WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations Committee, today announced that the full U.S. Senate approved legislation by a vote of 80-17 which includes over $2.28 million in funding for Rhode Island flood prevention and water restoration programs he requested as part of the 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration spending bill.

"This federal funding will help protect more homes and businesses in Cranston and Johnston against future flooding" said Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. "The bill also provides federal funds to prevent pollution and study the health of underwater habitats, helping scientists determine how coastal areas can best be managed and protected."

The bill also contains $500,000 that Senator Reed requested for the Agricultural Research Service to expand support for shellfish research that will help aquaculture growers on the East Coast breed healthier, more marketable, disease-resistant varieties of shellfish.

Senator Reed along with his colleague Senator Whitehouse also passed an amendment to ensure that a number of Rhode Island communities could remain eligible for USDA federal loan programs.

Reed secured funding in the 2010 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration spending bill for several key Rhode Island projects, including:

$2,000,000
Pocasset River Watershed Plan
Cranston and Johnston, RI

This federal funding will help address flooding within the Pocasset River Watershed in Cranston and Johnston. The area has been has been prone to serious flood damage, particularly in the last decade. These funds will allow the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to complete a Watershed Plan for the Pocasset and begin undertake remediation efforts in the next year.

$155,000
Nitrate Pollution Reduction

NRCS and the University of Rhode Island (URI) will use this funding to determine the sources of nitrate pollution and to develop strategies to mitigate the impact on Rhode Island's drinking water supplies and waterways, including its coastal ponds. Rhode Island's drinking water and aquatic habitats are under stress due to increasing concentrations of nitrates, which lead to depleted oxygen levels and in extreme cases fish-kills and "dead zones."

$134,000
Soil Surveys

NRCS and URI will use this federal funding to continue efforts to map subaqueous soils in Narragansett Bay. Subaqueous soils (underwater areas capable of supporting rooted plant growth such as eelgrass) are important to maintaining coastal water quality and improving the productivity of U.S. coastal aquaculture and fisheries. A lack of definitive information on the properties and spatial distribution of subaqueous soils places major limitations on science-based management of activities like dredging, fishing, and conservation in critical shallow water habitats.