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River Falls seeks Corps funding after WRDA change to advance Kinney Corridor dam removals
Summary
Consultants said congressional language in the Water Resources Development Act raised the Section 206 cap, clearing an authorization hurdle for the Kinney Corridor project; the city requested $1.85 million in congressionally directed spending to start Corps engineering and design.
River Falls officials and consultants told the council at a federal-funding workshop that congressional language in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 raised the project funding cap for the Army Corps’ Section 206 continuing-authorities program, a change that consultants say is central to advancing the Kinney Corridor project and planned removal of the Junction Falls and Powell dams.
Tristan Southern of Merchant McIntyre said the Section 206 authorization “is essentially the ticket to the game. We have to have the authorization in place in order to work with the corps.” He said the WRDA 2024 change increased the program cap to $15 million, providing the Corps and the city more flexibility than the previous $10 million cap.
Southern explained the two funding elements that must align for Corps-led work: authorization (permission from Congress for the Corps to work on the project through Section 206 ecosystem restoration) and appropriation (annual Corps funding Congress allocates to carry out authorized projects). He said the Corps has latitude to administer the program once authorized but still needs sustained appropriations to move feasibility into implementation.
Consultants said they and the city requested $1,850,000 in congressionally directed spending for the upcoming fiscal year so the Corps can begin engineering and design work if the feasibility study is complete. Southern said the earlier tentatively selected plan had an estimated cost “north of $19,000,000,” with an anticipated federal share around 65% (about $12,000,000), which previously conflicted with the prior $10 million program cap.
Southern warned that the new federal administration’s review processes and changing agency staffing can create delays and that securing recurring funding year to year is important to sustain the Corps’ project work. No appropriation award was reported at the workshop; the $1,850,000 request is pending congressional consideration.
City leaders and consultants said the authorization language in WRDA 2024 was a significant step but that appropriations and year-to-year funding decisions will determine how quickly Corps design and construction can proceed.
