Senator successfully secured full funding of the Winslow Levee Project in her bipartisan infrastructure law, safeguarding Arizona families, communities, and jobs
WINSLOW – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema joined Winslow Mayor Birdie Cano, local leaders, and community members to visit the Winslow Levee and discuss her work securing full funding for the project – a top priority for the region – in her historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law. The new Winslow Levee will protect the town of Winslow and surrounding communities from flooding that harms hard working Arizona families and that has the potential to disrupt supply chains throughout the country.
“I’m so glad investments from our infrastructure law will protect Arizonans from dangerous flooding and other environmental disasters by fully funding the construction of the Winslow Levee Project. This is a big deal for Winslow – and I’ll keep working with local and tribal leaders across Arizona to ensure they have the resources needed for their communities to thrive,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.
During the discussion, Navajo County leaders commended Sinema’s leadership on behalf of rural communities throughout bipartisan negotiations that resulted in this historic investment.
In January, Sinema worked directly with the Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young to prioritize and secure full funding for the construction of the Little Colorado River Flood Control (Winslow Levee) project in the Army Corps’ 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs spend plan. Later that month, Sinema announced that her advocacy resulted in a historic $82.8 million for Arizona water systems and environmental infrastructure in 2022, $65.75 million of which would be used to fund the entire Winslow Levee Project.
The Winslow Levee has been decertified since 2008 and is a danger to the surrounding communities – particularly nearby Navajo and underserved communities – and a key rail line that moves billions of dollars of goods through Arizona each year. With historic funding from Sinema’s infrastructure law, the Winslow Levee will protect the town of Winslow against flooding that could harm Arizona families and Arizona jobs, and disrupt supply chains through the country.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law invests $8.3 billion in building and strengthening water infrastructure throughout the American West, including for aging infrastructure, water storage and conveyance, water recycling and reuse, desalination, drought contingency plans, and dam safety.
Last month, Sinema and Senator Mark Kelly (Ariz.) announced an additional $500,000 from the Fiscal Year 2022 budget legislation to cover planning, engineering, and design costs for the Winslow Levee project.