HUNTINGTON — Flood prevention projects for Cabell County and throughout West Virginia received funding Thursday night as the U.S. Senate passed the national defense bill.

Required annually by the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill provides nearly $858 billion to support troops and enhance national security, both across the nation and internationally. While the main purpose of the bill is to fund the military, contained within the 4,408-page document is the Water Resources Development Act of 2022, a bill to address water-related challenges across the country.

The bill provides funding for studies of the Huntington floodwall and Fourpole Creek watershed. It also provides additional federal funding for the ongoing Milton floodwall project and will speed up a study on 2016 flooding in West Virginia.

Last week, the bill passed the U.S. House with a vote of 350-80. The bill passed the Senate 83-11 Thursday night and now be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who helped pen the Water Resources Act as a ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said she was pleased to see the legislation passed.

“For West Virginia, projects in communities across our state will receive the resources and support needed to make progress on critical issues, such as addressing flood risk,” she said. “This legislation is another example of common sense, bipartisan collaboration on the EPW Committee to improve America’s infrastructure.”

The water resources bill is one of the first steps in addressing issues for West Virginia communities plagued by flooding in recent years, especially for Cabell County residents.

The act will help the U.S. Corps of Engineers conduct flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects and create a path forward for new hydropower development at existing dams. It greenlights moving forward with four different projects throughout the state.

The bill OK’d feasibility studies on the Fourpole Creek watershed and the rehabilitation of Huntington’s floodwall. The studies are among the first steps for the Corp of Engineers to look at a holistic approach to addressing the problems. For the floodwall, which has deteriorated after more than 50 years of protecting the City of Huntington, the study could lead to repairs.

Historically, the city’s flooding issues have been caused by high water along the Ohio River, caused by days of consistent rain. However, in recent years microbursts dumping inches of water within a short period of time have caused severe flooding inside the city.

With residents fed up from having their homes flooded multiple times over the last few years, officials hope the study on the Fourpole Creek watershed will shed light on what is causing the flooding and how it can be addressed.

Those studies are expected to take up to three years to complete, however.

Likewise, the bill increased the federal share of project costs for Lower Mud River flood control project in Milton, from 65% to 90%, which will allow construction of the project to begin sooner.

The 8,300-foot-long levee will separate the city of Milton from the Lower Mud River and address flooding issues that have plagued the city for decades. Research has shown the levee could make a major flood 10 times less likely to occur, with one expected every 250 years within the city.

The Kanawha River Basin feasibility study for flood control, which will find future projects to prevent flooding in areas hurt by the 2016 flood, will also be expedited under the bill.

Beyond water projects, West Virginia will also benefit from parts of the bill that promotes efforts at Green Bank Observatory and the West Virginia National Guard’s Army Interagency Training and Education Center, as well as prohibiting the Air Force from reducing the number of C-130 aircraft assigned to the National Guard.