A Tradition of Service
in New England
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The Corps Today
A Tradition of Service Since 1775
The North Atlantic Division
River Basins
The New England District
The Corps and the Citizens
of New England
Flood Damage Reduction
New England District Flood Damage Reduction Projects and Hurricane Barriers
Navigation
Environmental
Restoration
Shoreline and Streambank Protection
Recreation and Natural
Resource Management
Disaster Assistance
Regulatory Program
International & Interagency Support
Support to Military
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Division Boundaries
The Corps Today
The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers is a worldwide organization that provides engineering services and
construction support for a wide variety of military and civil projects.
The Corps' primary
military mission is to provide the armed forces of the United States with modern
facilities, both at home and abroad, to strengthen the nation's defensive
capability and ensure combat readiness.
The Corps' primary
civil works mission is to develop and manage the country's water resources. Its
projects reduce flood damage, improve harbors and navigation channels, protect
streambanks and shorelines, generate hydroelectric power, and preserve and
safeguard the environment.
The Corps of
Engineers is the nation's largest provider of outdoor recreation. The Corps
hosts approximately 360 million visits a year at its lakes, beaches and other
areas, and estimates that 25 million Americans (1 in 10) visit a Corps project
at least once a year. Supporting visitors to these recreation areas generates
600,000 jobs across the United States.
In addition to water
resources projects, the Corps serves as manager for major construction projects
undertaken by other federal agencies and allied governments.
The military and
civil missions complement each other, allowing Corps professionals to develop,
in peacetime, the skills the nation would need in war or other emergencies.
Civilian employees
account for 98 percent of the Corps worldwide staff; military officers make up
the remainder. There are eight Corps divisions, with 41 districts in the United
States. The New England District is part of the North Atlantic Division, which
is headquartered in New York City.
This booklet explains
some of the many activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New England
and the nation. It provides a brief glimpse of the Corps tradition of service in
New England for over 230 years.
A Tradition of
Service Since 1775
The Army Corps of
Engineers traces its beginnings to the opening days of the Revolutionary War
when Boston native Colonel Richard Gridley was named chief engineer of the
Massachusetts Volunteers and, shortly thereafter, chief engineer of the
newly-formed Continental Army by Commander-in-Chief General George Washington.
The first Army
engineering action occurred on the night of June 16, 1775, when Gridley designed
and supervised the construction of an earthwork on Breed's Hill overlooking
Boston Harbor that would prove impregnable against British bombardment during a
fierce battle the following day. Although the patriots lost the position after
running out of ammunition, the Battle of Bunker Hill (as it was later called)
marked the beginning of the long tradition of service to New England that the
Corps continues today.
After the
Revolutionary War, the Army's engineer corps was dissolved until it became
apparent that the growing nation had a continuing need for military engineers.
In 1802 the Congress established a Corps-operated military engineering school at
West Point, New York. West Point served in that capacity until 1866 when it
became the U.S. Military Academy. Graduates of West Point, the nation's only
engineering school for many decades, provided the engineering skills that built
the nation from eastern seaboard to western shore.
In 1824, the Congress
expanded the Corps' responsibility by passing the General Survey Act which
authorized it to survey and build a network of internal improvements, including
roads, canals and railroads.
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Corps rangers offer a
variety of interpretive programs for people to learn about the Corps roles and
functions. During the Corps anniversary celebration, rangers made presentations
to surrounding schools about the Corps of Discovery and Lewis and Clarks'
journey. |
The same year saw
passage of the Rivers and Harbors Act that charged the Corps with improving
navigable waterways, especially the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, the fledgling
nation's main commercial arteries.
From these historic
acts, the civil works mission of the Corps of Engineers grew with the expanding
nation so that today the Corps maintains an indispensable network of
improvements that supports the infrastructure essential for commerce,
transportation and protection from natural disasters. These improvements include
over 12,000 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways, 235 locks, and over 600
dams and reservoirs.
1935 construction of
the Cape Cod Canal Railroad bridge located in Bourne, Mass. |
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The North Atlantic
Division
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North Atlantic
Division includes six operational districts. The boundaries for the New England;
NewYork; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Norfolk and Europe Districts cover the states
shown below.
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The North Atlantic
Division, headquartered at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York, is one of eight
supervisory field offices reporting to Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. It
encompasses all or part of 14 states from Maine to Virginia, including the
District of Columbia, totaling 180,000 square miles (about five percent of the
land area of the United States) and spanning nine time zones. With six
operational districts in New England, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk
and Wiesbaden, Germany, the division employs more than 3,900 civilian
professionals and 40 military personnel worldwide.
From constructing
fortifications in the early days of the new nation, to playing a significant
role in the development of the first atomic bomb during World War II and Cold
War facilities such as ballistic missile systems, to building air bases in
Israel as part of the Camp David accords, the North Atlantic Division has a long
and distinguished record of service.
The division provides
military program support, including real estate, engineering and construction
management to 38 major Army and 14 major Air Force installations in the United
States, as well as to military installations in Greenland and Europe. Its civil
works mission includes navigation, hurricane protection, beach erosion control,
flood control, environmental restoration and other water projects in numerous
river basins, including, in addition to those in New England, the Hudson,
Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac and James. It manages four major canals, four
major navigation locks and 12 major bridges. It is also responsible for
supplying water to the nation's capitol through the Washington Aqueduct.
In the Regulatory
arena, the division protects thousands of miles of coastal and inland shorelines
and countless acres of wetlands, both small and large, processing nearly 15,000
applications each year.
Environmental
restoration is also accomplished for both the military (through the Defense
Environmental Restoration Program) and for the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (through the Superfund Program).
Recovery from natural
disasters is delegated to the Corps under a variety of laws, and work is also
assigned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
River Basins
The New England District
The New England
District is responsible for managing the Corps civil works and military program
responsibilities in a 66,000-square-mile region encompassing the six New England
states east of the Lake Champlain drainage basin.
The region has:
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6,100 miles of coastline;
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171 harbors with Corps improvements;
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13 deep draft commercial waterways;
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13 major river basins; and
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thousands of miles of rivers and streams.
The District employs
about 500 professional civilian employees, with several military officers
serving in key management positions. Seventy-five percent of the staff is
stationed at the Concord, Mass. headquarters, while the others serve at Corps
projects and area offices throughout the region.
The missions of the
New England District are many and varied. They include:
Environmental restoration and stewardship;
Flood damage reduction;
Natural resource and recreation management;
Streambank and shoreline protection;
Navigation improvements and maintenance;
Disaster assistance;
Regulatory program;
Engineering and construction management support to other agencies; and
Support to military.
Whether studying a
major river basin or cleaning up hazardous wastes, the New England District is
at work caring for the people of New England, its customers.
The Corps and the Citizens
of New England
Many citizens of New
England have benefited from the work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Whether they live downstream from a flood damage reduction project in a river
basin, or inland from a barrier-protected harbor mouth; whether they visit a
park or recreation site operated by the Corps; or simply cross a bridge to Cape
Cod, their lives are touched and improved by the work of the men and women of
the Corps.
Many citizens
interact more directly with the agency. For example, communities experiencing a
water resource problem can apply to the Corps for assistance either directly or
through their elected representatives. Through its continuing authorities
programs, the Corps can address many local problems related to flood control,
navigation, environmental restoration and erosion in a timely manner without
specific Congressional approval. Corps engineers from a variety of disciplines
are available to work with communities in solving such problems, from analysis
of the cause and design of a solution, to management of the construction and
operation.
Other citizens
interact with the Corps through its regulatory program which requires a permit
for most work in waterways and wetlands in the region. Corps personnel are
available to advise applicants about permit procedures and should be contacted
well in advance of the anticipated start-up date.
Today, as in the
past, the Army Corps of Engineers is concerned about the quality of service that
it provides its customers. Those customers include the Armed Forces, other
federal agencies, state and local governments, and the citizens of New England.
The Corps is proud of its tradition of service in New England, a tradition begun
on Bunker Hill over 230 years ago. It intends to extend that tradition through
this century and beyond.
Park rangers offer a
variety of interpretive programs all year long.
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Flood Damage Reduction
New England is
susceptible to flooding from many sources - hurricanes in summer and fall,
snowmelts in winter and spring, and coastal storms year round. As a result of
the catastrophic floods in New England in 1936 and 1938, the Corps was called
upon to undertake a comprehensive flood damage reduction program.
Since then the Corps
has built many flood control structures throughout New England.
These include:
36 dams and reservoirs in five river basins that hold back floodwaters
until danger is past:
One tidal barrier (Charles River);
Dikes and floodwalls to contain floodwaters;
Conduits to divert floodwaters;
Five hurricane protection barriers that protect the shoreline, rivers,
and harbors by closing waterways to tidal surges - the Corps currently
operates and maintains the barriers at New Bedford, Massachusetts, and
Stamford, Connecticut;
Channel modifications to increase the carrying capacity of streams, thus
reducing the possibility of flooding; and
Nonstructural flood proofing.
A unique effort was
the Charles River Project, which incorporates a large dam with three locks in
the downstream urban portion of the Charles River Basin in eastern Massachusetts
with the Natural Valley Storage Project upstream. During the 1970s nearly 8,000
acres of property was acquired, either by easement or in fee, as part of the
Corps first nonstructural flood control project in the nation.
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Spillway discharge
was made during a flooding event at Knightville Dam in Huntington, Mass. |
Since 1940, the Corps
has built 36 dams and reservoirs in New England. Most of these structures are
located on tributaries of main rivers and impound flood waters that could be
harmful to more developed areas downstream. Hodges Village Dam (shown here) is
located on the French River above the confluence with the Quinebaug River in the
town of Oxford, Mass. It is part of a system of six flood control dams designed
and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the basin. This system controls
flooding from Oxford, Mass., to Long Island Sound.
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The Corps also
operates a program of wetland preservation and floodplain management to help
communities promote wise and informed use of floodplains in order to avoid the
potential damages of development. |
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It is estimated that
the $538 million spent on flood control measures in New England have already
resulted in a savings of over $3.2 billion in damages prevented, as well as
saving many lives and preventing untold suffering. And these projects continue
to earn dividends in New England every year.
Flood control
measures inland include the construction of dikes, floodwalls and hurricane
barriers that protect commercially valuable and historic structures. Shown here
is the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier located in Providence, R.I.
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Cost
Benefit Ratio for Flood Control Projects in New England
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New England District Flood Damage Reduction Projects and Hurricane Barriers
Navigation
Ports and navigable
waterways are vital to the economy of the United States and New England. As part
of its navigational responsibilities, the Corps develops, maintains, and
improves the region's harbors and waterways.
The Corps currently
maintains 171 federal navigation projects in New England.
These activities
include:
Maintaining and improving federal channels, turning basins and anchorage
areas in 13 deep draft commercial waterways;
Developing and maintaining small boat harbors and waterways to meet
commercial and recreational needs;
Building and maintaining breakwaters, jetties and other structures to
provide safe channels, harbors, and mooring basins;
Monitoring channel and anchorage dimensions for safety;
Removing obstructions which endanger
navigation;
Operating and maintaining the 17.4 mile long Cape Cod Canal; and
Snagging and clearing in waterways.
The Corps
navigational improvements are made in the public interest, and channels are
equally available and accessible to everyone.
As part of its
navigational responsibilities, the Corps helps maintain safe passage into an
entrance channel to a harbor at low tide, including Point Judith, R.I. that is
shown here.
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Environmental Restoration
The restoration of
ecological productivity of our aquatic habitats is a primary mission of the
Civil Works Program. Numerous wetlands have been restored and fisheries
migration corridors improved. All of these outputs improve the health of our
environment. There are several other authorities under which the New England
District serves the citizens of the region in the environmental restoration
arena. The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (Section 1135) authorizes the
restoration of degraded environments to more natural conditions by modifying
Corps structures or operations, or implementation of new restoration measures. A
similar authority, contained in the Water Resources Development Act of 1996
(Section 206) provides for improving the quality of the aquatic environment for
the public and fostering partnerships with private and not for profit, as well
as traditional sponsors. Additional authorities include contaminated sediment
remediation, watershed planning and regional sediment management.
The Defense
Environmental Restoration Program is a congressionally directed effort (Public
Law 98-212), which provides for expanded work in environmental restoration. It
emphasizes the identification, investigation and prompt cleanup of hazardous and
toxic waste; unexploded ordnance; and unsafe and unsightly buildings, structures
and debris at facilities currently or formerly used by the Department of
Defense. To date, approximately 700 sites have been identified in the six state
New England region.
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Under the DERP program, this metal object was one of the many
items removed by the New England District and its contractor at the
former U.S. Navy Blue Beach Disposal site located in North Kingstown,
R.I. |
Shoreline and Streambank
Protection
The 6,100 miles of
New England coastline are among the most beautiful in the world, but they are
subject to the erosive forces of wind and tidal movement.
The Corps shore
protection program helps to protect and restore shores and beaches from erosion
damage.
Structures built by
the Corps include:
Breakwaters to intercept wave energy, providing protection for harbor
and shoreline;
Groins which trap and retain sand, thus maintaining shore alignment and
stability;
Revetments to absorb the energy of breaking waves; and
Seawalls to prevent bank erosion and heavy wave damage.
Other erosion control
methods include:
Planting vegetation, such as beach grass, to trap and retain sand and
Nourishing beaches with sand to restore them and stop the water's inland
advance.
To date, the Corps
has constructed 40 shore protection projects along New England's 355 miles of
public beaches.
Inland, Army
Engineers have constructed projects to protect public property along New
England's rivers.
Aerial photograph of
Seabrook Harbor, Seabrook, N.H. |
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Recreation and Natural
Resource Management
The Corps project
sites in New England total more than 55,000 acres of land and water. Some of
this land is periodically used to store floodwaters, but in their natural state,
these lands make ideal habitats for fish and wildlife. Corps specialists from a
variety of disciplines, such as forestry, ecology, biology and botany, are
committed to the management of these areas to protect the environment and
promote aquatic and animal life.
Corps project sites
are also managed to provide recreational opportunities for the people of New
England to enjoy the area's natural beauty and resources without damaging the
environment.
Some project sites
contain:
Campgrounds;
Parks and picnic areas;
Boat ramps;
Trails for hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, trail biking, and
cross country skiing;
Reservoirs containing trout, bass, and other game fish; and
Hunting areas for deer, pheasant, quail, rabbits, and ducks.
Interpretive programs
conducted by Corps rangers on the project sites provide visitors with
information about the flora and fauna of the area.
Each year about 10
million people visit and enjoy the parks and other facilities operated by the
New England District.
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Park rangers perform
repair work at Tully Lake, Royalston, Mass.
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Disaster Assistance
Throughout the
nation's history, citizens have relied on the Army to respond to their needs in
disasters. In a typical year, the Corps of Engineers responds to more than 30
Presidential disaster declarations, plus numerous state and local emergencies.
Emergency responses usually involve cooperation with other military elements and
federal agencies in support of state and local efforts. The Corps conducts its
emergency response activities under two basic authorities: Flood Control and
Coastal Emergency Act (P.L. 84-99, as amended) and the Stafford Disaster and
Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, as amended). Under the Stafford Act, the
Corps supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in carrying out
the Federal Response Plan, which calls on 26 federal departments and agencies to
provide coordinated disaster relief and recovery operations. Under this plan,
the Army has the lead responsibility for public works and engineering missions.
The frequency and
severity of damages created by natural and other disasters require an ever-ready
rapid and effective emergency management response. This challenge will always
remain an area of national need. Disaster damages more typically run in the
billions of dollars. In addition, population shifts to at-risk areas and
climatic changes are increasing the risk to people and property. Although it is
the responsibility of state and local governments to plan for natural
emergencies, such as storms, fires, or earthquakes, the Corps participates in
the planning process through seminars and exercises. It can also take
extraordinary measures, such as strengthening nonfederal flood control or shore
protection works in the face of a potentially damaging flood.
One of the most
hazardous outcomes of a flood can be contamination of the water supply. The
Corps may provide emergency clean water supplies to stricken communities by
trucking in potable water to central distribution points or providing temporary
water service from safe sources. Similar services can be provided to people and
livestock in drought areas.
Whatever the
disaster, the Corps is a source of help for stricken communities. The skills
developed by Corps professionals while working on civil and military projects
are invaluable in emergency situations and would be equally useful to the nation
if mobilization were required.
Regulatory Program
Waters and wetlands
of the nation are valuable resources and must be carefully protected. Congress
has charged the Corps of Engineers with the responsibility for regulating all
work in navigable waterways; the discharges of dredged and fill material in all
waters and wetlands; and transportation of dredged material for ocean disposal,
whether that work is undertaken by an individual, a governmental body, or a
commercial business. The Corps fulfills this responsibility through its
regulatory program. Each proposed project is carefully reviewed; a permit is
then issued (or denied) based on standards that balance the public interest with
the benefits to be derived. Permits are required for virtually any work in U.S.
waters or wetlands, including:
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Regulatory employees
hosted a workshop that discussed vernal pools, how to recognize them and what
species of animals use them.
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Constructing permanent or semi permanent structures, such as piers,
docks, or ramps in navigable waters;
Placing dredged or fill material in U.S. waters or wetlands;
Discharging dredged materials into waters and wetlands; and
Performing work, which might affect historic sites, wild or scenic
rivers, or which might threaten endangered species.
The Corps makes an
effort to provide timely decisions, which reflect the public interest; it offers
assistance to all applicants regarding permit procedures.
International & Interagency
Support
Throughout this
century and last, the Corps of Engineers has provided engineering and
construction services to other federal agencies. For example, in the 1960s the
Corps worked closely with NASA in constructing the massive facilities that now
support the U.S. space program. In the 1970s it managed the real estate
acquisition and construction of a nationwide network of bulk mail centers for
the U.S. Postal Service, while in the 1980s it served as the national manager
for the Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) program for the U.S. Air Force.
Currently it is supporting the Department of Homeland Security in design and
construction of border patrol stations.
As the role of
government has evolved, this aspect of the Corps work is becoming even more
important and will continue to grow in the foreseeable future.
In New England, the
Corps relationship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is particularly
close. The Corps is supporting EPA in the "Superfund" cleanup of hazardous waste
sites by serving as contract managers to review project design and supervise
construction activities. A number of activities have already been completed, and
13 other projects are underway. The District managed a large grant program for
EPA, which provided money to local communities for upgrading of wastewater
treatment facilities. In recent years, the District has become heavily involved
in Superfund activities, with more than a dozen major efforts, underway in the
region.
Wherever the need for
engineering or construction management services arises in the federal family,
whether civilian or military, the Corps is ready to carry on its tradition of
service and excellence.
Southeast Lighthouse,
Block Island, R.I. |
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Support to Military
The New England
District provides military construction and installation support to Army and Air
Force installations in New England. Major customers include the Soldier Systems
Center at Natick Labs, Mass.; the Army's 94th
Regional Support Command, Reserve Training Area at Devens, Mass.; Hanscom Air
Force Base in Bedford, Mass.; and Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Mass.
The District also supports more than 125 recruiting centers throughout the
region.
Our professionals
provide engineering, construction management and real estate services important
not only to the operational facilities that ensure continued capability of these
units to execute their assigned missions, but also to support facilities that
provide a quality of life that our men and women serving in the Armed Forces
deserve.
The District also
provides remedial design, environmental remediation, cultural resources
compliance, and real estate transfer activities associated with installations
being phased out under the Base Realignment and Closure program.
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Participants gather
around the base of the water tower during the ribbon cutting ceremony at the
Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), Bourne, Mass.
The ceremony marked
the completion of the water supply system project for MMR and surrounding
communities on the Upper Cape Cod.
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