The City of Branson will be receiving almost $10 million in overall funding for the construction of a flood wall around the Compton Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant after the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the city a $3 million grant.
The $3 million in federal dollars will be matched by $6.6 million in state funds toward the estimated $10.2 million project cost.
“I am thrilled that the EDA is investing substantial funds into the construction of a flood wall to protect the Compton Drive Wastewater Treatment Plant,” Congressman Billy Long said in a statement. “This facility is critical to the community and a flood wall will ensure that businesses and residents will not be disrupted should substantial flooding occur.”
The grant was requested as part of a regional planning effort from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, which is funded by the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA.) The funds are provided through the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019.
“President Biden is committed to helping communities impacted by natural disasters implement strategies to protect and grow their communities,” Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo said in a statement. “This EDA investment will protect the primary wastewater treatment plant that services Branson’s popular tourism districts, preventing potential disruption and loss of jobs due to natural disasters.”
The federal and state funding comes after the Branson Board of Aldermen approved a resolution to accept funding from the Missouri Department of Economic Development Community Block Grant (CDBG) program that provided over $2.7 million toward improvements around the Compton Drive facility.