Midland, Michigan – After passing in the U.S. House and Senate, several funding bills for fiscal year 2024 were signed by President Joe Biden on March 9. Locally requested items considered important to flood reduction in mid-Michigan were included in these bills.

 The Midland Business Alliance (MBA) Advisory Committee on Infrastructure announced that a $2 million grant and two other projects were included in this legislation for local flood reduction, recovery, and resiliency projects, thanks to the committee’s work with local partners and legislators.

 “Our representatives in Washington, D.C. – Congressmen John Moolenaar and Dan Kildee and Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters – have worked together to include and support our requests for fiscal year 2024. We thank them for truly backing our efforts," said Tony Stamas, MBA President and CEO. “We are grateful for the federal project funding we received for 2022, 2023 and now 2024, as these funds continue to help with mid-Michigan’s restoration and resiliency-building after major flooding.”

 The appropriations bills include these projects:

• $2 million for the County of Midland – snag and debris removal for flood prevention and watershed protection
• $500,000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for first-year funding of a new three-year General Investigation (GI) study with Midland County, the City of Midland and the MBA
• Technical correction to change the recipient of $500,000 for reconstruction efforts at the Midland Center for the Arts (previous recipient was incorrectly named as the City of Midland, delaying the funding allocated to the Center)

 $2M Snag and Debris Removal

 The $2 million grant for the County of Midland comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Operations.

 According to the MBA, clearing snags and other debris from local waterways and stream channels in Midland County will help reduce the severity and frequency of flooding in the region by improving the natural flow of water. As a result of repeated flood events over the course of nearly 40 years, immense amounts of fallen trees and timber debris have accumulated in the creeks, streams and rivers throughout Midland County. This initiative will help improve stormwater drainage and improve the water quality of downstream rivers and the Saginaw Bay. This effort complements efforts by private landowners and other regional stakeholders to conserve, maintain and improve the mid-Michigan region’s natural resources.

 $500K for Second Corps Study

 The first study with the Corps of Engineers is nearly finished, according to the MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure. The first study looked at the hydrology and hydraulics of the Tittabawassee River Watershed.

 “The new software modeling from the first study will help emergency planning and management, as well as provide critical, up-to-date data for the second study, called a General Investigation study by the Corps,” said J.W. Fisher, co-chair of the MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure. “Our end goal for the GI study is to have projects that the Corps can ultimately build. There are many, many steps – and years – ahead to get to that point.”

 “For Corps projects, there is essentially a multi-step process: authorization one year and then the appropriation the next year,” said Stamas. “We worked with legislators to have the GI study authorized last year. Then we worked to include the appropriation for the study this year. Thanks to our legislators, the Corps now has the first-year funding approved for the GI study. Even as we speak, the Corps and our legislators are already working to include the appropriation for the second year of the study in the fiscal year 2025 bill. Each year of the study will need a specific appropriation passed.”

 According to the committee, the GI study’s partners will be the County of Midland, the City of Midland, the MBA and the Corps of Engineers. In the weeks ahead, the Corps will produce a contract for all of the parties to review and sign.

 Correction for the Midland Center for the Arts

 In an earlier funding cycle, the Midland Center for the Arts was awarded a $500,000 grant to help with revitalization after the 2020 flood and COVID-19 closures. The grant’s recipient was listed as the City of Midland, however, instead of the Center. A technical correction was requested and was passed in a funding bill. This will allow the Center to access these funds directly.

 “Return on Investment”

 The MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure was formed in 2021 to examine infrastructure issues that impact the quality of life and economic vitality of mid-Michigan. Legacy flooding challenges and related sanitary sewer issues have been the committee’s first focus.

 Several community organizations and businesses provided “seed” funding to support the committee’s efforts: Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, Corteva Agriscience, Dow Company Foundation, Fisher Companies, Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation, Johnston Contracting, Midland Area Community Foundation, MyMichigan Health, Patricia and David Kepler Foundation, Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, and Three Rivers Corporation.

 “We have raised more than $1.3 million from our donors. Part of those funds were used to pay the 50% local cost-share for the first Corps study. To date, the return on the donors’ community investment has been multiplied 44.9 times thanks to the efforts of our committee, local stakeholders and our legislators. We feel proud that these grants of $58.455 million total will help rebuild from the floods and make us more resilient in the future,” said Lee Ann Keller, co-chair of the MBA Advisory Committee on Infrastructure.