[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 18 (Monday, February 7, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise today to commend and congratulate 
the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, SRBC, in honor of their 40th 
anniversary. The Susquehanna River Basin Compact, which went into 
effect on January 23, 1971, brought together the Federal Government and 
the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland to form the SRBC, 
one of only two such Federal-interstate compact agencies in the Nation. 
The mission of SRBC is to manage the water resources of the Susquehanna 
basin under comprehensive planning principles, and to protect the 
Chesapeake Bay, one of the world's most productive ecosystems. The 
Susquehanna is America's largest eastern river and supplies over half 
the fresh water entering the Chesapeake Bay.
  This unique partnership has resulted in numerous benefits for the 
people of the basin, including the establishment of a basin-wide flood 
forecasting and warning system in one of America's most flood prone 
river systems; the storage and release of water during low flow periods 
from federally operated reservoirs; the management of large scale 
withdrawals and consumptive uses of water; and the monitoring of basin 
water quality. Furthermore, SRBC's involvement in hydroelectric 
relicensing has restored migratory fish runs, minimum flows, and 
improved recreational facilities.
  The Susquehanna Flood Forecast and Warning System, administered by 
the National Weather Service, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological 
Survey and the SRBC, provides timely warnings to residents of the 
Susquehanna River basin to reduce loss of life and property damage 
during flood events. The funding I've helped to secure over the years 
supports the flood warning infrastructure--a network of gauges, radar 
and computer technology--to provide advanced flood warning information 
to communities along the river.
  The Susquehanna System is about saving lives and saving communities. 
I have seen firsthand not only what the warning system accomplishes, 
but also its ongoing and compelling needs. This system has been 
critical in protecting families and businesses during flooding that has 
devastated communities along the east coast.
  I extend my congratulations to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission 
for its 40 years of water resources management excellence, and I will 
continue to work closely with the Commission on important water 
resource issues in the future.

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