Planning Assistance to States and Tribes
Section 22 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1974
What the Corps of Engineers Can Do:
The needed planning assistance is determined by the individual State or Native American Tribe. Every year, each State, Native American Tribe, local government, or other non-Federal entity can provide the Corps of Engineers its request for studies under the program, and the Corps of Engineers 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, Tribal and local planning decisions.
Funding:
Congress funds the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Program annually. Federal allotments for each State or Tribe from the nationwide 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 range in cost from $25,000 to over $100,000. These studies are cost shared on a 50 percent Federal, 50 percent non-Federal basis. Twenty-five percent of the non-Federal cost share can be provided as work-in-kind.
Typical Studies:
The program can encompass many types of studies dealing with water and related land
resource issues. Types of studies conducted in recent years under the program include the following:
- Water Supply and Demand Studies
- Water Quality Studies
- Environmental Conservation Studies
- Environmental Restoration Studies
- Wetland Evaluation Studies
- Dam Safety/Failure Studies
- Flood Risk Management Studies
- Floodplain Management Studies
- Land Use Studies
- Master Planning
- Brownfields Environmental Assessments
- GIS Development
How to Request Assistance:
Contact the Rock Island District’s Planning Assistance to States Coordinator at (309) 794-5605 or by email at CEMVR-PM@usace.army.mil