Press Release of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer

For Immediate Release:
July 19, 2006  
 Contact:
Washington D.C. Office (202) 224-3553

Boxer Announces Senate Authorizes $86.7 Million for Matilija Creek Restoration  

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today announced that the Senate passed Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) includes authorization for $86.7 million in funding for the ecosystem restoration of Matilija Creek.

“The Matilija Creek is an important part of California’s ecosystem,” Boxer said. “This project will help restore its beauty and will benefit the wildlife that inhabits the creek. I am pleased that my Senate colleagues have joined me to support it.”

The Matilija Creek project would remove the Matilija Dam, which no longer provides flood control for downstream communities. Under Boxer’s proposal, approved today as part of WRDA, $139.6 million is authorized for Matilija Creek. This project is designed to restore the Matilija Creek for fish and wildlife, including the endangered steelhead, as well as downstream coastal beaches.

WRDA authorizes water supply, flood control, port improvement, and environmental restoration projects across the country.