 
Natural Resources of the non-Federal sponsor.
    In addition, as we were on that short timeline of just 12 
months, Audubon South Carolina went out and applied for a 
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to help supplement 
funding cost as well, and that was a one to one match ratio, so 
that was a $1.4 million ask that we all had to come up with a 
$700,000 match. We pulled that all together to have enough 
funding that we needed.
    Plus, that allowed us to springboard future projects from 
that existing pot of money that we have now created as the 
Coastal Bird Conservation Program. Crab Bank was a starting 
block for that additional funding to go further for shorebird 
conservation.
    Senator Capito. Right.
    I am sure, Mr. Eikenberg, you have jumped through a few 
hoops yourself, trying to figure these things out, the public-
private partnership portion.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Senator, it is a key part of where we are 
today with Everglades restoration. Certainly, the Corps working 
with the non-Federal partner, in this case, the South Florida 
Water Management District, but bringing a multitude of other 
stakeholders to the table.
    I want to applaud the Corps for allowing those differing 
voices to be heard and to be taking that feedback. I would 
submit to you that this issue, restoring the Everglades, has 
become a national model. Thanks to the Congress in 2000, you 
set out a plan. We know the problem; we have a solution, and we 
are working in a collaborative way to make sure it is 
successful.
    Senator Capito. I will go back to Ms. Riggin. Are there any 
additional authorities that you feel would allow the Corps to 
better assist non-Federal partners? The reason I think that is 
important is for the examples that you all have put forward, 
but we have heard some rumblings sometimes, having dealt with 
the Corps myself, sometimes, needing a little bit more 
assistance for them to be able to help their non-Federal 
partners.
    Did you find that was a challenge or not, are you finding 
that?
    Ms. Riggin. I did really find that was a challenge from the 
CAT 204 perspective. I think planning assistance with the 
States' program, which is something else that the Corps does, 
that would be another avenue where they need additional support 
to provide help.
    I know within the Charleston District there is a long list 
when the State comes to the Corps and says, hey, I have an 
interest and need your expertise on these items. I think that 
is an area that probably additional support could be given to 
help them address a lot of the planning assistance for the 
State's request.
    Senator Capito. Does anybody else have a comment, Ms. 
Balluff, on that particular issue, any other authorities the 
Corps might need to better assist non-Federal partners?
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, I certainly agree with Ms. Riggin.
    One other thing I would add is that additional resources 
for the Corps, once the Civil Works project is complete is 
sometimes very useful as things come up over time with these 
ecosystem restoration projects to continue to work with the 
Corps on them and finding solutions can be quite a useful 
exercise. I would add that.
    Thank you, Senator Capito.
    Senator Capito. Thanks.
    Mr. Eikenberg, do you have any other comments?
    I have to go to another hearing, here, and so I am going to 
apologize. I am going to leave after I hear from Mr. Eikenberg.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Senator, any opportunity where the non-
Federal partner could maybe get out ahead on a particular 
portion of a project. The Corps has demonstrated a willingness 
to let the South Florida Water Management District do that, and 
it speeds up the implementation. We appreciate the Corps being 
at least willing to do that. If there is additional authority 
to allow that to occur in a greater manner, we would certainly 
support that.
    Senator Capito. Thank you all.
    Senator Carper. We have been joined by a couple of fellows 
from out west.
    We are delighted you could come. One of our witnesses 
brought a 14 year old son with them today.
    Would your son raise his hand, sir?
    Go ahead, raise your hand. There you go. You have some 
people up here.
    I think Senator Capito has a couple of sons. I have three 
sons, and Alex has, I believe, three, two? Three. Your guys are 
a little bit younger.
    Senator Padilla. Three sons as well, and all three will be 
on summer vacation as of this Friday, so please pray for us.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. You are in our prayers. Right now, you are 
recognized, any questions you want to ask. Thank you.
    Senator Padilla. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. These 
conversations are all too timely, I think, as a lot of us in 
the field know the significance of a recent Supreme Court 
ruling that limited the scope of the Clean Water Act, and more 
specifically, the Federal Government's ability to protect 
thousands of miles of rivers, streams, creeks, and adjacent 
wetlands throughout the western United States.
    At the California State Water Board, this is how they 
framed the last month: Wetlands provide an important buffer and 
filter, protecting our Nation's waters. But in the semi-arid 
watershed, most will not be able to satisfy the Corps' 
requirements for a ``continuous surface connection to bodies 
that are `waters of the United States' in their own right, so 
that there is not clear demarcation between waters and 
wetlands.''
    Ms. Balluff, given your role in the city of Phoenix, are 
there particular challenges posed by an increasingly arid West 
for aquatic ecosystem restoration projects? And I guess the 
bigger picture question here is, how important is ecosystem 
restoration just for the restoration of habitat, but for the 
economic health of communities as well as water quality, 
recreational opportunities, et cetera?
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Padilla. Yes, it is 
very important, and it is also challenging in the desert 
Southwest.
    But ecosystem restoration, I would argue, especially along 
our rivers, is one of the most valuable things that we can do 
in terms of ecosystem restoration. These riparian areas are 
some of the most productive and rich areas and have the most 
benefit. They also draw a lot of economic interest in 
development along the banks, as well.
    So it also draws a lot of people into the river and really 
helps them connect with nature, which I think we know from 
social sciences, really provides a lot of mental and emotional 
and social and physical benefits to our communities. So while 
it is a challenge, I think it is a challenge well worth 
pursuing.
    Senator Padilla. Great. I know in your testimony you 
mentioned that the genesis of the Tres Rios Ecosystem 
Restoration project was the need to treat wastewater 
discharges.
    As a native of Los Angeles, I know all too well the 
challenges of restoring aquatic ecosystems in a highly paved 
urban area like Los Angeles. Thanks to many years of hard work, 
as well as funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Los Angeles is 
making progress to restore historic riparian and freshwater 
marsh habitat along 11 miles of the 52 mile long Los Angeles 
River.
    Referencing back to the Tres Rios project, in brief, how is 
that impacting drought resiliency? I assume it has been 
helpful. I assume there has been progress. Anything you could 
highlight, and then once again more broadly, what advice would 
you have for western cities looking to improve water quality 
and to restore habitats while facing all the same challenges?
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Padilla. I am going to try 
and remember all those questions. You may have to refresh me on 
a couple.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Padilla. How is that project working, the Tres Rios 
project? How is it working?
    Ms. Balluff. Tres Rios was originally contracted, as you 
say, to treat wastewater effluent. The water is treated at our 
wastewater treatment plant, then it goes into these constructed 
wetlands that actually help to polish and finish, remove some 
nitrogen and chlorine attenuation, things like that, to meet 
Clean Water Act requirements before we then discharge it into 
the river. In fact, all of the water that supports the Tres 
Rios ecosystem restoration does in fact come from that 
wastewater treatment plant.
    So all of the water from that wastewater treatment plant is 
beneficially reused, which I think is one of the really great 
aspects of this, and a really good way to use water, especially 
in a time of drought. Because it is not only going into the 
ecosystem, it is going downstream and being used in other ways 
downstream as well.
    Senator Padilla. Again, given that experience, whether it 
is design, whether it is funding sources, what advice would you 
have to other jurisdictions throughout the West dealing with 
the same changing climate, the same water supply challenges?
    Ms. Balluff. I certainly know that the wastewater treatment 
process that we engaged in with the constructed wetlands saved 
us hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of what we would 
have otherwise had to spend. So simply from a financial 
perspective it made a lot of sense.
    But also the benefits that we accrue from the flood 
attenuation, flood risk management, from the ecosystem 
restoration and the visitors we get from not only around the 
world, but also from our local community and across the United 
States make this a really valuable project.
    So certainly, we have found it extremely beneficial. I 
would definitely advocate for looking at ways to have those 
multiple uses of water that provide those multiple benefits we 
have seen from Tres Rios.
    Senator Padilla. Excellent. Thank you so much.
    Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    Senator Carper. That was an interesting description of the 
work that you have done out there. It is really ingenious and 
highly commendable.
    Senator Kelly, good to see you. Others have been noting, 
with respect to some of these issues, looking forward to the 
future of our planet, that we have a dog in this fight, these 
fights. We also have children and grandchildren. You have both.
    Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Padilla was a great lead in to me. But I will first 
defer to my colleague on the other side of the aisle if he is 
ready.
    Senator Carper. I am sorry, jump right in.
    Senator Graham. Thank you, Senator Kelly.
    Welcome, Ms. Riggin. How are you doing? I appreciate your 
coming to the Committee.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you for having the hearing, and to my 
colleagues.
    Senator Carper. I am trying to figure out how to say this, 
the entity down in South Carolina. We are tripping over it 
pretty badly. But we will get it down.
    Senator Graham. I was very much involved with you, I was 
impressed with how you brought people together to Crab Bank. It 
is a place for birds to nest, right? It was a win-win with the 
city of Mount Pleasant, the DNR, the Corps of Engineers. If you 
could, just tell the Chairman a little bit about the project. 
What was the key to bringing people together?
    Ms. Riggin. Thank you, Senator Graham. I appreciate the 
invite to be here, and I appreciate the support from your staff 
as well today.
    I think the key to the hurdle that we ran into were 
concerns regarding the project. Crab Bank sits at the mount of 
Shem Creek. There was some concern from the community, when you 
hear you are going to put 660,000 cubic yards of material, they 
have concerns about where that material is going to go.
    So we had an opportunity with the Corps of Engineers, 
thankfully the dredging timelines worked out that we were able 
to go and rerun a coastal model to help provide some data as to 
where the material would go.
    As well, when we went through the feasibility process, we 
had 25 different alternatives of a footprint that we were 
looking at for Crab Bank. So because we had so many choices on 
the table, and we had additional data in time, we were able to 
calm the fears and concerns of folks about where that material 
was going to go and make sure that it was going to stay on Crab 
Bank.
    But I think the key to that is just people being open and 
honest and the continued communication between not only DNR 
working with the town of Mount Pleasant, but also the Army 
Corps of Engineers sitting down with the town of Mount 
Pleasant, that we were all coming at it together, knowing that 
we had the goal in mind for this island for shorebird 
conservation. And everybody bought into that idea. We just had 
to make sure that everybody was comfortable with how we were 
going to go about doing that.
    I think it is just open and honest communication and often.
    Senator Graham. Our office was a part of that, and I want 
to echo that I appreciate the role you played, and the DNR, and 
all the agencies involved, State, local and Federal. I think it 
was a win-win.
    Thank you very much.
    I appreciate your giving me a chance to speak, Senator 
Kelly.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Senator Carper. We are delighted that you could join us. 
Thanks.
    Senator Kelly, you are on.
    Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I want to extend a very special welcome to Tricia Balluff, 
who is joining us today from the city of Phoenix.
    I want to follow up on Senator Padilla's comments and 
questions about Tres Rios, and the vision for a renewed Salt 
River in the Phoenix area. That was championed by my 
predecessor, Senator John McCain.
    Also, I want to acknowledge the work of Mayor Gallego of 
the city of Phoenix that they have done to advance these 
projects in partnership with Federal agencies, including the 
Army Corps.
    So these projects that we already talked about a little bit 
show how investments made by the Corps and their local partners 
can improve water quality, recharge aquifers, and support water 
conservation, even in a desert. There were a few of these 
benefits that I want to discuss.
    You talked first about hundreds of millions of dollars of 
savings in water treatment costs. I think it was about $375 
million.
    Can you explain how that project on the Tres Rios wetlands 
and the water, how it has saved the city? Specifically, how has 
that project saved the city $375 million?
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Kelly. Thank you for having 
me here.
    Yes, absolutely. Back in the late 1990s, I would say, there 
were new Clean Water Act requirements through the Environmental 
Protection Agency for discharges of wastewater into waters of 
the United States that were going to necessitate some 
significant infrastructure investments in our existing 
wastewater treatment plant. And we had been working with 
demonstration wetlands to see how they would effectively treat 
this to these levels.
    It turns out it was really effective. So in partnership 
with the Corps through Tres Rios, we created these full scale, 
really significant hundreds of acres of wetlands that are 
actually functionally for treatment through passive removal of 
nitrogen, through soil processes, through plant processes, and 
also through the attenuation of chlorine levels as it moves 
slowly through these wetland ponds. The sunlight helps to 
dissipate the chlorine, helps us to meet our standards.
    Senator Kelly. Does that mean since it is downstream, so 
the wetlands are downstream of the wastewater plant, does that 
mean you can push water through the treatment plant faster? Is 
it less energy costs? Where is the financial savings coming 
from?
    Ms. Balluff. The financial savings is the avoided costs of 
the infrastructure that we would have had to construct 
otherwise. In terms of energy costs and timelines, I would have 
to check on that.
    Senator Kelly. So you have to build less infrastructure 
because you have this downstream wetland?
    Ms. Balluff. We did not have to build hard infrastructure 
because of the wetlands.
    Senator Kelly. Another benefit I want to mention here is 
the recreational use of those wetlands, Tres Rios, fishing, 
hiking, and there are others. Certainly maybe even now with the 
amount of water that is there, kayaking.
    Can you explain how the next phase of Tres Rios will 
enhance the recreational benefits of this project, and what 
else will Phase 3(c) of the project include?
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Kelly. I am happy to.
    Right now, the maintenance paths are used as trails by 
folks who come visit. There are no trailheads, it is not 
technically open to the public per se, because there are no 
formal trailheads for them to enter through. So the number of 
people who can come in at one time is pretty limited. And it is 
really only at one location.
    In Phase 3(c), part of the finishing phases of Tres Rios is 
to construct some trailheads along the Tres Rios, so that it 
really opens access and a lot more people can come and enjoy 
it, especially those from neighboring communities. The rest of 
Phase 3(c) is really finishing up the in river restoration on 
the western end of the Tres Rios property, down to the Agua 
Fria River.
    Senator Kelly. Can you confirm that the reason the city and 
the Corps can't begin work on this next phase of the project is 
because there is not the authorization from Congress yet?
    Ms. Balluff. That is correct, yes.
    Senator Kelly. Mr. Chairman, I hope that in the next WRDA 
bill, we can include that authorization, so they can finish 
Phase 3 of the Tres Rios project, and the city can move forward 
on this project.
    I am out of time, but I have another question.
    Senator Carper. Go ahead, please.
    Senator Kelly. Ms. Balluff, I think in your opening 
testimony you may have talked about a little bit more of the 
Salt River ecosystem. I wasn't here for that. Can you explain 
to the Committee the issue of the salt cedars on the Salt 
River, and what risks they pose to the city and the region?
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Kelly.
    Salt cedar, for those of you not in the Southwest, you may 
not be familiar with it. It is a highly invasive shrubby tree. 
It forms in really dense stands, and it creates, it has a lot 
of litter and debris that fall off of it, also secretes a lot 
into the soil, it drops a lot of salt into the soil. So it 
creates these highly saline soils and also creates a really 
high fire risk.
    It also recovers really well from fire risk, more than our 
native species. So it really does push out a lot of our native 
habitat and creates a monoculture, which also creates a lot of 
risk in terms of fire and disease and other detrimental things 
to the ecosystem restoration.
    Senator Kelly. What has the city of Phoenix done to try to 
remove these salt cedars?
    Ms. Balluff. It is a very difficult problem plaguing a lot 
of agencies across the Southwest. Tres Rios removed a lot of 
salt cedar; it was huge benefit to the river in that area.
    But it is an ongoing challenge. We do continually remove. 
We also try to replant with native species whenever we remove, 
so that they can have some competitive advantage, to be able to 
take root and outcompete the salt cedar as it tries to 
resprout.
    Senator Kelly. What can the Army Corps do to help?
    Ms. Balluff. More projects to help remove salt cedar would 
be fantastic.
    Senator Kelly. Is there any innovation out there, is there 
anyone trying to, instead of remove it, and I know there is 
always a risk in doing this, but are there any pilot projects 
that are taking a different approach?
    Ms. Balluff. Senator Kelly, I am not aware of any pilot 
projects. I think where we are at right now is trying to find 
the appropriate balance of managing salt cedar, increasing 
native habitat, but accepting that probably there is going to 
be some level of salt cedar in our Southwest systems, and how 
can we manage that and keep it to the minimum possible.
    I think really the most effective method is when you 
remove, you replant with native species. And if necessary, salt 
tolerant species, and gradually attenuate the soil so that you 
can then have more of the riparian species you are looking for.
    Senator Kelly. How did we wind up with this plant in the 
Southwest?
    Ms. Balluff. Many, many decades ago, it came in from 
Eurasia, is my understanding, it was introduced for multiple 
reasons, flood control and I believe even aesthetic reasons. It 
can be quite beautiful when it is flowering, unfortunately. I 
believe that is how it came in. Then of course, it is highly 
competitive, so it kind of took off and spread on its own.
    Senator Kelly. Thank you.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the extra time.
    Senator Carper. Thank you, and thanks for bringing your 
witness with you. Very interesting and very helpful.
    We started off, I asked Mr. Eikenberg to think out loud for 
us at the beginning of our hearing why should young people the 
age of his son, kids in high school and maybe beyond high 
school, why should they care about the issues we are discussing 
today. He shared some thoughts with us.
    The same question to Ms. Balluff. Why should young people 
in high school going off into college, off into the world, why 
should they care about these issues?
    Then Ms. Riggin, the same question.
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper. It is a great 
question.
    I think there are a few different reasons for this, one of 
which of course is do we want our kids to inherit a world in 
which our rivers are dry and dusty in the Southwest, with 
nothing in them but landfills and sand and gravel pits. I think 
we probably want more for them. And I think they want more for 
themselves.
    I think also as we go out into these areas and we 
experience the benefits of them that come to us, especially for 
those in college, who might be having to study for a test or 
something.
    But in all reality, from a water quality perspective, from 
a fire risk management perspective, the benefits to our 
surrounding area, to our air quality, to our water quality, 
they are significant. These riparian areas provide a lot of 
filtration benefits that we can't really get without really 
expensive infrastructure otherwise.
    So in terms of cost effectiveness, these are a really cost 
effective way to help achieve some of our goals for quality.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thanks for that.
    Ms. Riggin, any thoughts?
    Ms. Riggin. Just to add, people should care because this is 
our home. We read about habitats and ecosystems in textbooks, 
but we don't often put ourselves as we are in that habitat, we 
are a part of that ecosystem.
    The more that we can take care of it, the more we care 
about it, the more that we all are stewards of it, the natural 
resources professionals aren't lifting the heavy load alone, we 
are carrying it together to protect our air, our water, our 
landscapes, so that it is not just a cool place to go hike that 
we are going off to visit, it is a place that supports our 
clean air, our clean water.
    So the why is because we are here, and we are part of that 
ecosystem.
    Senator Carper. Every now and then we are fortunate to have 
a leader of another nation come to Washington, to Capitol Hill, 
and speak at a joint session of the Congress. We usually meet 
in the House chamber because it is bigger than the Senate 
chamber. And we have House and Senate members there.
    One of the more interesting speakers in recent years has 
been the President of France, President Macron. He came and 
spoke to us, not in French, but in perfect English. One of the 
things he said to us in his speech, he talked about our planet. 
And he said, this is the only planet we are going to have, he 
said, there is no planet B. This is it; we have to take care of 
it. I will never forget that.
    I use that line a whole lot since I heard it from him. He 
was a special guest at a state dinner hosted by President and 
Mrs. Biden, and I got to see President Macron again. I told him 
about that line and reminded him how he had used that and how I 
have stolen it and never given him any credit for it. He said, 
we have a special word in French for people like you, who use 
our best material without acknowledgement.
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. My staff has given me a question, I have a 
bunch of questions I will ask, but I will lead it off with this 
one, so I don't get in trouble with them.
    The environmental benefits of the Corps' ecosystem 
restoration portfolio, including those projects that we are 
talking about here today, clearly show a response to climate 
change through increasing resilience. And at the same time, 
these projects promote the economic health of the communities 
that you represent and that I represent and Senator Capito and 
others represent, through activities such as navigation, 
agriculture, and ecotourism.
    I will start with you, Ms. Riggin, and we will go to your 
right, please. It would be helpful if you would lead us off, 
take a minute or two to elaborate for us on the challenges and 
the opportunities, challenges and opportunities in partnering 
with the Corps on ecosystem restoration. Clearly, something is 
working, and working right. But I know we can always find room 
for improvement.
    If we could start with that, and we will come down to Ms. 
Balluff and then Mr. Eikenberg, please. Any thoughts?
    Ms. Riggin. Crab Bay was my first ecosystem restoration 
project, so I don't have a ton of experience under my belt. But 
I think the more we can do those types of projects, the better 
we are all going to end up being, and the more we give the 
flexibility to the Corps to be able to work with those non-
Federal sponsors to accomplish those goals.
    A lot of times there are very rigid timelines, very rigid 
points at which the project is managed. The more flexibility 
that we have to develop a project which allows us to go back 
and do things like we did with rerunning a model, provide 
additional information or go further and monitor the project 
post-construction, so that we have some data to support future 
successes and document what we accomplished so that we can 
learn from it and use that to replicate in other projects.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
    Same question, Ms. Balluff.
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Carper. I think that 
flexibility is probably one of the most important things that 
we can gain with the Corps. I think they have so much 
capability in their offices, and they have, at least in our 
district, I know they have a lot of passion for these projects. 
We have just had such wonderful working relationships with the 
folks in the Los Angeles District. We are really grateful for 
them and for their efforts.
    Certainly, I think I mentioned this before, but after the 
fact, long term, allowing the Corps the flexibility to stay 
involved in the restoration projects that they do perform, so 
that when things come up, we can circle back around to them, 
and they would have the resources to be able to work with us to 
fine tune and shift things as needed. As we are finding and 
discovering more information as we move along these projects, 
it would be incredibly helpful.
    Senator Carper. All right, good. Thanks.
    Mr. Eikenberg, with the Everglades in mind, same question. 
Elaborate a bit for us if you would on the challenges and the 
opportunities in partnering with the Corps.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I mentioned that this issue is 
a national model. It has taken time to get to that point, 23 
years now into the process of a restoration effort between the 
Army Corps and a non-Federal sponsor, the State of Florida.
    I do want to give a plug for the regular order on the Water 
Resources Development Act. Having the ability for the Army 
Corps hearing issues on the ground, understanding the 
importance of having those authorizations or those tweaks, 
those refinements, there is an integrated delivery schedule 
that the Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water 
Management District have outlined. It takes us through the end 
of this decade. It is clear, it demonstrates exactly what needs 
to occur.
    But there are moments when both sides, along with 
stakeholders like the Everglades Foundation, offer suggestions 
for WRDA bills to be available again, enable and ensure that 
these projects come to fruition. We have come a long way. The 
ability not only to preserve a drinking water supply for a 
growing population but these added benefits, these economic 
benefits that come with this, the issues relating to storing 
and sending water south, recharging an aquifer that is the 
drinking water supply now for almost 6 million people.
    And then alone the benefits of pushing against sea level 
rise and saltwater intrusion. This issue covers the gamut and 
having the Army Corps of Engineers identifying the challenges 
and not backing away from them and seeking assistance from NGOs 
or the State of Florida to assist in that regard. I salute the 
Corps from Jacksonville to Atlanta to Washington in making this 
effort again a national model for the Nation.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
    Speaking of sea level rise, as a Senator from the lowest 
lying State in the United States, our State is sinking, the 
seas around us are rising. Not a good combination. We have a 
special concern about the climate changes driving sea level 
rise, land subsidence, and flooding in our State and other 
States on the coasts.
    According to Climate Change 2023 Synthesis Report Summary 
for Policymakers from something called the Intergovernmental 
Panel on Climate Change, the largest driver of climate change 
is carbon in our environment, resulting in unprecedented rising 
global temperatures and corresponding extreme weather events. 
The same report, however, also points to carbon reduction 
benefits associated with ecosystem restoration.
    Mr. Eikenberg, would you please explain for us how the 
Everglades project is helping to address the root causes of 
climate change through environmental restoration? Please also 
explain for us the significance of the climate mitigation and 
resilience benefits seen in the Everglades thus far.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I think it is important to 
point out that the Everglades itself, these organic peat soils 
in the Everglades have been sequestering or capturing carbon 
for centuries. It has been building over time. As we continue 
to move in the direction of hydrating these wetlands, again, 
this is a massive plumbing project in Florida to redirect the 
way freshwater flows. And by storing, cleaning, and sending 
that water south, you are rehydrating wetlands, a massive 
wetland forest, a significant wetland area within our world.
    The ability to hydrate those wetlands sequesters carbon. It 
takes off roughly about 230,000 cars off the road just in 
freshwater wetlands, and the climate benefits of keeping those 
wetlands hydrated.
    We are also seeing benefits along the coasts, the mangroves 
that surround the Florida peninsula also add a tremendous 
benefit on a carbon bank which the Everglades is. And by having 
that head of fresh water flowing down to the Florida Keys 
through Everglades National Park, down to Florida Bay, it is 
recharging the Biscayne Aquifer. That porous limestone within 
the Everglades, the fresh water permeates through that 
limestone and pushes eastward. And it acts as a buffer, it 
pushes against saltwater intrusion.
    The issues along South Florida's coast with sea level rise, 
you cannot abandon, we cannot abandon the issue of restoration 
within the Everglades to deal strictly or solely with the 
climate concerns along the coast. They both are interconnected. 
It complements it, and that is why with the Army Corps of 
Engineers, the State of Florida is moving in a very aggressive 
way to see this restoration, the adaptation, the mitigation 
issues that come with it are very positive.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thank you. Thank you for that.
    Ms. Balluff, we have already talked about the question I am 
about to raise. You may want to add to what has already been 
said with regard to this. We understand from your testimony 
that the Tres Rios project repurposed treated wastewater in the 
restoration of some 1,200 acres of wetland in the desert, quite 
a noteworthy feature. In addition to these wetlands and 
restoration features, the project provides for flood protection 
and local recreation.
    Please share with us, supplement what you have already 
said, and anything else you might like to add, how this unique 
project came together with the diverse group of stakeholders 
that traditionally do not work with the Army Corps of 
Engineers. What were some of the challenges in setting up this 
creative approach to ecosystem restoration? And if you could 
think of how some of those challenges were overcome, that would 
be welcome, too.
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper. I was actually not 
involved with the very beginnings of Tres Rios, so I don't have 
any first hand knowledge of that.
    But I do know that a very significant group of stakeholders 
was brought together, including not just the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, but also the Environmental Protection Agency. Again, 
we had to meet those Clean Water Act requirements, and U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Gila River Indian Community, and 
others. And it has been a really successful partnership.
    I would say it has even expanded since that time. So as we 
have been working to get continued authorization to complete 
Tres Rios, we have an entire collaborative group of 
stakeholders representing private parties, nonprofits, State 
and local agencies, and Federal agencies that are all 
coordinating together to make this happen, including the 
Arizona Game and Fish Department, and Arizona State University 
and the Rio Reimagined Project.
    I would say that has given a lot of strength to our 
efforts, because it has allowed these different perspectives to 
be brought in. It has also allowed for everyone's ideas and 
thoughts to be heard ahead of time, so that we can figure out 
the right solution and the right path forward to achieve a 
solution that makes people feel like they are achieving what 
they want to, like they are getting what they want out of this 
project and what they need out of this project. And that has 
been really helpful.
    Senator Carper. We want them to feel like they have been 
listened to.
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, it is absolutely, incredibly important. 
Also to have their ideas implemented into the project is really 
important.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thanks. If I could, I would like to 
ask Ms. Riggin to talk with us about a dynamic system. I will 
set up the question by saying, maintaining your project like 
the Crab Bank requires the stakeholders to think about a long 
term project plan and lifecycle challenges and costs. Water is 
a dynamic force, as we know, and comes with erosion and other 
shifting environmental factors.
    Recognizing that restoration does not stop with one 
investment, what considerations go into approaching long term 
success of a restoration project such as Crab Bank? And are you 
thinking about next steps to preserve or maybe to alter the 
project to ensure long term viability?
    Ms. Riggin. Building a seabird or shorebird island is 
tricky. By nature, those types of ecosystems are dynamic. We 
have five seabird sanctuaries off the coast of South Carolina, 
and all of them are ebbing and flowing and changing with tides 
and storms. And that is just part of it. That is what those 
seabirds and shorebirds really like. They also really like our 
beaches, but we like our beaches, too, and the two of us 
combined don't go well together.
    So building Crab Bank, while there was a $1.4 million price 
tag initially, everybody found the value in providing any 
available nesting habitat, knowing that shorebirds and seabirds 
are in crisis. We wanted to ensure that we could provide the 
habitat as long as we could, knowing that Mother Nature is 
going to do what Mother Nature is going to do. There are going 
to be tropical storms, there are going to be hurricanes that 
are going to change the footprint of that island.
    But if we get one successful nesting season, last year we 
had 500 nests, and that does not count individual chicks in 
each of those nests, that matters. That counts. So the 
investment from the Department and the community and the 
conservation partners, we need all the available nesting 
shorebird habitat that we can.
    We know that the project was modeled that given the past 
history of the current storms, it should last for 50 years. 
There is hope that maybe there will be additional dredging 
material opportunities in the future as we know there are 
limited places for dredged material to go. But it has to be the 
right sediment composition for us to be able to add it back to 
the island to maintain that in the future.
    So while 50 years may seem like a short amount of time, if 
we get back to historic numbers of Crab Bank in the five to ten 
thousands of nests, it is worth it.
    Senator Carper. All right, good. Thank you for that 
response.
    I have another question for each of you. Then at the very 
end of the hearing, I am going to ask you, is there a question 
you wish you had been asked but you have not been asked. You 
can tell us what that question might be, and then if you will, 
answer it. It will take us a few more minutes to get to that 
point in the hearing.
    If I could, in the meantime, Mr. Eikenberg, a question with 
respect to process. The Everglades, as we know, is a complex 
program, very complex program, comprised of a whole lot of 
projects. They range in size, they range in scope, they range 
in objectives.
    Please describe the input that the Everglades Foundation 
and its partners provide to the Army Corps of Engineers for the 
Everglades restoration process in order to ensure that 
restoration proceeds in a timely way and meets intended 
outcomes. Do you as a stakeholder in the process feel that your 
voice is heard?
    Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, to the second portion of your 
question, the answer is yes. The ability as an NGO to be able 
to go to the Corps with the expertise that the Foundation has, 
we have tremendous expertise within the science of the 
Everglades. A lot of this is modeling. It is hydrological 
modeling, it is ecological modeling, it is economic results.
    To be able to run those scenarios with a variety of 
assumptions, the Army Corps has their process, the South 
Florida Water Management District has theirs. And at the 
Everglades Foundation, we are proud to be able to do the same 
thing, the same type of modeling.
    To then be able to go to the Army Corps with suggestions, 
to think differently over here or over there, and to have that 
ability to sit across a table and express those results and 
realize that it is being heard, it may not make the final 
result. But 9 out of 10 times, there are different portions of 
what is being recommended, not just by us but also by the other 
partners, from Audubon Florida to the Sanibel Captiva 
Conservation Foundation, Captains for Clean Water and countless 
others who are expressing the desire to see this project come 
to fruition.
    I want to give a shout out to Colonel Booth in 
Jacksonville, the commander of the district. He is accessible, 
he travels throughout Florida to make sure voices are being 
heard. Again, the economic return on this, we heard about the 
population of wading birds or shore birds coming back. The 
example for the Corps on their work in the Kissimmee River, 
that flood plain has returned, the wading bird population has 
come back in droves.
    The same Army Corps that dug the channel south of Orlando 
that drained that flood plain in the 1960s, for it now to be 
fully restored, the meandering Kissimmee is back, that is an 
example of the Army Corps understanding not just the ecological 
returns but also the economics. The ecotourism benefits to the 
State of Florida and to the Nation are tremendous.
    That is kind of how we see it as it relates to an 
organization that is at the table and has a voice in this 
process.
    Senator Carper. Thank you for that. Did you say Captains 
for Clean Water?
    Mr. Eikenberg. Yes. It is a group that was founded in 2016 
when there were some algae outbreaks around Fort Myers. And Mr. 
Chairman, I will tell you, anglers, boat captains, those who 
make a livelihood on the water, I was standing on a boat in 
2016 and a gentleman said, I don't know where your office is, 
but you're standing in mine. And my office is closed because of 
the way water is being managed in Florida.
    So they have come to the table with realtors, chambers of 
commerce, this is a business. It is an economic message as much 
as it is ecological. And those groups and others are having a 
tremendous impact.
    Senator Carper. We have a local chapter of Captains for 
Clean Water on this Committee. Senator Kelly and I are both 
retired Navy captains. We are very interested in clean water.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Thank you for your service. Yes, sir.
    Senator Carper. I have one other question for Ms. Balluff. 
It deals with a general reevaluation report. I think there is 
an acronym for that, GRR. I understand that there are some 
remaining construction features for the Tres Rios project, with 
a reevaluation of the project underway to address increased 
costs in the next steps.
    Could you tell us a little bit more about the phasing of 
the project and your work with the Corps to ensure benefits are 
seen without all of the features completed?
    Ms. Balluff. Yes, thank you, Senator Carper.
    Yes, there is a Post Authorization Change Report underway 
right now for a cost update for the final phases of Tres Rios 
to be completed. But in the meantime, many of the phases of 
Tres Rios have been completed, including the levee, which is 
already providing vast benefits to the neighboring communities 
that are removed from the flood plain as a result of 
construction of that.
    There is also of course the treatment wetlands that we 
talked about that are already providing the benefits for water 
quality that was released into the river. We also have overbank 
wetlands and some in river restoration that people can access, 
and they do. They come over from across the Nation and all over 
the world to fish and to birdwatch. There are over 200 species 
of birds. We have pelicans in Arizona, in Phoenix, because of 
these wetlands.
    So there are significant birdwatching opportunities. 
Audubon Arizona does surveys along with Game and Fish for us. 
We have threatened and endangered species there.
    So we are definitely, we have conferences come out from 
across the Nation and across the world to look at Tres Rios and 
see what has been accomplished here and see the success of the 
project. So it is definitely being noticed. And we look forward 
to that notice increasing as we complete it and open up those 
trailheads and the rest of the in river restoration.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thank you.
    Early in the hearing, I asked you, and then I found that I 
should have asked Ms. Riggin, when she figured out in her life 
why she was born. She gave us a great answer about it being, 
eighth grade when the light went off in her head.
    Ms. Balluff, when did you figure out why you were born?
    Ms. Balluff. I think it took me a little bit longer. I 
played around with a lot of different reasons, I guess, for why 
I was born.
    Senator Carper. I was born to play third base for the 
Detroit Tigers. They had different ideas.
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Balluff. Yes. I really came to it in college. I was in 
college, and I was trying some different majors out, and ended 
up in forestry at Colorado State University. It really clicked 
with me. My love of the outdoors and my appreciation of what 
nature gives me personally and what I could then do to support 
it right back is really what brought me to it.
    Senator Carper. That is good.
    Mr. Eikenberg, same question. When did you figure out, and 
your son will be interested in this, when did you figure out 
why you were born?
    Mr. Eikenberg. I think my moment was in high school. I 
attended Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, 
Florida. My 11th grade government teacher, Doug Pierce----
    Senator Carper. You still remember his name, he would be 
pleased, if he is listening in.
    Mr. Eikenberg. I hope he is. If not, I want to send him 
this clip.
    Doug Pierce is the person who got me interested in policy 
and public politics and the importance of government service. I 
watched my mentor, Clay Shaw, who spearheaded the Comprehensive 
Everglades Restoration Plan through Congress in 2000. I got to 
see first hand as a native Floridian, Clay Shaw, the importance 
of balancing the environment with economic development in 
Florida.
    We have been doing this for years, Mr. Chairman, as you 
note, decades, generations upon generations have either messed 
it up, and now we are fixing it. For me to be able to be here 
in Washington in years past to see how this process works, to 
understand the bipartisan nature of the environment, 
conservation, regardless of our party affiliations, we all 
unite for clean water, clean air, healthy wetlands, drinking 
water. The Everglades is the perfect example for all of that to 
come together.
    Not only am I proud that my son Patrick is here with me, 
but I have three other children. And the example that we are 
doing within the Everglades is the example to pass on for 
future generations. Doug Pierce was the key for me back in 
1993, 30 years ago. I hope that anyone listening to this 
message of hope and success around the environment, across the 
country, engages them to be a part of something bigger than 
themselves.
    Senator Carper. Great. Thank you for that.
    Doug Pierce, if you are out there, thanks very much. You 
gave a big assist on the play.
    Now we are going to close out with this. I will ask you 
each to give us a question that you wish you had been asked but 
were not. If you had been asked the question, how would you 
respond?
    Go ahead, Ms. Riggin.
    Ms. Riggin. Thank you, Senator Carper.
    I really can't think of anything that I would like to share 
more about the project. I am excited that I was asked to be 
here today to share the success of Crab Bank. I am thankful for 
the support of all of the conservation community entities that 
helped raise money for the project to help us get here.
    I am excited to share, and I touched on it a little bit 
earlier, about the fact that Crab Bank was so much more than 
just that one project. By building the relationships with the 
conservation community and others and highlighting the need for 
support for shorebird, seabird, wading bird conservation, we 
had the ability to establish the South Carolina Coastal Bird 
Conservation Fund that has allowed us to do even more.
    We have around $400,000 in the fund that helps us leverage 
Federal grants to continue and further shorebird conservation 
for the future. And fingers crossed sitting back here for the 
Recovering America's Wildlife Act, and hoping that we will have 
a steady, constant, consistent funding stream to support 
nongame wildlife management in States across the country like 
we do with the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program.
    Senator Carper. Thank you.
    Ms. Balluff, what would you have like to have been asked 
that you weren't?
    Ms. Balluff. I would have love to have been asked what is 
next after Tres Rios.
    Senator Carper. What is next after Tres Rios?
    [Laughter.]
    Ms. Balluff. Thank you, Senator Carper, for asking that 
excellent question. I am happy to respond to it.
    What is next after Tres Rios is Rio Salado Oeste, which is 
a really important ecosystem restoration project in the Salt 
River that will connect our completed Rio Salado Phoenix, which 
is our completed ecosystem restoration project, with Tres Rios.
    Right now, we have about an 8 mile gap in restoration 
between those two projects. Rio Salado Oeste will fill that gap 
and will give us 19 contiguous miles of restored Salt River 
through Metropolitan Phoenix, through surrounding disadvantaged 
communities.
    Senator Carper. How many miles did you say, 19?
    Ms. Balluff. Nineteen contiguous miles of restored river, 
once all three of these projects are complete. We are very 
excited. We did get, the project got work plan monies for the 
Corps to start working on the general reevaluation report for 
Rio Salado Oeste. So we are getting that underway and are 
really excited for the next steps on that project as well.
    Senator Carper. Good. Thanks. Good question.
    Mr. Eikenberg.
    Mr. Eikenberg. Mr. Chairman, I think the question of will 
we ever finish Everglades restoration. We hear that. I will be 
brief.
    I think the answer is yes, I know the answer is yes. And by 
the year 2030, the remainder of this decade, with critical 
projects that are being planned and are ready for construction, 
we will do that. Then we shift to perpetual protection. Because 
again, the next generation is going to have to ensure that what 
we have fought for, these remaining 3 million acres of 
Everglades that we are protecting, survives.
    So we know the problem. We have the solution.
    What I want to also highlight, Mr. Chairman, is the 
political will has really stepped up in a manner that is 
delivering this. This is a mainstream issue now. And the 
ability from the President and the Congress to the Governor and 
the State legislature, everyone is moving in the same 
direction. There is massive momentum around Everglades 
restoration.
    This is a national treasure. It is America's Everglades. 
With your help and those on the ground back in Florida, we will 
get it done.
    Senator Carper. That is great. My colleagues hear me say 
probably too often, bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions. 
That is just another way of saying part of what you just said, 
I think. Most helpful.
    I have some boilerplate language I am going to use in just 
a minute before we close out the hearing. I ride a lot back and 
forth from Delaware to Washington to come to work, every day 
almost. Another guy who used to ride the train a lot was Albert 
Einstein. Albert Einstein, I don't know if he was in Princeton, 
maybe in Princeton where he taught. He would get on the train 
and go to New York, get on a train and come to DC. He rode the 
train a lot.
    One day he got on the train, and he started looking for his 
ticket, and he couldn't find it. He was looking in his coat, 
his trousers, he looked in his briefcase, couldn't find it. The 
conductor came along and said, Dr. Einstein, we know who you 
are, don't worry about it. You are fine, you don't have to 
worry about it.
    The conductor walked away to go to the next car, and he 
turned around and looked back at Dr. Einstein again, Dr. 
Einstein was down on his hands and knees looking for his 
ticket. The conductor ran back and said, Dr. Einstein, you 
don't have to worry about it. We know who you are. We know who 
you are.
    Dr. Einstein looked up at him and said, ``I know who I am, 
too. I just don't know where I am going.''
    [Laughter.]
    Senator Carper. One of the best ways to figure out where to 
go is to find out what works and do more of that. One of the 
things I think works is regular order. That term has been used 
a number of times. It is one of the things that Senator Capito 
and I think our colleagues, both Democrat and Republican on 
this Committee, agree.
    We like regular order. We like working with States. We love 
working with the Army Corps of Engineers, and we have oversight 
of them. They do great work in our State and 49 other States as 
well. We are in their debt.
    Speaking of Albert Einstein, a lot of people remember he 
once said, the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same 
thing over and over again and expect a different result. That 
is a good quote.
    But my favorite Einstein quote is, in adversity lies 
opportunity. In adversity lies opportunity. That is a great 
one. I use that one every day. There is plenty of adversity in 
our States and our country and our world. But there is also 
opportunity. The key is to find in that adversity the real 
opportunities. I think that is part of what we are talking 
about doing here today.
    Finally, I would like to say, find out what works, do more 
of that. You all have given us some great examples of what 
works, so we can be inspired by you and learn from what is 
going on in your States. We applaud you for that.
    Now to the boilerplate. Before we adjourn, some 
housekeeping. Our Senators, our colleagues, will be allowed to 
submit written questions for the record by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, 
June 21st, that is 2 weeks from today. We will compile those 
questions, send them to each of you. We are going to ask you to 
try to reply to us by Wednesday, July 12th. We will follow up 
with this information and these dates.
    I will ask the majority staff, anything else? Minority 
staff?
    I just want to say to our staffs, these hearings don't just 
happen. They happen because we have great staff members. They 
help figure out who would be good witnesses to bring in and get 
everything coordinated and provide us with just an enormous 
amount of support and help. I say to all of you, thank you 
very, very much.
    To those of you who spend your life, this is a big part of 
your life, what you do, you are not just doing it for 
yourselves and your family, you are doing it for the rest of 
us, we thank you for that. We are inspired by you and 
encouraged by the work that you do.
    With that, this hearing is adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:38 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
    [An additional statement submitted for the record follows:]

                   Statement of Hon. Pete Ricketts, 
                U.S. Senator from the State of Nebraska

    I write to remind you of the Army Corps of Engineers' 
priorities. I am aware the purpose of this hearing is to 
discuss the ecosystem restoration branch of the Corps. However, 
I would be remiss if I failed to highlight my concerns about 
the Corps' mismanagement.
    As Governor, I came to view the Corps as an impediment to 
progress and an organization that failed to prioritize 
taxpayers in their decisionmaking.
    The Corps' failure to consider taxpayers is demonstrated by 
the critical shift in the management of the Missouri River in 
2004. The Corps sought to restore the Missouri River's 
ecosystem and create habitat for threatened and endangered 
species. This prioritization led to litigation from landowners 
in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.
    In Ideker Farms v. United States, the court found that the 
notching of dikes and revetments, as well as the reopening of 
the historic chutes, which allows the river to meander and 
erode the bank, created potential flood impacts. These changes 
to the river, combined with increased reservoir storage and 
releases of threatened and endangered species from the dams 
during high river stages, have caused or contributed to 
flooding since 2007. I implore the Corps to operate in 
accordance with the priorities in the 1944 Flood Control Act.
    Nebraskans want to see people and communities put first, 
and we would appreciate the opportunity to work together to 
rebuild bigger and better than before to keep people safe. It's 
one of my major priorities on this Committee and in the Senate. 
The Army Corps must get its house to support that mission.
    I urge my colleagues to work together to regain the 
original priorities of the Army Corps of Engineers to protect 
people and property.

                                 [all]