Project Funding and Schedule
The Project Schedule is Directly Linked to Project Funding
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) depends on federal funding to complete its work on our levee project. When the project does not receive adequate funding, the USACE must stop work on the project until the next federal budget is passed. The project is now over three years behind its original schedule due to inadequate federal funding.
For example: In 2007, the USACE received $1.0 million of the $1.6 million that was requested. As a result, the Corps ran out of funds in July, and was not able to complete the Environmental Impact Study/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) in January 2008, as planned. Inadequate funding has delayed the EIS/EIR by yet another six months.
Project Funding Over the Next Three Years is Critical
During this time, the USACE plans to complete the environmental review and final design. Once this has been completed, the community will be able to implement a local funding mechanism and begin cost-sharing on the project. Given the very unique and valuable 75% federal cost-share of the total project cost, the local funding mechanism will be required to fund the remaining 25% of the total project cost.
What's the Funding Status of the Project Right Now?
In order to keep the project on schedule and complete the final project design, the local sponsors are developing strategies to increase federal funding, and to supplement insufficient federal funding with alternative funding sources. These strategies include:
- Efforts to Increase Federal Funding
- Lobbying efforts
- Trips to Washington DC
- Letters of support
- Efforts to Secure State Funding
- Pursuing State Grant funding under Propositions 50, 1E, 84
- Working in conjunction with Four-County FPA
- Providing Direct Local Funding:
- Santa Cruz, County, Monterey County, and City of Watsonville have allocated $600,000 of local funding in order to complete the EIS
