Lawmakers want more money to gauge levee risks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers want more federal money to study the safety of levees after dozens of breaches contributed to heavy flooding across the Midwest last month.

The head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tells a Senate panel that his agency is two years away from completing an inventory of about 14,000 miles of levees across the country.

Assistant Army Secretary John Paul Woodley says it will take even longer to assess those levees that are at risk.

California Sen. Barbara Boxer says she wants to commit more money to speed up the process. She calls the floods a wake-up call to shore up the nation's water infrastructure.

Boxer, a Democrat, heads the committee that oversees the nation's water projects.