The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is nearing the launch of a new program to provide low-interest federal loans to upgrade and fix some of the tens of thousands of aging, nonfederal dams around the country.
在关键初步步骤中，6月10日的军团发布了拟议的监管outlining its plans for implementing the Corps Water Infrastructure Financing Program. Comments on the proposal are due by Aug. 9.
即将到来的陆战队融资项目类似于two established infrastructure loan programs: the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and Dept. of Transportation’s Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs.
The new Corps program has a narrow focus. It is limited by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2021 omnibus appropriations package to safety projects for dams that are owned by non-federal entities.
Charles Thompson, president of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, said, "Most dams in the United States are privately owned, leaving owners solely responsible for financing dam upkeep and upgrades."
Thompson added, in emailed answers to ENR questions, "Lack of funding for these projects is a serious national problem, resulting in delays and a backlog of projects."
他说，新的军团计划将有助于积压。汤普森（Thompson）还是新墨西哥州州工程师办公室的大坝安全部门负责人。
The program has had a long gestation period. It was authorized by Congress in 2014, as part of WIFIA. But Caroline Sevier, American Society of Civil Engineers' director of government relations said via email, it was not until 2020 that Congress started to provide appropriations for the program.
从那时起，国会为Corps计划拨款9640万美元，以支付联邦贷款补贴和行政费用的费用。
最近的资金是从IIJA到去年11月15日成为法律的五年内的7500万美元，在3月15日签署了法律，这是11月15日的法律，综合支出措施为1200万美元。
The potential need is great. The Corps says that of the 90,580 dams in theNational Inventory of Dams, nonfederal dams account for about 87,000. More than 14,000 of the nonfederal dams are designated as having a “high hazard potential.”
Sevier noted that “'high hazard' is not an indicator of the dam’s condition; rather it means that, due to its location and scope, failure of the dam would result in significant property damage and/or loss of life.
The Association of State Dam Safety Officials, in a March报告，据估计，恢复80,000多个非联邦水坝的康复将花费757亿美元，高于2019年的659亿美元。
Addressing high-hazard nonfederal dams would cost about $24 billion, compared with $20.4 billion in 2019, the association says.
The Corps states in its proposed rule, “Funding requirements are only projected to increase as infrastructure continues to age, risk awareness progresses and design standards evolve.”
The minimum size of an eligible project for the upcoming loan program is $20 million. Loans from the program generally will not exceed 49% of a project's cost, but that could increase on a case-by-case basis, the proposal states.
18luck官网获得军团计划贷款的项目必须遵守联邦要求，例如使用国内采购的铁和钢铁和戴维斯 - 巴肯法案盛行的工资标准。
该军团表示，该计划的目标是“使本地投资能够增强社区对洪水的适应能力。”18luck官网它进一步指出，新贷款的优先事项是“为小型农村社区以及为部落社区提供服务的社区和项目的项目。”18luck官网
还有几种类型的其他联邦资金用于大坝项目，包括Wifia，EPA饮用水状态循环基金和高危害潜在的大坝计划，该计划是联18luck官网邦紧急事务管理局管理的。
但是军团表示，这些资金来源不符合州大坝安全官员协会的估计。
军团补充说，新的贷款计划“通过为非联邦实体提供投资大坝安全基础设施的额外手段来帮助弥合差距，这将帮助社区承受未来的天气和气候事件。”
Story updated on 6/17/2022 with comments from Association of State Dam Safety Officials
