In three recent water infrastructure laws, Senator Barrasso secured the inclusion of legislative language that authorized the contract.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), released the following statement on the awarding of a contract from the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to the University of Wyoming for snow pack monitoring and flood prevention. The University was awarded an $8,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to establish a network of stations to monitor snow pack and soil moisture throughout the plains area of the Upper Missouri River Basin.
In three recent water infrastructure laws, Barrasso secured the inclusion of legislative language that authorized the Secretary of the Army, in coordination with other federal agencies, to restore the stream gauges and snow pack monitors through the Upper Missouri Basin. These gauges are used to monitor snow depth and soil moisture to help inform agencies like the Corps as to potential flooding and drought.
“The University of Wyoming has won an important contract to keep communities safe,” said Barrasso. “Wyoming now has critical, additional resources to fund a new network of stations to monitor snow pack and soil moisture. These stations are essential for predicting floods and preparing for them. Floods and droughts do tremendous property damage and, tragically, can cost lives. That’s why I worked to create and support this flood prevention program in recent water infrastructure laws. I am thankful to the Trump administration for awarding this important contract to the University of Wyoming.”
Background Information:
On June 10, 2014, Senator Barrasso secured language into the Water Resources Reform and Development Act that authorized the Secretary of the Army, in coordination with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Reclamation, to restore the stream gauges and snow pack monitors through the Upper Missouri Basin. These gauges are used to monitor snow depth and soil moisture to help inform agencies like the Corps as to potential flooding and drought.
On December 10, 2016, Barrasso secured the inclusion of similar legislative language in the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act.
On October 23, 2018, President Trump signed Barrasso’s legislation, America’s Water Infrastructure Act into law. The legislation included language to expedite the awarding of funding for stream gauge and snow pack monitoring from recent water infrastructure laws.
