LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) plans to allocate $1 million in its 2023 Work Plan to repair and improve Louisville's aging flood protection system.
Louisville's flood protection system -- comprised of levees, flood walls and pump stations -- was built by the USACE following the historic 1937 flood.
More than 70 years later, Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) Executive Director Tony Parrott says the community still relies on the original system for protection whenever the Ohio River begins to rise.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell (R) announced Monday that the funding comes from the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
According to McConnell's office, the senator has worked closely with Louisville MSD in recent years to address the city's flood control infrastructure.
In 2018, the USACE conducted a study, funded by the Bipartisan Budget Act, to determine what repairs the flood system needed to prevent future damage.
"This funding will bring much-needed repairs to the city's aging flood control systems and invest in the longevity and safety of Louisville's infrastructure," McConnell said.
Parrott said the funding is a "needed down payment" for the Metro's flood protection system. He hopes additional federal funding could come in the future to move these improvement projects forward.
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