The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) recently received an additional $44.5 million from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123) or PL 115-123 for Operations and Maintenance (channel maintenance) of the Mississippi River Ship Channel (Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico). This raises the total allocations in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19) from PL 115-123 to $88 million, the MVN had previously received $43.5 million from PL 115-123. The MVN also received $58.66 million early in FY19 from the USACE Work Plan for Civil Works Appropriations. Prior to the latest round of supplemental funding from PL 115-123 the MVN had already received a record amount of funding $191,329,000 (Fiscal Year 2019) based on the combined amounts from the President’s Budget Request, Work Plan Allocation and Supplemental Funding (PL 115-123).
| FISCAL YEAR | PRESIDENT’S
BUDGET REQUEST |
WORK PLAN | SUPPLEMENTAL
PL 115-123 |
TOTAL ALLOCATION |
| 2019 | $89,169,000 | $58,660,000 | $88,000,000 | $235,829,000 |
Please review the attachments for complete details on the breakdown for Fiscal Year 2019 Operations and Maintenance funding and the National Weather Service’s “Consecutive Days Above Flood Stage” table issued today, Friday, July 19, 2019.
RE: UPDATE: USACE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING PUBLIC LAW 115-123
Supplemental Funding Public Law 115-123 71919.pdf
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) recently received an additional $44.5 million from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123)(PL 115-123) for Operations and Maintenance (channel maintenance) of the Mississippi River Ship Channel (Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico). This raises the total funding allocations in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19) from PL 115-123 to $88 million, the MVN had previously received $43.5 million from PL 115-123. The MVN also received $58.66 million early in FY19 from the USACE Work Plan for Civil Works Appropriations. Prior to the latest round of supplemental funding from PL 115-123 the MVN had already received a record amount of funding $191,329,000 (Fiscal Year 2019) based on the combined amounts from the President’s Budget Request, Work Plan Allocation and Supplemental Funding (PL 115-123).
|
FISCAL YEAR |
PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST |
WORK PLAN |
SUPPLEMENTAL PL 115-123 |
TOTAL ALLOCATION |
|
2019 |
$89,169,000 |
$58,660,000
|
$88,000,000 |
$235,829,000 |
The $235,829,000 is the highest level of funding ever received by the MVN for channel maintenance on the Mississippi River Ship Channel, surpassing the previous record of $179,080,500 in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA funds were budget (surplus) driven and not based on channel conditions but were utilized for advanced maintenance and repair to water infrastructure features.
In Fiscal Year 2018 the MVN received the following level of funding:
|
FISCAL YEAR |
PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST |
WORK PLAN |
SUPPLEMENTAL PL 115-123 |
TOTAL ALLOCATION |
|
2018 |
$83,846,000 |
$15,000,000 |
$75,000,000 |
$173,846,000 |
The record amount of precipitation deposited across the Mississippi River Basin in the last year has driven the waters levels in the Great Flood of 2019. Historic river stage levels for consecutive days above flood stage were established across much of the Basin and also deposited a record amount of shoaling in the Mississippi River Ship Channel. Attached you will find a table released today by the National Weather Service updating the “Consecutive Days Above Flood Stage” that details the latest number of days for the continuing records of 2019 flooding.
In the reach of the Mississippi River Ship Channel from the Venice Jump (Mile 11 Above Head of Passes) to the Gulf of Mexico through the end Southwest Pass (Mile 22 Below Head of Passes) the MVN has already dredged more than double the typical amount dredged in an entire Fiscal Year and there is still plenty more to dredge and two and half months of FY 19 remaining.
The average amount of shoaling removed (dredged) from the Ship Channel below Venice is 19 million cubic yards and the MVN has already removed over 40 million cubic yards in FY 19. There are three hopper dredges working in this reach of the channel now, two cutterhead dredges expected to arrive soon and the MVN intends to issue an additional hopper dredge contract next week.
The supplemental funding will be utilized by the MVN to dredge in the three key areas listed in order of priority: Venice to the Gulf of Mexico via Southwest Pass, the Crossings Above New Orleans, and the New Orleans Harbor. The Ship Channel from Venice to the Gulf of Mexico via Southwest Pass remains deficient with a maximum draft recommendation in Southwest Pass is 43 feet – deficient by two feet. Clearly, this record level of funding will be critical to the efforts of the MVN to restore federally authorized channel dimensions across the 256 miles of the Mississippi River Ship Channel.
The Big River Coalition has issued previous updates on funding from PL 115-123, my decision in this case was to not attach the previous letters. Members can either search their records for those two updates issued on September 24, 2018 and April 30, 2019 or request them from the undersigned.
NWS Consecutive Days Above Flood Stage 71919[1][1][1][1].pptx
| ForecastLocation | Record(Days/Year) | 2019(Days/Period) | 2011(Days) | 1973(Days) | 1927(Days) |
| Cairo, IL | 1562019 | 156Feb 8th – Jul 13th | 59 | 97 | 76 |
| Memphis, TN | 651927 | 39Feb 19th – Mar 29th | 35 | 64 | 65 |
| Arkansas City, AR | 1971927 | 94Apr 16th – Today | 44 | 72 | 197 |
| Greenville, MS | 1522019 | 152Feb 17th – Today | 46 | 71 | 115 |
| Vicksburg, MS | 1851927 | 153Feb 17th – Today | 48 | 83 | 185 |
| Natchez, MS | 1962019 | 196Jan 4th – Today | 53 | 90 | 77 |
| Red River Landing, LA | 2042019 | 204Dec 27th – Today | 59 | 95 | 152 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1952019 | 195Jan 6th – Today | 79 | 99 | 135 |
