Congressional roundtable to discuss water infrastructure

Members of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and transportation leaders will meet Friday in New Orleans for a congressional roundtable to discuss the upcoming Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and other water infrastructure issues.

The committee, which will draft the WRDA legislation, will gather insights, comments and opinions from water resource stakeholders at the roundtable, titled “The Importance of Port, Waterway, Flood Control and Ecosystem Restoration Improvements to the Nation’s Economy: Concepts for the Next Water Resources Development Act.”  

The discussion is scheduled to focus on issues that will be addressed by the WRDA, which gives the Army Corps of Engineers the power to administrate flood control, navigation, hydropower, shoreline protection, water supply, dam safety, environmental restoration, recreation, protection and recovery, as well as disaster response activities, across the U.S.

A variety of water resources projects, such as pumps, levees, dams, locks, surge barriers, ports, wide-scale wetlands restoration and sediment diversions are located in Lousiania. 

The roundtable will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the Formal Conference Room on the 4th floor of the Louisiana Supreme Court, 400 Royal St., New Orleans.