Congresswoman Velázquez Secures Authorization of $125 Million in Water Infrastructure Improvements for Climate Resiliency and Comprehensive Flood Protection in Brooklyn and Queens

WASHINGTON – This week, Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) voted in favor of S. 4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. The bill included provisions to invest $125 million in projects to improve climate resiliency and water infrastructure throughout Brooklyn and Queens and measures to better address comprehensive flood risk through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS) with local partners.

“With climate change increasing instances of extreme weather, it’s vital that the federal government makes the necessary investments to ensure our city is prepared,” said Congresswoman Velázquez. “The provisions included in WRDA will help ensure that Brooklyn and Queens have the infrastructure needed to prepare for flooding of all kinds. I look forward to seeing the positive changes these improvements will bring to our communities.” 

WRDA includes authorization of funding for environmental infrastructure requested by Reps. Velázquez, Dan Goldman (D-NY), and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for $100 million in water and wastewater infrastructure improvements, including stormwater management, in Kings County.

The bill also authorizes environmental infrastructure funding requested by Rep. Velázquez for $25 million in water and wastewater improvements for Newtown Creek and its watershed area neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn, as well as deauthorizing much of the creek’s East Branch navigation channel to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s early action in the Superfund cleanup and ecological restoration.

Importantly, the legislation also includes language from Rep. Velázquez and her colleagues requiring that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) ensure their New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Focus Area Feasibility Study (HATS) better protects New Yorkers from all types of flooding, including heavy rainfall, groundwater emergence, erosion, and sea level rise and includes natural and nature-based infrastructure and maximizes local ecological and social public benefits. 

WRDA is a water infrastructure bill that authorizes studies and projects under the Civil Works division of the USACE. Once the bill becomes law, Congress would still need to allocate funding during the appropriations process for the Corps to move forward with new environmental infrastructure projects.

Once the bill becomes law, Congress would still need to allocate funding during the appropriations process for the Corps to move forward with the environmental infrastructure projects.

"Thanks to the leadership of Representatives Velázquez and Goldman, and a bipartisan group of NY and NJ Members, the Army Corps will now be required to address all types of climate-induced flooding and prioritize cost-effective solutions for a stronger, more resilient New York City. These improvements from the New York New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries study will ensure our national parks like Gateway and surrounding communities near the Gowanus Canal, Newtown Creek and Flushing Bay are better prepared to deal with record floods and more frequent and severe storms that have shuttered public transportation and trapped people in basement apartments here. The Water Resource Development Act will protect NYC and Jamaica Bay’s treasured coast that connects urban residents with trails, scenic views, public beaches, and wildlife experiences they can’t get anywhere else in the City,” said Lauren Cosgrove, Northeast Campaign Director for National Parks Conservation Association.

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