Two Southland congresswomen are requesting more than $100 million in funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dam safety program, citing Whittier Narrows Dam as a potential recipient.
In a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Resources, Reps. Linda Sanchez, D-Whittier, and Grace Napolitano, D-Norwalk, said the Army Corps’ dam safety and stability program was key to local flood protection efforts.
“This program makes critical repairs to Army Corps dams in order to provide much needed flood protection to protect human life, economic prosperity and our natural resources,” the letter says. “Projects such as the Whittier Narrows Dam, CA, which has been recognized as one of the most critical dam safety projects in the nation, could compete for funding in this account.”
The request calls for the same overall level of funding approved last year.
Napolitano chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and Sanchez represents the congressional district where the dam is located.
The letter was co-signed by Reps. Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, Gil Cisneros, D-Yorba Linda, and Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach.