Beardstown, IL – Beardstown's mayor is glad Congress has overridden the President's veto of a Water Resources Development Act.
Bob Walters says the bill calls for dredging an entrance to Beardstown's marina and expanding locks along the Illinois River.
He says both actions will help the town's economic development.
Lengthening the lock at LaGrange will make it easier for long tows to lock through to get to the grain shipping firms.
He says re-opening the marina will help make Beardstown a river town again and bring both pleasure and tour boats to town.
He says the silt has blocked off the marina and is gathering along the town's flood wall, shutting off some waterborne commerce.
Walters says the override authorizes the work, but individual projects must still be funded by Congress.
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Walters says the marina silted in when the Corps of Engineers moved the mouth of the Sangamon River closer to town.
Muscooten Bay, just upstream from the marina, has also mostly silted in with soil from the Sangamon.
The Water Resources Development Act includes lock and dam expansion along the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.
It also authorizes wetland restoration and preservation.