Faso Calls for Action on Whaley Lake Dam Project

 

Faso Calls for Action on Whaley Lake Dam Project

Encourages Army Corps of Engineers to Proceed with Review of Project’s Competitiveness

Washington D.C. – Congressman John Faso (R-Kinderhook) sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Whaley Lake Dam in Pawling, NY. The Whaley Lake Dam is eligible for Corps funding as a result of language included in the Omnibus funding package and advocated for by Rep. Faso.

The Whaley Lake Dam was originally built in the mid-1800s and is in critical need of repair. The outlet of the dam feeds a stream necessary to the movement of treated wastewater from multiple municipal water treatment facilities. Additionally, the town of Pawling is home to 9,000 residents, including 500 homes located on Whaley Lake, specifically.

Excerpt from the letter:

“I write to express my strong support for the ongoing work at the Whaley Lake Dam in Pawling, NY, to remind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) that this project remains eligible for Corps funding, and to ask the Corps to review the project’s competitiveness for its fiscal year 2018 work plan.”

A signed copy of the letter is available here. Text of the letter is available below:

April 16, 2018

The Honorable R.D. James                                           Lieutenant General Todd T. Semonite

Assistant Secretary of the Army for                             Commanding General and Chief of Engineers

Civil Works                                                                  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

108 Army Pentagon                                                    441 G Street N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20310-0108                                    Washington, D.C. 20314-1000

Dear Assistant Secretary James and Lieutenant General Semonite,

I write to express my strong support for the ongoing work at the Whaley Lake Dam in Pawling, NY, to remind the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) that this project remains eligible for Corps funding, and to ask the Corps to review the project’s competitiveness for its fiscal year 2018 work plan.

Section 5003 of the 2007 Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which became Public Law 110-114, authorized the Secretary of the Army to “provide assistance to enhance dam safety” for a total of 15 dams across the United States. Section 5003 also authorizes appropriations of up to $12,000,000 to carry out these dam safety projects. As of the date of this letter, only one of those authorized projects, the Hamilton Dam in Flint, MI, has received any level of financial support from the Corps.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, which became law on March 23, included report language directly reminding the Corps that projects specified in Section 5003 of the 2007 WRDA remain eligible for funding as appropriated under the Corps’ Construction account.

Originally built in the mid-1800s, the Whaley Lake Dam is of critical importance to the lower Hudson Valley. The outlet of the dam feeds a stream necessary to the movement of treated wastewater from several municipal water treatment facilities. Additionally, the Town of Pawling is home to nearly 9,000 residents, including 500 homes located on Whaley Lake specifically.

The dam is currently in a state of great disrepair, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has requested that the dam be repaired as soon as possible. The cost of repair is estimated at $4.7 million. A local match of funds totaling $3.7 million is already collected and ready to fund the needed construction.

Additional assistance from the Corps would greatly assist in the completion of this project and I ask that you quickly review whether this project can be included as part of the Corps’ work plan for fiscal year 2018.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss this matter further.

Sincerely,

John J. Faso

Member of Congress

Author: Harlem Valley News