Hoyer Announces Authorization of Important Maryland Waterway Restoration Projects
"This bill will provide the Army Corps the authority and resources necessary to continue the coordinated efforts to clean-up the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the bill authorizes the Corps to move forward on restoration measures throughout the Anacostia River Watershed," said Congressman Hoyer. "These projects are important not only to improve the health of our region's water resources, but also to ensure that these waterways are operational for recreational and economic purposes as well."
The following projects were authorized in the Water Resources and Development passed by the House of Representatives today:
Chesapeake Bay Environment Restoration and Protection Program, $50 million
In October 2004, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Blue Ribbon Finance Panel concluded in its final report that "…restoring the Chesapeake Bay will require a large-scale national and regional approach, capitalized by federal and state governments and directed according to a watershed-wide strategy." As the lead Federal agency in water resource management, the Corps has a vital role to play in this effort. At Congressman Hoyer's request, the authorized funding for the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration and Protection Program was raised from the current level of $10 million to $50 million. This important program authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to provide design and construction assistance to State and local authorities in the environmental restoration of the Chesapeake Bay.
Anacostia Watershed Restoration
The Anacostia River is one of the most degraded rivers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and in the Nation. It is a resource that has long been abused and neglected, but one that can be protected and restored. Through a cooperative and coordinated federal, state, local and private effort, progress has been made in the past ten years in restoring the watershed. The Army Corps of Engineers has played a key role in improving tidal water flow through the marsh, reducing the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus, and restoring wetlands, but the job of restoring the Anacostia watershed is far from complete. The WRDA bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers, in coordination with the Mayor of Washington, D.C., the Governor of Maryland, and the County Executives from Prince George's and Montgomery counties, and other interested entities with developing a 10-year comprehensive action plan for the restoration and protection of the ecological integrity of the Anacostia River and its tributaries.
Sub-merged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV)
Underwater bay grasses contribute to the oxygenation of the water and prevent erosion and sedimentation. These grasses, also called submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV, once grew in abundance-covering an estimated 200,000 acres-along the shallows and shorelines of the Chesapeake Bay, providing protection and nursery habitat for a broad range of aquatic organisms. The 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement set several goals for SAV restoration, including the restoration of 114,000 acres of SAV and the implementation of a strategy to accelerate protection and restoration of SAV beds in areas of critical importance to the Bay's living resources. The bill authorizes the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Restoration and Protection Program to provide design and construction assistance for the restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation.
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