07.18.14

Hoeven Announces Dam Rehabilitation Funds for Renwick Dam, Pembina County

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced nearly $300,000 in grant funds for the Pembina County Water Resource District to renovate the Renwick Dam on Tongue River, a tributary of the Pembina River. These funds will support the second phase of the dam renovation, providing for a new spillway and embankment, and are awarded by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) through its Watershed Rehabilitation Program. Phase one of the project raised the top of the dam by over five feet and was completed in 2011.

“We’ve been working hard to provide our communities with the tools they need to protect themselves, and that includes making important investments in our flood control infrastructure,” Hoeven said. “These funds will help continue the important work of the Pembina County Water Resource District to update Renwick Dam, providing added protection for Cavalier and other nearby communities.”

The Watershed Rehabilitation Program was recently reauthorized by the 2014 farm bill, which increased the typical annual investment in watershed rehabilitation by almost 21 fold, recognizing the critical role of these structures in flood management, water supply and agricultural productivity. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a conferee on the 2014 farm bill conference committee, Senator Hoeven helped to negotiate the final version of the Farm Bill, which included authorization for conservation programs that can improve flood protection.