Want
to know how water resource projects and studies become authorized?
Visit this
helpful
site that was developed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Headquarters.
Want
to learn how the Corps can help your community or group?
View and print this brochure.
Little Rock District provides planning, engineering and construction
support to local communities in Arkansas and Missouri. We're here to
put our expertise to work for our neighbors.
Planning
Assistance
Section
22 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1974, as amended,
provides authority for the Corps of Engineers to assist the States,
local governments, and other non-Federal entities, in the preparation
of comprehensive plans for the development, utilization, and conservation
of water and related land resources. Section 208 of the Water Resources
Development Act of 1992 amended the WRDA of 1974 to include Native American
Tribes as equivalent to a State.
Funding
The Planning Assistance to States program is funded annually by Congress.
Federal allotments for each State or Tribe from the nation-wide appropriation
are limited to $500,000 annually, but typically are much less. Individual
studies, of which there may be more than one per State or Tribe per
year, generally cost $25,000 to $75,000. These studies are cost shared
on a 50 percent Federal - 50 percent non-Federal basis.
Program
Development
The
needed planning assistance is determined by the individual States and
Tribes. Every year, each State and Indian Tribe can provide the Corps
of Engineers its request for studies under the program, and the Corps
then accommodates as many studies as possible within the funding allotment.
Typical studies are only planning level of detail; they do not include
detailed design for project construction. The studies generally involve
the analysis of existing data for planning purposes using standard engineering
techniques although some data collection is often necessary. Most studies
become the basis for State or Tribal and local planning decisions.
Typical
Studies
The program
can encompass many types of studies, dealing with water resources issues.
Types of studies conducted in recent years under the program include
the following:
- Water
Supply and Demand Studies
- Water
Quality Studies
- Environmental
Conservation/Restoration Studies
- Wetlands
Evaluation Studies
- Dam
Safety/Failure Studies
- Flood
Damage Reduction Studies
- Flood
Plain Management Studies
- Coastal
Zone Management/Protection Studies
- Harbor/Port
Studies
How
to Request Assistance
State,
local government, and Tribal officials who are interested in obtaining
planning assistance under this program can contact the Planning and
Environmental Office, Little Rock District at (501) 324-5751 for further
details. Alternatively, interested parties can contact the appropriate
State or Tribal Planning Assistance to States coordinator to request
assistance. In either case, the Corps will coordinate all requests for
assistance with the State or Tribal Planning Assistance to States coordinator
to ensure that studies are initiated on State or Tribal prioritized
needs.
Emergency
Services
Public
Law 84-99 authorizes the Corps of Engineers to participate in:
* Emergency repair and restoration of flood damaged or destroyed flood
control projects.
* Emergency supply of clean drinking water where the source is contaminated.
* Emergency supply of water for human and livestock consumption in drought
distressed areas.
* Emergency provision of sandbags, pumps and technical assistance.
Water
Supply
This
program is authorized under the Water Supply Act of 1958 (P.L. 85-500),
as amended, and Section 932 of the Water Resources Development Act of
1986 (P.L. 99-662). It provides for water storage inclusion in any Corps
of Engineers existing lake. Local sponsors must contract for storage
space for municipal and industrial use.
Little
Rock District currently administers 29 agreements at 9 lake projects
with local governments or water districts. The Corps performs studies
and writes agreements at full federal expense.
Flood
Plain Management Services
People
that live and work in the flood plain need to know about the flood hazard
and the actions that they can take to reduce property damage and to
prevent the loss of life caused by flooding. The
Flood Plain Management Services (FPMS) Program was developed by the
Corps of Engineers specifically to address this need.
Authority,
Objective, and Scope
The program's authority stems from Section 206 of the 1960 Flood Control
Act (PL 86-645), as amended. Its objective is to foster public understanding
of the options for dealing with flood hazards and to promote prudent
use and management of the Nation's flood plains.
Land use
adjustments based on proper planning and the employment of techniques
for controlling and reducing flood damages provide a rational way to
balance the advantages and disadvantages of human settlement on flood
plains. These adjustments are the key to sound flood plain management.
Types
of Assistance
The FPMS Program provides the full range of technical services and planning
guidance that is needed to support effective flood plain management.
a.
General Technical Services. The program develops or interprets site-specific
data on obstructions to flood flows, flood formation and timing; flood
depths or stages; flood-water velocities; and the extent, duration,
and frequency of flooding. It also provides information on natural and
cultural flood plain resources of note, and flood loss potentials before
and after the use of flood plain management measures.
b.
General Planning Guidance. On a larger scale, the program provides assistance
and guidance in the form of "Special Studies" on all aspects
of flood plain management planning including the possible impacts of
off-flood plain land use changes on the physical, socio-economic, and
environmental conditions of the flood plain.
This
can range from helping a community identify present or future flood
plain areas and related problems, to a broad assessment of which of
the various remedial measures may be effectively used.
Some
of the most common types of Special Studies include:
- Flood
Plain Delineation/Flood Hazard Evaluation Studies
- Dam
Break Analysis Studies
- Hurricane
Evacuation Studies
- Flood
Warning/Preparedness Studies
- Regulatory
Floodway Studies
- Comprehensive
Flood Plain Management Studies
- Flood
Damage Reduction Studies
- Urbanization
Impact Studies
- Stormwater
Management Studies
- Flood
Proofing Studies
- Inventory
of Flood Prone Structures.
The
program also provides guidance and assistance for meeting standards
of the National Flood Insurance Program and for conducting workshops
and seminars on non-structural flood plain management measures, such
as Flood Proofing.
c.
Guides, Pamphlets, and Supporting Studies. The program enables studies
to be conducted to improve methods and procedures for mitigating flood
damages. Also, for preparing guides and pamphlets on flood proofing
techniques, flood plain regulations, flood plain occupancy, natural
flood plain resources, and other related aspects of flood plain management.
Charges
for Assistance
Upon request, program services are provided to State, regional, and
local governments, Indian Tribes, and other non-Federal public agencies
without charge.
Program
services also are offered to non-water resource Federal agencies and
to the private sector on a 100% cost recovery basis. For most requests,
payment is required before services are provided. A schedule of charges
is used to recover the cost of services taking up to one day to provide.
Letter requests or signed agreements are used to charge for those that
take longer.
All requestors
are encouraged to furnish available field survey data, maps, historical
flood information and the like, to help reduce the cost of services.
How
to Request Assistance
Agencies,
governments, organizations, and individuals interested in flood-related
informationor assistance should contact the nearest Corps office for
further information concerning this Program.
Information
that is readily available will be provided in response to a telephone
request. A letter request is required for assistance that involves developing
new data, or making a map, or preparing a report.
Geographic Information System
Digital mapping and analysis is used extensively throughout the district.
GIS and Global Positioning System and the tools used to develop planning
databases and analyze engineering problems. GIS and GPS technology can
be utilized with any of the above mentioned projects.