Get the latest update on federal, state, and local funding for addressing water issues in the Metro East, specifically in areas like East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights.
Flood home in East St. Louis being repaired. Courtesy of JD Dixon/Facebook
METRO EAST, Ill. (First Alert 4) – Residents in the Metro East can now access a spreadsheet showing the status of funding to solve water issues in areas like East St. Louis and Cahokia Heights.
On Thursday, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to unveil a new funding matrix that aims to bring transparency to the federal, state and local funding investments and opportunities available to address the flooding and sewage crisis in the Cahokia Heights area.
The funding matrix compiles information on projects related to drinking water, wastewater and flood-prevention infrastructure funding and projects in the Cahokia Heights, East St. Louis and Metro East area. It also includes information related to flooding and housing issues that don’t fall under EPA’s jurisdiction.
Nearly $193 million dollars has been identified as needed in the Metro East area to address flooding, sanitary sewer infrastructure and drinking water infrastructure. Nearly $60 million has been awarded or obligated from different agencies. Over $3 million has been fully spent on completed projects to date and 47 projects are underway. A total 150 projects are estimated to be completed in the coming years.
“I’m thrilled to join the Environmental Protection Agency as they release a new funding matrix that brings unprecedented transparency to our response efforts in Cahokia Heights,” said Congresswoman Budzinski in a press release. “For the first time in decades, we have local, state and federal officials working together in a coordinated response to the environmental health and safety crisis in Cahokia Heights. This major step forward would not have been possible without the appointment of a full-time federal coordinator through the EPA. I’m so grateful to Administrator Michael Regan for granting my request for this position and I thank Beth Murphy for the thoughtful and collaborative work to make this funding matrix a reality. These issues won’t be solved overnight, but I look forward to working closely with our incoming coordinator, Betsy Nightingale, to build on this progress as we continue to elevate our response to this crisis.”
“This matrix is one critical tool to address the flooding, wastewater and drinking water issues in the Metro East area,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore in a release. “While these issues will not be solved overnight, knowing what funding and projects are available to the Metro East area is a crucial step in making progress.”
The information in the matrix will be updated and circulated on a routine basis. EPA collects voluntarily provided details for funding and projects and will continue to rely upon stakeholders to keep the information current. A copy is available to any requestor after they acknowledge disclaimers and rules of engagement. To request access, please email EPA’s Cahokia Heights coordinator, Betsy Nightingale, at nightingale.elizabeth@epa.gov.
The EPA will host webinars to answer questions on June 5 from 12-1 p.m. CT and June 15 from 6-7 p.m. CT. The EPA is also planning an in-person meeting and will be announced at a later date.
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