By Shelley Kofler
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-647821.mp3
Dallas – On Thursday, the future of Dallas' Trinity Corridor faced a second test this week. First, voters decided to keep plans for a toll road in the flood plain. Then there was the vote in Washington to override President Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act. KERA' S Shelley Kofler reports that the outcome was important for improving flood protection in Dallas.
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In overriding President Bush's veto, Congress is approving 23-billion dollars for hundreds of Army Corp of Engineers projects, including dams, sewage plants and environmental restoration.
Dallas has waited seven years for this approval which will bring the city 298-million federal dollars for improved flood protection along Dallas' Trinity River.
The City's Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Brett Wilkinson says the money will be used for numerous projects.
Wilkinson: We've got things like our levee raises which we are planning to do. We've got meanders which will restore the river to its natural winding path. There is some in there for general flood control - wetlands, birms and outlets. There is also money in the bill that would pay for the interior drainage , which will help the water on the outside of the levees move into the rivers much faster.
Dallas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson was on the Senate floor today for the final override vote. She lead the House debate Tuesday as representatives turned back the President's decision. Wilkinson credits her with ensuring Dallas' funding.
Wilkinson: She has been the champion. She has been the one who has pushed this project through.
The bill also contains money for other North Texas water projects: the stabilization of banks along flood prone Johnson Creek in Tarrant County; the expansion of water infrastructure in South Dallas county; and a water research project at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Shelley Kofler, KERA News.