Rep. Panetta Secures Additional $82 Million In Federal Funds for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project
SALINAS, CA – U.S. Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) announced that he secured an additional $82 million in federal funding for the Pajaro River Flood Risk Management Project. This federal funding for the local water project will go towards its construction preparation. In March of this year, Rep. Panetta fought for and secured $67 million in funding for the first phase of construction of this project. Both tranches of this federal funding are from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Rep. Panetta worked on with a bipartisan group of Congressmembers to pass and was signed into law by President Joe Biden in the Fall of 2021. In order to ensure that this significant amount of money was committed to the Pajaro River Flood Risk project, Congressman Panetta continued to advocate for the local project by having numerous meetings with representatives the White House, the Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
"This second significant amount of federal funding for this important local water project demonstrates all of our efforts to ensure that the federal government is committed to protecting the people and the produce of Pajaro Valley," said Rep. Panetta. "After years and years of fighting for this fundamental project by so many local leaders who never let up, this large amount of federal funding is a huge step towards 100-year flood protection for the families and businesses along the Pajaro River. I look forward to continuing to work with local leadership and building the partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers so that the project gets underway in a timely fashion and continue my constant push at the federal level so that we receive the funding necessary to get the job done."
"This is another sign that history of lack of federal investment in the Pajaro levee has been replaced by a new era of prioritization of our region. We are grateful to the Corps, the Biden Administration, and our federal delegation for standing with us as we help two federally disadvantaged communities have their voices and needs heard in a way that hasn't been possible for decades," said Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend.
"The recent infusion of federal and state infrastructure dollars into this project is an historic achievement, and we thank Congressman Panetta for his tenacious advocacy on behalf of those with residences and businesses along the Pajaro River. We are committed to continuing to work with the Corps to deliver this project as soon as possible, be good stewards of federal resources, and provide quality flood protection to those in the Watsonville and Pajaro areas," said Dr. Mark Strudley, Interim Executive Director of the Pajaro River Flood Management Agency.
The Pajaro River Flood Risk Reduction Project was authorized by the federal Flood Control Act of 1966, and local leaders have been working with the Army Corps since then to secure the authority for construction. In 2019, Congressman Panetta secured a final feasibility report for the Project, which was over 50 years in the making. The Director's Report was the milestone that finally allowed the Project to enter into its PED phase, which made it eligible for federal funding. In 2020, Congressman Panetta secured $1,800,000 for the Project and has been actively engaged in tracking the usage of these funds. In 2021, Congressman Panetta's also secured over $2,800,000 for the project to complete its PED phase and ultimately move into construction.
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