Press Release

Commerce Department Invests $7 Million to Protect Waterloo, Iowa from Floods

August 4, 2010
Contact: Lindsey Pangretic, (202) 482-4085

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced a $7 million U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the city of Waterloo, Iowa, to build five storm water lift stations that will increase the city's capacity to remove excess water and protect the city from future flood damage.

"Helping disaster-prone communities rebuild and mitigate the impact of natural disasters is a top priority of the Obama administration," Locke said. "This EDA grant will help alleviate future damage to Waterloo businesses and protect local commerce and jobs."

"Waterloo and other communities across Iowa have been devastated by flooding in recent years," U.S. Representative Bruce Braley said. "Just last week, we were reminded how important it is to invest in flood mitigation efforts like this project. I'm proud to work with the EDA and Secretary Locke to invest in federally-funded projects that will not only create jobs in Iowa, but will also help our communities respond quickly to the kind of catastrophic flooding we saw this weekend and in 2008."

The project will construct a system with the capacity to pump water at levels that would only be experienced with extreme storms that might occur once every hundred years, thus significantly reducing or eliminating flooding in the affected area.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov): This year, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) marks 45 years of public service, with a mission of leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. EDA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that partners with distressed communities throughout the United States to foster job creation, collaboration and innovation.