EAST ST. LOUIS — On Friday, Sept. 12, 2025,, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) hosted a Community Day in East St. Louis alongside Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) andthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The event focused on water infrastructure in the Metro East, providing an opportunity for residents to hear the latest progress on flood mitigation and prevention efforts and learn about the resources available to them in the wake of disasters, including stormwater and wastewater backups.
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Federal, state, and community organizations, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois Department of Insurance, Illinois Department of Public Health, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Office of Community Engagement, and the East Side Health District, also attended the event. They held an “open house” to share information about their services with members of the community.
Congresswoman Budzinski speaks with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Jason Kelly.
“Addressing the longstanding infrastructure issues in the Metro East is one of my top priorities. Today’s event was an opportunity to give the community an update on some of the projects we have underway, as well as to share resources to support residents in the wake of severe storms and flooding,” said Congresswoman Budzinski. “Thanks to the strong partnerships we’ve built and the hard work of dedicated federal, state, and local leaders, I’m proud to say that we’ve begun to make real progress on this issue. We certainly have a long road ahead of us, but I feel confident on the right track to not just mitigate, but to prevent the sewage backups and overflows that have plagued this region for far too long.”
“For years I’ve been working to bring awareness to the longstanding flooding and environmental issues that plague this region and bring in more funding and oversight,” said Senator Duckworth. “It took decades of neglect, lack of funding and environmental racism to get here, and that’s unacceptable. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, but I know it’s not enough and more must be done. One grant, one project, one piece of legislation isn’t going to fix these issues. We need a whole of government approach, bringing together federal, state and local agencies to support a full, comprehensive overhaul of the region’s water infrastructure.”
Budzinski has requested federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 Community Project funding process to build a new East Interceptor sewer in Cahokia Heights and for the USACE to conduct a new General Reevaluation Report in the East St. Louis area, which could allow the Spring Lake Project to move forward.
Budzinski also secured a dedicated EPA coordinator to address the long-standing flooding and sewage crisis in Cahokia Heights. She worked with the coordinator to create a funding matrix that provides transparent insights into federal, state, and local funding opportunities, the status of projects, and needs for drinking water, wastewater, and flood-prevention infrastructure.
