Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) applauded the inclusion of investments for Western Illinois in the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA), legislation that authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to carry out major water infrastructure upgrades across the country.
Following Sorensen’s advocacy, the bill was passed out of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee with investments included for the City of Savanna to provide reliable drinking water and for the Village of Sherrard to improve wastewater facilities. The bill now goes to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
“Improving our water infrastructure is so important for the health and well-being of our neighbors. I fought hard to ensure our communities were included in this bipartisan water infrastructure bill, and I'm thrilled to see the package referred out of committee with crucial projects for Western Illinois intact,” said Sorensen. “While this is a big step to providing reliable wastewater and drinking water services and making our communities healthier, we still have more work to do to get this funding across the finish line. I remain committed to seeing this through to the end and delivering on the projects included in this bill."
Passed every two years, WRDA is a comprehensive water infrastructure package that authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects to improve the nation’s ports and harbors, inland waterway navigation, flood and storm protection, and other aspects of our water resources infrastructure.
The package includes a combined $9 million for the communities of Savanna and Sherrard to improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure systems for families in Western Illinois.
The next step is to pass a final WRDA bill through the House and Senate and then secure funding for these projects in Congress’ FY26 appropriations bill.
If funded, the City of Savanna could receive as much as $2 million and the Village of Sherrard could receive as much as $7 million through Congress’ annual appropriations.
Earlier this year, Sorensen testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to advocate for those investments to be included in WRDA. You can watch Sorensen’s full remarks in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee here.
Comments