[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 140 (Thursday, September 15, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5837-S5838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2016

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to celebrate 
the bipartisan passage of this year's Water Resources Development Act. 
This critically important legislation will help keep our drinking water 
safe, move goods on Illinois waterways, protect communities from 
flooding and preserve the precious natural resources that are our 
rivers, streams, and wetlands.
  Our Nation's water infrastructure plays a vital role in protecting 
our communities from flooding, safeguarding our drinking water from 
contamination, and advancing commerce through the safe and secure 
movement of goods. The safety of the American people and the stability 
of the American economy depend on the reliability of our water 
infrastructure.
  But our water infrastructure in the U.S. is aging and overburdened, 
and investment is not keeping up with the need. We have locks and dams 
that are crumbling, in serious need of maintenance and upgrades, and 
lead water pipes that are long overdue for replacement. What happened 
in Flint has shown just how vulnerable our water infrastructure is and 
why investing in it is so important. That is why I was proud to support 
the passage of the Water Resource and Development Act of 2016, which 
makes significant investments in water infrastructure around the 
country.
  I am proud to report that much of the water infrastructure funding in 
this bill will benefit my home State of Illinois. The bill authorizes a 
final feasibility report on phase II of the Des Plaines River Project, 
which will provide flood risk management and environmental restoration 
on the Upper Des Plaines River and tributaries in Illinois and 
Wisconsin. The bill also includes language that expedites the

[[Page S5838]]

completion of the McCook Reservoir in the Chicago region. McCook is a 
10-billion-gallon reservoir designed to redirect flood and wastewater 
from the Chicago region. When completed, the project will benefit 
Chicago and 36 surrounding suburbs, including 1.5 million structures 
and over 5 million people. Also included is language that will help pay 
for work on the Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve and the Prairie Bluff 
Preserve in Will County. These are important projects for Illinois that 
will help prevent flooding in our communities and restore our region's 
ecosystems.
  In Illinois, we treasure Lake Michigan, from the drinking water it 
provides to millions of people, to the commerce and tourism it brings 
to the Chicago area. That is why protecting and restoring our Great 
Lakes is so important to Illinois. This bill authorizes $300 million 
per year to help protect our Great Lakes through the Great Lakes 
Restoration Initiative, or GLRI, which provides Illinois with millions 
in Federal funding to combat invasive species like Asian carp; reduce 
and remove pollution, waste runoff, and toxic chemicals; and restore 
wetlands and other lakefront assets. GLRI funds have been used for 
restoration projects like the removal of toxic chemicals from Waukegan 
Harbor, green infrastructure like the Millennium Reserve near the 
Calumet River, and the restoration of 40 acres of land at Northerly 
Island.
  Finally, this bill takes important steps to address the water 
contamination issues that have been plaguing communities across the 
country. Lead water contamination is not a new problem. In Illinois, we 
have been battling this issue for years. The contaminated water crisis 
in Flint, MI, was a wakeup call to all of us that we must have strong 
drinking water protections in place and invest the necessary resources 
to keep our water safe for our children. This bill provides $220 
million in direct emergency assistance to Flint and other communities 
facing similar drinking water emergencies. It provides $1.4 billion 
over 5 years to help small and disadvantaged communities comply with 
the Safe Drinking Water Act. The bill modernizes our State Revolving 
Loan Fund program and provides $300 million in grants for communities 
to replace lead service lines. And because we are also seeing high 
levels of lead in our schools' water, the bill authorizes $100 million 
for additional lead testing in schools. This bill also addresses many 
of the issues that I raised in the Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act that 
I introduced with Senator Menendez and the CLEAR Act that I introduced 
with Senator Cardin, two bills that would ensure our children are 
protected from the dangerous effects of lead in our water and our 
housing.
  Congress has a responsibility to protect the safety of our drinking 
water, defend our communities from flooding, improve our waterways, and 
fix the Nation's crumbling water infrastructure. I want to congratulate 
Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Boxer for their hard work and 
dedication to improving our water infrastructure and for getting this 
bill passed by the Senate. I am proud to support the important 
investments that this bipartisan bill makes to improve water 
infrastructure in Illinois and around the country.

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