The Congresswoman Worked Directly with Town of Occoquan Officials to Repair Damage & Make Major Upgrades to Stormwater Management System

OCCOQUAN, Va. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today joined Town of Occoquan officials and community leaders to celebrate the federal funding successfully secured for local projects as part of a U.S. House and U.S. Senate-passed fiscal year (FY)2024 appropriations bill. The major investment in this community-requested project totals $920,000 that was signed into law and is now headed to the town.

Spanberger worked directly with town leaders to solicit this request, move this project forward, and ensure it was included in the final package. This investment will help make much-needed improvements to the Town of Occoquan’s aging stormwater management system.

“Even before working with local officials in Occoquan over the last year to secure this federal investment, I’ve heard from many leaders about the real need for serious upgrades to the town’s aging stormwater management system — and the role federal dollars would play in making these repairs a reality. When I became the congressional representative for Occoquan, Mayor Porta took me on a walking tour of the town, where I saw firsthand the stormwater management challenges that Occoquan routinely faces,” said Spanberger. “My office and I have been proud to turn these conversations into action by working directly with local leaders to secure this funding and help bring this project to life — and we are hopeful that the much-needed upgrades to the town’s aging stormwater management system made possible by this investment will promote the region’s continued economic growth into the future.”

“Sometimes there is no substitute for funding. Truth be told, it’s simple, matter-of-fact that the hammering that our stormwater management system has experienced over the past 50-plus years due to upland flooding has resulted in a need for remediation and improvement that frankly is just way beyond the town’s financial capabilities,” said Mayor Earnie Porta, JD, PhD, Town of Occoquan. “I’m pleased to say we’ve been exceptionally fortunate in that we have a friend and a supporter of our community in our congressional representative, Abigail Spanberger. Thanks to the efforts of the congresswoman and her staff, the town is now the recipient of almost a million dollars in funding that is going to enable us to do the remediation and improvements on our stormwater system that, again, we simply could not have done ourselves. As a result, this will improve dramatically not only the quality of life of the people of the town of Occoquan, but their physical safety and health as well.”

Spanberger secured $920,000 to allow the Town of Occoquan to upgrade its antiquated stormwater management facilities to prevent persistent flooding in the town and subsequent runoff into the Occoquan River. The funding will enable Occoquan to address the deterioration of its current system by completing a CCTV (closed-circuit television) sewer inspection, cleaning out the system, performing joint repairs, and lining the stormwater pipes.

BACKGROUND

For FY2024, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2023. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in localities across Virginia’s Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

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