This page was last updated by the Content Provider on 28-Aug-2007
Continuing Authorities Program
The Continuing Authorities Program establishes a process by which the Corps of Engineers can respond to a variety of water resource problems without the need to obtain specific congressional authorization for each project. This decreases the amount of time required to budget, develop, and approve a potential project for construction. The Seattle District has constructed numerous small projects under the Continuing Authorities Program, and has developed a wide diversity of technical experience in solving problems associated with shoreline and streambank erosion, navigation, flood damage reduction, and environmental restoration. Under the Continuing Authorities Program, the Corps is authorized to construct small projects within specific federal funding limits. The total cost of a project is shared among the federal government and a non-federal sponsor(s). Following is a brief description of each program:
Small Flood Control Projects: Authorized by Section 205 of the 1948 Flood Control Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $7 million for each project. Work under this authority provides for local protection from flooding by the construction or improvement of flood control works such as levees, channels, and dams. Non-structural alternatives are also considered and may include measures such as installation of flood warning systems, raising and/or flood proofing of structures, and relocation of flood prone facilities. The cost share is 65% federal and 35% non-federal.
Emergency Streambank and Shoreline Erosion: Authorized by Section 14 of the 1946 Flood Control Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $1 million for each project. Work under this authority allows emergency streambank and shoreline protection for public facilities, such as roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, and water/sewage treatment plants, that are in imminent danger of failing. The cost share is 65% federal and 35% non-federal.
Snagging and Clearing for Flood Control: Authorized by Section 208 of the 1954 Flood Control Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $500,000 for each project. Work under this authority provides for local protection from flooding by channel clearing and excavation, with limited embankment construction by use of materials from the clearing operation only. The cost share is 65% federal and 35% non-federal.
Small Navigation Improvements: Authorized by Section 107 of the 1960 River and Harbor Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $4 million for each project. Work under this authority is intended to provide improvements to navigation including dredging of channels, widening of turning basins, and construction of navigation aids. The cost share is 80% federal and 20% non-federal.
Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction: Authorized by Section 103 of the 1962 River and Harbor Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $3 million for each project. Work under this authority provides for protection or restoration of public shorelines by the construction of revetments, groins, and jetties, and may also include periodic sand replenishment. The cost share is 65% federal and 35% non-federal.
Shore Damage Attributable to Federal Navigation Works: Authorized by Section 111 of the 1968 River and Harbor Act, as amended; the federal share may not exceed $5 million for each project. Work under this authority provides for the prevention or mitigation of erosion damages to public or privately owned shores along the coastline of the United States when these damages are a result of a federal navigation project. This authority cannot be used for shore damages caused by river bank erosion or vessel-generated wave wash. It is not intended to restore shorelines to historic dimensions, but only to reduce erosion to the level that would have existed without the construction of a federal navigation project. Cost-sharing may not be required for this program. If the federal cost limitation is exceeded, specific congressional authorization is required.
Environmental Programs: Three of these standing authorities are for ecosystem restoration. Using these authorities, we plan, design and construct ecosystem restoration projects in cooperation with non-federal cost sharing partners. The non-federal sponsors will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of these projects upon completion. To qualify for construction, the benefits, both monetary and non-monetary, must justify the monetary and non-monetary costs of the projects.
Project Modifications for Improvement of the Environment: Authorized by Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, as amended; the federal share of each separate project may not exceed $5 million, including studies, plans and specifications, and construction. A non-federal sponsor is required to provide 25 percent of the cost of the project. Work under this authority provides for modifications in the structures and operations of water resources projects constructed by the Corps of Engineers to improve the quality of the environment. Additionally the Corps may undertake restoration projects at locations where a Corps project has contributed to the degradation. The primary goal of these projects is ecosystem restoration with an emphasis on projects benefiting fish and wildlife. The project must be consistent with the authorized purposes of the project being modified, environmentally acceptable, and complete within itself.
Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration: Authorized by Section 206 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996; the non-federal share of these projects is 35 percent and the federal share is limited to $5 million, including studies, plans and specifications, and construction. Work under this authority may carry out aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that will improve the quality of the environment, are in the public interest, and are cost-effective. There is no requirement that a Corps project be involved. The cost share is 65% federal and 35% non-federal.
Beneficial Uses of Dredged Material: Authorized by Section 204 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992, as amended; the cost sharing (25% non-federal, 75% federal) would be applied to the incremental cost above the least cost method of dredged material disposal consistent with engineering and environmental criteria. Work under this authority provides for the use of dredge material from new or existing federal projects to protect, restore, or create aquatic and ecologically related habitats, including wetlands. In addition to the benefits justifying the costs, the project must not result in environmental degradation.
For more information contact: Continuing Authorities Program Manager, Lester Soule at (206) 764-3699 or e-mail Lester.E.Soule@usace.army.mil
