Will save the City of Selma more than $9 million

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced that her language authorizing a 100% federal cost share for Selma’s Army Corps of Engineers River Erosion Project was included in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024. WRDA passed the Senate today with a large bipartisan majority. Having previously passed the House, it will now make its way to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law. 

“Throughout the past few years, we have been working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers to bring urgently needed resources to Selma to address the flooding and erosion challenges along the Alabama River,” said Rep. Sewell. “I am thrilled that Congress has passed my provision to increase the federal cost share for this project to 100%. This special exception will save the City of Selma more than $9 million and help ensure that this project can move forward. I thank Senator Britt for helping us get this provision across the finish line and for her steadfast commitment to Selma’s vitality.”

“Selma’s history—including Bloody Sunday, the courageous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and its pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement—must be preserved so all Americans can learn from it for generations to come. Ensuring Selma’s Flood Risk Management and Stabilization project can be completed with federal funding will make all the difference to ensure this history doesn’t literally fall into the river after years of erosion along the bank of the Alabama River. I’m grateful to partner with Representative Sewell to champion the inclusion of this critical provision in the 2024 WRDA bill,” said Senator Katie Britt. 

“On behalf of the City of Selma, I sincerely thank Congresswoman Terri Sewell and Senator Katie Britt for their fierce and effective advocacy supporting the stabilization of our riverbank,” said Selma Mayor James Perkins, Jr. “The 100% federal cost share equals between $9m to $12m that the City of Selma is no longer obligated to pay on the riverbank stabilization project. This is an amazing Christmas gift to the City. Again, Congresswoman Sewell and Senator Britt, thank you.”

Passage of this provision is the latest in a years-long effort by Rep. Sewell to mitigate the risks of river erosion in downtown Selma caused by flooding. Thanks to Rep. Sewell’s advocacy, the 2022 WRDA authorized the Selma Flood Risk Management and Bank Stabilization Project. With the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, the project will reduce the risk of failure of ten historic structures along the riverbank, protect the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and provide a response plan for imminent flooding events.

Congress generally sets the cost share of flood risk reduction project construction at 65% federal and 35% non-federal. However, thanks to language secured by Rep. Sewell, the 2024 WRDA includes a special exemption for the City of Selma, increasing the federal cost share to 100% and saving the City more than $9 million.

Watch Rep. Sewell’s January 2024 testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee here. 

Background on WRDA

Passed every two years by Congress, WRDA is a comprehensive legislative package that provides for the conservation and development of water and related resources. It authorizes the Secretary of the Army, through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, to conduct studies, construct projects and research activities that can lead to the improvement of rivers and harbors of the United States. 

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