FEMA Fund Freeze Halts $882 Million, Threatening Southern Oregon’s Water Infrastructure

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has pulled the plug on its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, rescinding $882 million and impacting at least two Southern Oregon city projects.

The Fund Freeze is Short-Sighted, Say Critics

The Trump administration’s cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for resilience projects has been described as short-sighted by Todd Bridges, a professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems.

Another critic of the latest federal government fund freeze is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, pointing out that the number of disasters causing more than $1 billion in damage has steadily escalated since 1980.

More Than 17,000 People Have Died in Disasters, Costing the Country Trillions of Dollars

According to statistics, as of 2024 more than 17,000 people have died in 400-plus disasters that caused at least $1 billion each in damage. The total cost to the country exceeded $2.9 trillion.

FEMA has described BRIC as an example of a wasteful and ineffective program. However, its decision is leaving the fate of resilience projects that are in the design and planning phases in a state of uncertainty.

Grants Pass and Medford Projects Hurt by Decision

Grants Pass City in Josephine County has lost a grant worth $50 million to build a new, disaster-resilient water treatment plant, as its present facility is showing serious signs of wear and tear.

The Grants City water treatment plant was built in 1930 and is showing danger signs of imminent failure as its walls, which hold nearly a million gallons of water, are deteriorating. Grant City Public Work Director, Jason Canady, describes the existing water treatment plant as seismically vulnerable.

The city is now collaborating with a rate consultant to determine if it can handle another debt without immediately raising water rates.

In Jackson County, Medford Water has lost $34 million in BRIC grant money, more than half of the $60 million allocated for upcoming projects to expand the region’s capacity to meet growing demand and improve resiliency in a disaster scenario.

Affected upgrades in Medford include improving water storage reservoirs, building large-diameter pipelines, and expanding pump stations.