For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. submitted three requests to the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure for inclusion in the Water Resources and Development Act of 2024. These requests will help enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to use studies to address critical needs across NY-16 with regard to flood risk management, hurricane and storm risk reduction, wastewater and stormwater management, and environmental restoration.

“Our communities have been deeply impacted by the increase in flooding and infrastructure challenges from climate change,” said Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16). “That’s why I’m proud to announce the three requests to authorize work to be carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works to help address the struggles our communities face from flooding, impacts of major hurricanes and storms, environmental degradation, and more. If enacted, each of these requests will support work to create a better living environment for everyone across NY-16. Our roads, schools, and homes were not built to sustain the climate chaos we are now consistently experiencing. Storms should not devastate or wreak havoc on our communities, threaten the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors, or critically damage vital infrastructure and I will continue to fight to ensure more studies and federal aid come to our communities.”  

The list of requests include:

• Two years ago, Rep. Bowman successfully led a request for an updated U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) feasibility study for flood risk management and ecosystem restoration on the Saw Mill River in Yonkers and Hasting-on-Hudson. This year, Rep. Bowman re-upped that request and requested to expand the study to cover flood risk management and hurricane and storm risk reduction across Yonkers, Hastings-on-Hudson, Elmsford, and Ardsley, all communities that have been hit hard by flooding in recent years. 

• A request for the Corps to conduct a new feasibility study for improvements related to flood risk management, hurricane and storm risk reduction, and environmental restoration in Bronxville, Tuckahoe, and Yonkers along the Bronx River and connecting small waterways. The Bronx River faces persistent and dangerous flooding issues during heavy rainfall, even resulting in recent emergency operations to rescue drivers from their cars on the Bronx River Parkway. 

• A request to expand authorities to allow the Corps to provide assistance in wastewater treatment issues related to sewers and wastewater treatment plants in the NYC Watershed and Bronx River watershed. In Mount Vernon, raw sewage is flowing into the nearby waterways and communities, posing a significant environmental and health justice issue in Mount Vernon and nearby communities. Rep. Bowman’s request would help enable the Corps to support infrastructure upgrades, repairs, or other remediation efforts to address storm and wastewater management needs and sewage contamination. 

The Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) is a water infrastructure bill that is passed every two years and is a critical tool to help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) address local issues related to flooding, impacts of major hurricanes and storms, environmental degradation, and more. In 2022, Rep. Bowman and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand announced a critical $88 million in funding for the Mamaroneck and Sheldrake River Flood Risk Management Project. The process for securing this critical funding was initiated through a WRDA-authorized study by the Corps. Rep. Bowman’s 2024 study requests are important first steps in securing additional projects and funding to support NY-16 needs in the future.  

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