Biden-Harris Administration Announces $38M FEMA Grant for Mineral Ridge Dam Resilience Project

CHICAGO – The Biden-Harris Administration, through FEMA, announced today a $38,181,390 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant has been awarded to the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District (MVSD) to strengthen and improve the Mineral Ridge Dam. FEMA funds will be used to make upgrades and modifications to the structure—which holds the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 northeast Ohio residents—helping to ensure it can withstand the probable maximum flood levels from a 500-year storm.

 With funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, FEMA has infused extra money into existing grant programs, supporting efforts like the Mineral Ridge Dam resilience project to reduce disaster impacts and minimize future disaster costs. 

“FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program seeks to shift the focus from reactive disaster spending toward proactive investment in community resilience,” said FEMA Region 5 Regional Administrator Tom Sivak. “As the largest BRIC grant to be awarded by FEMA Region 5, today’s announcement aligns with FEMA’s Year of Resilience commitment to spur game-changing actions and build local capacity to withstand the threats of tomorrow.”

“Over the years, Ohio has witnessed many floods,” said Ohio Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Sima Merick. “The Mineral Ridge Dam BRIC project is a shining example of how the pre-disaster mitigation grant program works towards helping communities become resilient.”

BRIC, FEMA’s pre-disaster mitigation grant program, aims to categorically shift the federal focus away from reactive disaster spending toward research-supported, proactive investment in community resilience. The BRIC program provides funds to states, local communities, tribes and territories for eligible mitigation measures that support a more resilient nation, reduce disaster suffering and avoid future disaster costs. For this project, FEMA will pay 70% of the $54,544,890 eligible project cost with the remaining 30% of the costs, $16,367,334, provided by capital improvement funds.

Nearly $2.3 billion in BRIC funding was available in the FY22 notice of funding opportunity. This was bolstered by $200 million thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. To learn more about FEMA’s BRIC program, visit www.fema.gov/bric.

FEMA’s Year of Resilience initiative is building capacity across the country through robust stakeholder engagement, mitigating against the risks of climate change and promoting resilience nationwide. To learn more about FEMA’s role in fostering climate resilience, visit FEMA and the Changing Climate | FEMA.gov.