WASHINGTON -- Congressman George Miller (D-CA) today announced funding he secured for the seventh congressional district in an appropriations bill that passed Congress last night. Among the monies secured for facilities in the East Bay district were projects such as water surveys, maintenance dredging of major waterways, and expanded transportation services.

“I am honored to announce that projects beneficial to parts of Contra Costa and Solano counties received crucial funding from the government last night,” said Miller. “These funds help continue existing projects and permit the development of new ones.”

Among the local projects for which Miller won funding, he secured $375,000 for the Contra Costa Watershed surveys so the local conservation district can fund an interdisciplinary team to inventory and map streams and study the interaction of water resources throughout the 31 watersheds within the county. This funding will also aid in the development of voluntary watershed management guidelines and create a public process for community input.

Miller secured $1.5 million in funding for the San Pablo Bay and Mare Island Strait to provide for the maintenance dredging of San Pablo Bay/Pinole Shoals. Adjacent to the Suisun Bay Channel, San Pablo Bay/Pinole Shoals is a major artery for bulk cargo and oil tankers through the San Francisco Bay area. The only recent dredging was emergency dredging of portions of this area by the Army Corps in April of 2001.

Suisun Bay and New York Slough - not dredged since January 2000 - now also have dredging funds due to the $3.815 million secured by Miller.

AC Transit will receive $1.05 million for expanded bus routes into many low-income areas of Miller’s district. Miller secured an additional $500,000 for the Fairfield/Vacaville Intermodal Station for site improvements to a bus transfer facility, parking for 200 vehicles, and railroad improvements.