WATCH: In Senate EPW Hearing, Kelly Pushes Army Corps to Fix Delays Holding Up Arizona Flood Control Projects

This week, during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly pressed Army Corps leadership on costly delays that have stalled critical flood control projects in Flagstaff and Winslow.

Kelly raised concerns about the Corps’ Section 902 review process, which has paused construction on projects designed to protect Arizona communities from worsening flood risks, even after Congress and local partners secured full funding.

Kelly highlighted the urgency of completing the **Rio de Flag**** Flood Control Project in Flagstaff:*** “The Rio de Flag project in Flagstaff is designed to protect the city from flooding. We’ve got bad wildfires in the region. This project has hit the 902 limit. […] the nonfederal sponsor has been told by the LA district that this report will be completed and submitted to Congress by May of 2026, so in about 3 or 4 months, and in in time to be included in this year’s water bill.” *

Kelly also pressed officials about the Winslow Levee Project, which would remove the entire city of Winslow from the floodplain but is now delayed due to the same 902 process. Despite Congress authorizing the project in 2020, Kelly securing the full federal match in 2022, and the Arizona Legislature providing the full local match in 2024, construction cannot begin.

*Kelly expressed frustration with the bureaucratic delays: *“It feels like they did everything right and now we’re in this downward spiral. To get it reauthorized, it’s going to take more time. In that period of time, the cost is going to go up, and it’s going to hit a 902 limit again. You wind up spiraling and you never get the project done.”

Lieutenant General Graham acknowledged responsibility for the delays and committed to reviewing all projects currently undergoing 902 reviews nationwide.

Sen. Kelly questions witnesses at a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing.

Click here to download a video of Kelly’s remarks. See the transcript below:

*Sen Kelly: *

*Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you both for being here. Mr. Telle, the Rio de flag project in Flagstaff, it’s designed to protect the city from flooding. We’ve got bad wildfires in the region. We discussed this project during your nomination hearing. It’s hit the 902 limit. So, for folks in in the room that don’t understand what that is, that means construction is on hold until the LA district completes a cost validation study. And then that study has to be reauthorized in some sort of water bill to restart construction. You know this, Mr. Telle. The nonfederal sponsor has been told by the LA district that this report will be completed and submitted to Congress by May of 2026, so in about 3 or 4 months, and in time to be included in this year’s water bill. So, let me just start with General Graham, is that the timeline that you’re tracking for completion of the validation study? *

*Lieutenant General William H. Graham Jr.: *

*Senator Kelly, thank you for that question. Yes, it is. The director’s report is scheduled to be on my desk May of this year. *

*Sen. Kelly: *

So, Secretary Telle, will you then commit to making sure that this study is submitted in time for word of 2026?

Assistant Secretary Adam R. Telle:

*Senator Kelly, I believe and I would check with the chairman that May 2026 will be a sufficient time to have that included in WRDA 2026. I would also point out, this is a project that’s affected by real estate issues related to railroads, as you well know. This is an initiative, part of our building infrastructure, not paperwork initiatives, about how do we solve some of these global real estate challenges. Railroads are a big one. I think we can work with the railroad industry nationwide to have a better working relationship that will help projects just like this one. *

*Sen. Kelly: *

*Well, that’s great. That’s good news that it’ll be in time for WRDA 2026. Similar issue. The Winslow Levee project. Right now, the entire city of Winslow is in a floodplain. And this project, this levee system, will fix that. So let me quickly just go through the timeline here. In 2020. Congress authorized the project. In 2022, I secured the full federal match for the project. In 2024, the Arizona Legislature, they stepped up and provided the full local match for the project. But, once again, like the other one, this hit the 902 limit, which means construction can’t start. General Graham, when do you expect that the validation study for this one, the Winslow Levee Project, will be completed? And will this be in time for WRDA 2026? *

Lt. Graham:* *

*So, Senator Kelly, direct answer. No, I don’t believe that we’ll be able to get the documentation for a packer up here in that time. Let me let me explain that. It was authorized—and this is the behavior, that we’re working under a building infrastructure, not paperwork, this is the behavior we’re trying to prevent—it got authorized at roughly 5% design. And so shockingly, when we start to actually put the real engineering behind what it’s going to take to better protect Winslow, we realized that “oh, there’s more,” and that more is going to be more expensive and in a different place. Acknowledge, absolutely, that the other challenge here is that it’s a ring levee basically around the town. And so, we can’t just come up with, “let’s just do a little piece,” because eventually the water will surround it. So, we have to do this, the whole thing. So, that behavior of asking for authorization for projects when we don’t have enough engineering to give you what a good cost estimate is. I own that, and we’re working hand-in-hand with the Secretary’s office to fix that. We’ll see if we can beat—well, we’re not going to make it for WRDA 26—and we will make a commitment to make WRDA 28. *

*Sen. Kelly: *

Is there anything that the local sponsor should have done differently here? Because this is frustrating because it feels like they did everything right and now we’re in this downward spiral.

Lt. Graham:* *

Senator Kelly, that’s on us. We own that. We have to working hand-in-hand with the local sponsors. We’ll see if there’s some options where they might be able to provide funds. But to try to get this over here by the end of May, I don’t believe that we’re going to make it. I understand that it’s a challenge for this community, that they’re vulnerable. And we will continue to work with a great sense of urgency to do everything we can to offer protection.

*Sen. Kelly: *

*How many projects nationwide are currently under 902 reviews? *

Lt. Graham:

Senator, the number I’ve got in my head is 29.

Sen. Kelly:

*And what do you think that is as a percentage of all projects? *

Lt. Graham:

*We have thousands of projects, Senator. *

Sen. Kelly:

*So, it doesn’t feel like a high percentage. *

Lt. Graham:

Every one of those is a commitment we’ve made to this committee and we’re not delivering on. So, those are unacceptable as part of building infrastructure, not paperwork there. We’re going to take a look at every one of those 902 busts to see why we’ve had to come back. A lot of this is going to be, we got it authorized with immature engineering, but some of it is we just don’t have the right team on it. So, we’ll take a look at that, and if that’s the case, we’ll move it to a different team or a different district.

Sen. Kelly:

*Yeah, but it seems like, with this one especially, it’s going to be a scenario where to get it reauthorized, it’s going to take more time. And in that period of time the cost is going to go up and there’s going to hit a 902 limit again, and then it’s going to get reauthorized again in new engineering and cost estimates. And you just wind up spiraling, and you never get the project done. *

Lt. Graham:

*That’s the spiral of doom that the Secretary and I are working with to get the Corps out of it. *

Sen. Kelly:

All right. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.