New directions in water resources planning for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Committee to Assess the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Project Planning Procedures, Water Science and Technology Board, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Government document

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee to Assess the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Project Planning Procedures.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army. Corps of Engineers.

United States.

Water resources development--United States--Planning.

Water resources development.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (120 pages) : illustrations, maps

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has long been one of the federal government's key agencies in planning the uses of the nation's waterways and water resources. Though responsible for a range of water-related programs, the Corps's two traditional programs have been flood damage reduction and navigation enhancement. The water resource needs of the nation, however, have for decades been shifting away from engineered control of watersheds toward restoration of ecosystem services and natural hydrologic variability. In response to these shifting needs, legislation was enacted in 1990 which initiated the Corps's involvement in ecological restoration, which is now on par with the Corps's traditional flood damage reduction and navigation roles. This book provides an analysis of the Corps's efforts in ecological restoration, and provides broader recommendations on how the corps might streamline their planning process. It also assesses the impacts of federal legislation on the Corps planning and projects, and provides recommendations on how relevant federal policies might be altered in order to improve Corps planning. Another important shift affecting the Corps has been federal cost-sharing arrangements (enacted in 1986), mandating greater financial participation in Corps water projects by local co-sponsors. The book describes how this has affected the Corps-sponsor relationship, and comments upon how each group must adjust to new planning and political realities.

Contents:

""New Directions in Water Resources Planning for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers""; ""Copyright""; ""Preface""; ""Contents""; ""Executive Summary""; ""1 Evolution of Corps Programs and Federal Water Policies""; ""EARLY CORPS ACTIVITIES IN THE NATION'S RIVER BASINS""; ""The 1899 River and Harbor Act""; ""The Federal Water Power Act of 1920""; ""New Deal Planning""; ""The Flood Control Act of 1936""; ""The Federal Interagency River Basin Committee""; ""FEDERAL WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AT MID-CENTURY""; ""The Cooke Commission""; ""The Green Book""; ""Circular A-47""; ""Senate Document 97""

""THE U.S. WATER RESOURCES COUNCIL AND TITLE II RIVER BASIN COMMISSIONS"" ""The Water Resources Council""; ""Title II River Basin Commissions""; ""PROGRAM REDUCTION, 1970-1985""; ""2 The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and Other Legislative and Administrative Initiatives""; ""IMPLICATIONS OF WRDA '86 AND OTHER WRDAS""; ""Cost-Sharing Provisions of WRDA '86""; ""Broadening the Scope of Corps Water Planning""; ""RISK AND UNCERTAINTY ISSUES""; ""The Corps' Past Treatment of Risk and Uncertainty""; ""Current Corps Policies""; ""Use of Risk Analysis""

""Environmental Risk Assessment and Restoration Projects"" ""Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management""; ""Climate Change""; ""3 Assessment of the Corps' Planning Processes""; ""THE CORPS PLANNING PROCESS""; ""The Reconnaissance Phase""; ""The Feasibility Phase""; ""Preconstruction Engineering and Design and the Chief's Report""; ""TYPES, LENGTH, AND COSTS OF CORPS PLANNING STUDIES""; ""Length of Corps Planning Studies""; ""Costs of Corps Planning Studies""; ""FEDERAL BUDGETING AND AUTHORIZATION""; ""STREAMLINING THE PLANNING PROCESS""; ""COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS""; ""COMMENTARY""

""4 Gaps Between Practices and Principles: Adjusting Planning and Guidance"" ""WATER RESOURCE PLANNING PRINCIPLES""; ""Watershed, Basinwide, and Regional Perspectives""; ""Comprehensiveness""; ""Criteria and Procedures""; ""REGIONAL-SCALE PLANNING""; ""PARTNERSHIP PLANNING""; ""REDUCING THE NATION'S FLOOD DAMAGES: POLICY AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES""; ""Policy issues: Cost-sharing""; ""Procedural Issues: Possible Biases Against Nonstructural Projects""; ""OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: THE NEED FOR ASSESSMENTS""; ""5 The Corps' Environmental Protection and Restoration Programs""

""INTEGRATING ECOLOGY INTO WATER RESOURCES PLANNING""""VALUING THE BENEFITS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS""; ""OPTIONS FOR THE CORPS""; ""CHOOSING PROJECT ALTERNATIVES""; ""THE CURRENT DEBATE OVER PROJECT EVALUATION""; ""MEASURING ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND COSTS""; ""OTHER ISSUES""; ""6 Recommendations""; ""INTERNAL ORGANIZATION""; ""EXTERNAL ISSUES""; ""RELATIONS WITH LOCAL SPONSORS""; ""ANALYTICAL METHODOLOGY""; ""References""; ""List of Acronyms ""; ""Appendix A Planning Guidance Letter 97-10, Shortening the Planning Process""; ""Appendix B Cost Analysis of Selected Studies, 1986-1996""; ""Appendix C List of Conditional Authorization Projects in WRDA '96""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 85-89).

ISBN:

9780309174046

030917404X

9780309570053

0309570050

9780585068596

0585068593

OCLC:

817960015