WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) met this week in Washington, D.C. with Findlay Mayor Lydia L. Mihalik and Service Safety Director Paul Schmelzer to discuss the Blanchard River Flood Risk Management Project.
“Communities in Hancock and Putnam Counties deserve the security of knowing their homes and businesses won’t have to withstand another flooding of the Blanchard River,” Brown said. “I commend Mayor Mihalik and Mr. Schmelzer’s continued commitment to this important project. I will continue to work with the Ohio delegation to urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize this project.”
In August, Brown applauded news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) had revised its Blanchard River Flood Risk Management Project feasibility plan in response to feedback received during the comment period. USACE eliminated a proposed levee that would have caused the flooding of farmland outside of Findlay.
Last Congress, the Senate passed a critical water infrastructure bill that included an amendment Brown introduced that could expedite projects like the Blanchard River Flood Risk Management Project. The bipartisan amendment to the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) would ensure projects are eligible for federal construction funds upon completion of their USACE Chief of Engineer’s Report. Without this amendment, the Blanchard River Flood Risk Management Project would not have been eligible to receive federal construction funds from USACE until the next WRRDA authorization.
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