WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) today announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 work plan for the Army Civil Works program includes $2 million for the Missouri River Levee System in St. Joseph, Mo. Blunt secured language in the omnibus appropriations bill last year that allows federal resources to be used to repair the levee, which was ineligible for federal funding under previous budgeting guidelines.

“The recent, catastrophic flooding across the state underscores the urgent need to do everything we can to protect people and property from future flood damage,” Blunt said. “Design deficiencies in the levee protecting St. Joseph and the 139 Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base have left local residents and critical national security assets vulnerable for more than two decades. I’m proud to have led efforts to ensure that this levee, and other projects suffering design deficiencies from past work, are eligible for federal funding for much-needed repairs.”

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, which was signed into law in December, included Blunt’s language to ensure unfinished projects that have suffered a design deficiency resulting from past work are eligible for work plan dollars. Projects needing work resulting from a design deficiency were previously treated as new projects under strict budgeting guidelines, and in some cases were deemed ineligible for federal dollars as a result.  

* Updated to reflect revised funding level. The Corps’ work plan provides $2 million for the St. Joseph levee, and an additional $1 million for repairs to the Riverside-Quindaro Bend levee project.