A federal funding provision authored by U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) for a flood control project in his home state became law as part of the nation’s new comprehensive water infrastructure bill.
“Having championed this project from the beginning, I’m proud to see that the Truckee Meadows Flood Control Project will be awarded the necessary money to protect our communities against Northern Nevada’s tempered weather,” said Sen. Heller on Oct. 26.
Specifically, the Truckee Meadows Flood Control Project is designed to reduce the potential destruction of a 100-year flood, according to the senator’s statement, which noted that funding for the initiative originally was authorized by the 2014 law, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act.
“The Truckee Meadows Flood Control Project is a critical local effort that will help mitigate the threat of flash floods throughout Northern Nevada, which have the potential to devastate the infrastructure of our homes, businesses, and roads and bridges,” Sen. Heller said on Oct. 10. “I realize how important this project is for our community being from Northern Nevada myself, which is why I worked to secure funding for it in the reconciled water infrastructure legislation.”
The new law – America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, S. 3021 – was signed on Oct. 23 by President Donald Trump and includes Sen. Heller’s provision guaranteeing that the project receives $181 million in federal funds for its completion.
“Our communities are no stranger to harrowing storms, which is why the integrity of our homes, businesses, bridges and roads is so critical to the safety of Northern Nevadans,” the senator said. “I applaud the president for swiftly signing this legislation into law so that the Truckee Meadows Flood Control Project has the certainty it needs.”
As Nevada’s senior senator in Congress and the fifth-most bipartisan member of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Daines said he “will continue to lead federal efforts that reflect Nevada’s priorities.”