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Dedicated to
the Quality of Life
in the Ouachita Valley
P.
O. Box 913
Camden, Arkansas 71701
870-836-7331
"A
River Basin of Opportunity,
A Century Plus of Commitment"
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Funding Status.
The funding picture for
the Ouachita-Black Navigation Project continues a slow decline. The Project
continues to be underfunded and annual needs are below what is needed to
successfully operate and maintain the Project. The Budget for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2020 and the President’s Budget for FY 2021 are shown below for your
review.
President’s Budget for Fiscal Years 20 and 21
For the
Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program
Fiscal
Year (FY) 2020
Category |
Operations |
Maintenance |
Total |
Blakely Mountain Dam/Lake Ouachita, AR |
$6,954,000 |
904,000 |
$7,858,000 |
DeGray Lake, AR |
5,546,000 |
1,602,000 |
7,148,000 |
Narrows Dam/Lake Greeson, AR |
4,516,000 |
1,216,000 |
5,732,000 |
Ouachita and Black Rivers, AR & LA |
5,511,000 |
1,828,000 |
7,339,000 |
Fiscal
Year (FY) 2020
FY 20 Work
Plan
Additions
Category |
Operations |
Maintenance |
Total |
Blakely Mountain Dam/Lake Ouachita, AR |
529,000 |
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8,387,000 |
DeGray Lake, AR |
237,000 |
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7,385,000 |
Narrows Dam/Lake Greeson, AR |
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5,732,000 |
Ouachita and Black Rivers, AR & LA |
30,000 |
|
7,369,000 |
FY 2021
Category |
Operations |
Maintenance |
Total |
Blakely Mountain Dam/Lake Ouachita, AR |
$7,043,000 |
$1,342,000 |
$8,285,000 |
DeGray Lake, AR |
4,368,000 |
2,237,000 |
6,605,000 |
Narrows Dam/Lake Greeson, AR |
4,273,000 |
1,578,000 |
5,851,000 |
Ouachita and Black Rivers, AR & LA |
$5,875,000 |
$1,750,000 |
$7,625,000 |
Looking
back at the 2019 budget for dredging, there were no funds
allocated to the Ouachita-Black Navigation Project. In
addition, no funding was appropriated in the FY 20
President’s Budget or Work Plan.
However,
according to Maj. Gen. Mark Toy, President of the
Mississippi River Commission (MRC), in his 5 May 2020
response to ORVA’s statement to the MRC, “funds in the
amount of $2.5M were received in the FY 2020 Supplemental
and will be used for dredging this year.” According to Gen.
Toy, “we will continue to express capability for dredging,
maintenance, lock operations and recreation annually.”
Naturally
this was good news. ORVA recently learned through
conversations with the Vicksburg District Operations staff
and the Monroe Field Office, that the dredging contract
associated with this $2.5M supplemental was obligated and
the Dredge Iowa began dredging at Lock 1 (Lindy C. Boggs) on
the Red River, Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Once dredging is
complete on the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, dredge
operations will move to the Ouachita. The staffs surmise
that dredging will commence at “hot spots” on the Ouachita
as previously determined and not necessarily in any one
location from point to point. We later learned, however,
that the move to the Ouachita was dependent upon how “far”
the $2.5M would go. We do expect that the Iowa will
transition from the Red to the Ouachita at some point in
July 2020.
High water
will continue to effect dredging and the Corps will
experience another short construction (dredging) season.
The Columbia Lock is out of water and Jonesville remains
underwater with the navigation pass in use. Once the water
recedes, the Corps will be better able to conduct surveys to
determine dredging needs on the Project.
May 2020
picture of the Columbia Lock.
May 2020
picture of the Columbia Lock.
ORVA
continues to press its Congressional delegations and Corps’
contacts for additional funding. It continues to fight for
resources for backlog maintenance, dredging, recreation,
backlog maintenance at the three Corps’ lakes in Arkansas, a
new DeGray Lake Field Office, and positive language to
support legislation for the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA) of 2020.
As we all
know, adequate funding for operation and maintenance (to
include dredging) supports local industrial development
agencies as they recruit water-based industry to the area.
This type of commitment on a continuous annual basis is what
the Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project needs for
increased commercial navigation to occur. And with the
return of commercial traffic on the upper portion of the
waterway, the future utilization of the navigation project
is moving in a positive direction.
ORVA
believes with improvements in the economy and the continued
need for efficient transportation, the Ouachita-Black Rivers
Navigation Project will be a vital component of the region’s
future economic growth and will continue to improve the
quality of life for people within the Ouachita River Basin
in both Arkansas and Louisiana.
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