03.03.21

Durbin Discusses Illinois Water Infrastructure Projects with Rock Island Army Corps District Commander

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) received an update today from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District Commander Colonel Steven Sattinger about several Illinois water infrastructure projects including the Quincy Bay Restoration Project, the Brandon Road Project, and the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP). 

“Years of wear and tear have left Illinois’ water infrastructure in desperate need of restoration. Federal investments are critical to combat invasive species and erosion and modernize the locks in high-traffic areas. I will continue to work with the Army Corps and local stakeholders to bring 21stcentury waterways to Illinois through these key water infrastructure projects,” said Durbin.

On the call, Durbin spoke with Colonel Sattinger about progress on the Quincy Bay project through the U.S. Army Corps’ Upper Mississippi River Restoration program, which will aid in addressing Quincy Bay’s severe sedimentation and land erosion. Last year, Durbin successfully fought for language in the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) omnibus appropriations bill directing the Army Corps to continue working with Quincy to prioritize the restoration of Quincy Bay, which resulted in the project being selected for federal funding. A feasibility study for the project is expected to begin later this year.

Colonel Sattinger also provided Durbin with an update on the Brandon Road Project to prevent invasive Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The project, which Durbin recently helped secure $3.8 million federal funding to begin preconstruction, design, and engineering on, will construct a new engineered channel at Brandon Road that will be used to test and deploy a range of technologies that will prevent Asian Carp from moving further north.  

Durbin and Colonel Sattinger also discussed the Corps’ ongoing work on the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP), which will modernize and expand seven locks in high-traffic areas along the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers while assisting in ecosystem restoration.  Last year, Durbin successfully secured $5 million in funding in the FY21 omnibus appropriations bill for preconstruction, engineering, and design (PED) for the project.   

-30-