WASHINGTON, DC - Rhode Island's Congressional today announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will receive $8.26 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for shovel-ready, flood protection and water restoration initiatives at Fox Point Hurricane Barrier, Woonsocket's floodwall, Ten Mile River, and the Blackstone River Watershed. This funding will help the Corps make repairs to major deficiencies and undertake other civil works projects at these sites. The money is flowing to the state as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was supported by U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and U.S. Representatives Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin, and signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009.

"These projects will help speed repairs to the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier and the Woonsocket dam and flood control levees and allow the Army Corps of Engineers to complete additional civil works projects across the state. This boost in federal funding will put more Rhode Islanders to work in construction and maintenance jobs. It will also clean up our waterways and restore aquatic habitats, which are vital to our economy and the environment," said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee who successfully authored legislation in 2008 requiring the Corps to take over the Woonsocket project.

"This funding means jobs for Rhode Islanders now, and stronger infrastructure for Rhode Island in the future," said Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. "Keeping the Fox Point barrier and the Woonsocket floodwall secure will be especially crucial as we confront the threat of rising sea levels, storm surges, and flooding brought on by global warming."

"Funding these in-progress Corps projects is a sound investment in our state's flood protection capabilities and environmental restoration efforts. Additionally, these federal funds will provide an immediate boost to job creation in our state," said Kennedy, a member of the Appropriations Committee.

"The Ocean State is no stranger to severe storms that bring rising water levels. These Army Corps projects are critical to complete so our neighborhoods and cities are safe when the next storm strikes," said Langevin. "I am pleased to see infrastructure projects that bring jobs to Rhode Island, while making much needed improvements to our state, being implemented so quickly under the Recovery Act."

Rhode Island civil works projects to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding, include:

• $4 million for the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier in Narragansett Bay to complete required repairs to pump number 5 and building repairs needed to return the project to operational status

• $3.7 million for the Woonsocket Flood Protection Project to complete deficiency repairs by removing extensive vegetation along dikes adjacent to the floodwall

• $410,000 for Ten Mile River to construct fish passage facilities at one of the three lowest dams

• $150,000 for the Blackstone River Watershed to help with restoration efforts by performing sediment sampling and testing of accumulated material behind impoundments along the river

The Corps will receive $4.6 billion in Recovery Act funds to support water resources projects across the country. Economists estimate that Corps Recovery Act projects will create or maintain approximately 57,400 direct construction industry jobs and an additional 64,000 indirect and induced jobs in firms supplying or supporting the construction and the businesses that sell goods and services to these workers and their families.