The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is undergoing a national effort to improve feasibility study execution and to modernize the planning process as part of the Corps’ Civil Works Transformation. New feasibility studies are aiming to follow a “3x3x3” rule - study timeframe of three years, at a cost of $3 million, utilizing 3 levels of vertical team coordination, and of a "reasonable" report size.

To achieve these goals, the Corps has developed the SMART Planning program; SMART Planning is:

S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Attainable
R: Risk Informed
T: Timely

In order to comply with these national efforts, the Delta Management portion of the LCA Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study is currently undergoing a rescoping effort to identify ways to save time and cut costs under the new Corps of Engineers SMART Planning directives. Upon completion of the rescoping effort, the Project Development Team will outline the new goals, major tasks, timeline, and cost of the Delta Management Study.

For more information on the SMART Planning process, please visit:
  http://planning.usace.army.mil/toolbox/smart.cfm

The LCA Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Scoping Report, which captures public comments and topics addressed during the scoping meetings hosted in April 2012, is now available to the public. A hard copy of the report is available by request. Please contact: William P. Klein, Jr., Ed.D., USACE, New Orleans District, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA, 70160-0267, Phone: 504-862-2540, Email: William.P.Klein.Jr@usace.army.mil OR Public Affairs Office, 504-862-1759, Email: AskTheCorps@usace.army.mil.

Transcripts from the scoping meetings are available below:

* The publications on this page are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view them. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.

The Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management (MRHDM) Study is the first large-scale, long-term restoration assessment investigated under the LCA Program. This study will identify and evaluate a combination of large-scale management and restoration features to address the long-term sustainability of the lower Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, as authorized under Section 7003 of the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) 2007. The MRHDM Study area covers the lower Mississippi River and the surrounding deltaic regions. The hydrodynamic study effort will focus on the Mississippi River, while the delta management study effort will focus on the adjacent basins.

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