ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS

:ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS USACE programs boost ports’ efforts to address water resource issues

One notable session at this year’s Annual Conference is “The Environmental Permitting Process.” Lynker’s Sarah Pautzke and Zach Hughes, Salus Resources Inc. are joined by Theresa Stevens, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assist in taking the mystery out of the Environmental Permitting Process. Stevens’ presentation — USACE Regulatory 101, Nuts and Bolts — will be a great road map through the Corps’ regulatory permit process, provide relevant information, and help in getting through the permit process efficiently. Pautzke and Hughes, both leaders in supporting clients who are faced with the challenge of meeting requirements of such acts as the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, will provide useful and insightful guidance for conference attendees.

While Stevens will be providing an overview of the regulatory landscape, the USACE has a number of programs that are useful to highlight as a supplement to Stevens’ presentation. These programs provide opportunities for local governments, states, tribes, and non-governmental entities to partner with the USACE to help solve their water resources problems described herein. The USACE has a breadth of technical and planning capabilities and experience in solving the nation’s most complex water resources problems. But large-scale studies and construction of huge infrastructure is not the answer to all problems. The programs described below are designed to scale support to the level of complexity and problems, targeting solutions to the needs of non-federal partners. Some programs, like the Continuing Authorities Program, include the ability to construct recommendations coming out of the initial feasibility study phase. While other programs, such as the Floodplain Management Services, and Planning Assistance to States, don’t include construction and are focused on providing technical support to analyze problems and support local decision makers and resource managers.

A brief introduction to the type of work each program can support, and how they work, is below. Interested partners are furthermore invited to reach out for additional information, or to discuss whether any of these programs may be a good fit for your needs.

Continuing Authorities Program

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) is a group of nine water resource-related authorities contained in several different laws. The purpose of the CAP is to plan, design, and construct water resources projects of limited scope and complexity that, because of their limited cost (total federal expense per project not exceeding $10 million), do not require project-specific authorization from Congress. Example projects include: • streambank and shoreline erosion protection of public works and non-profit public services, • beach erosion and hurricane and storm damage reduction, • navigation improvements, • flood damage reduction, • and aquatic ecosystem restoration, among others.

All projects in this program include a feasibility phase and an implementation phase. Planning activities, such as development of alternative plans to achieve the project goals, initial design and cost estimating, environmental analyses and real estate evaluations are performed during the feasibility phase to develop enough information to decide whether to implement the project. The feasibility phase is initially federally funded up to $100,000, and all additional study costs are typically shared 50-50 with a non-federal project partner and the USACE.

The final design, preparation of contract plans and specifications, permitting, real estate acquisition, project contracting and construction, and any other activities required to construct or implement the approved project are completed during the implementation phase. The USACE and the nonfederal sponsor typically share implementation phase costs 65% federal, 35% non-federal. The federal costs per project for both phases (feasibility and implementation) are generally limited to $10 million.

Regional CAP Production Center — The Regional CAP Production Center (RCPC) was established in 2015 to support each of the four South Pacific Division districts (Albuquerque,

Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco) by efficiently and effectively completing CAP feasibility studies. The team at the RCPC has broad expertise in planning, engineering, environmental resources, and economics, and has the ability to utilize experts in other disciplines as needed.

Floodplain Management Services

The Corps’ Floodplain Management Services Program provides communities with a full range of technical and planning services to support effective floodplain management. Under the program, the Corps supports state, tribal, regional, and local governments with both riverine and coastal flood challenges.

Work under this program empowers communities to better understand their risks of flooding and develop plans to communicate and manage that risk. For example, the USACE can work with communities to develop or interpret site-specific data on flood hazards or obstructions to flood flows; flood formation and timing, flood depths and elevation; floodwater velocities; and the extent, duration, and frequency of flooding. The Corps can also support communities in post-wildfire flood hazard assessments and mitigation planning.

Because the Floodplain Management Services program enables the Corps to execute this work at no direct charge to a local community, it creates an excellent opportunity for the Corps to work with partners who don’t otherwise have the financial resources for a cost-share. The Corps can also work with federal agencies and private persons under the Floodplain Management Services program—however services for these groups require a cost-recovery or fee basis.

Past examples of services and projects using the Floodplain Management Services program include: • Understanding flood hazards and risk • Floodplain Delineation / Flood

Hazard Evaluation • Urbanization Impact Studies • Inventory of Flood Prone Structures • Hydrologic, Hydraulic and Sediment

Transport Modeling • Flood risk communication, planning, and management • Flood Warning/Preparedness • Preparation of guides and pamphlets to convey floodplain information and nature of flood hazards • Outreach materials and events for communities, localities, and other public entities to foster public understanding of floodplain hazards. • Development and evaluation of alternatives (solutions) to reduce flood risk • Nonstructural flood risk management • Floodplain management plans • Post-wildfire assistance • Modeling (hazard assessment) • Development of risk mitigation measures • Flood After Fire toolkit

Planning Assistance to States

The Corps offers two types of planning assistance through Planning Assistance to States (PAS): Technical Assistance and Comprehensive Plans. The typical timeframe for completing work under PAS is 12 to 24 months.

Technical Assistance — The Corps can provide Technical Assistance to enhance the water-related planning efforts currently underway by states, tribes, territories, and other governmental organizations. For example, they can collect data and conduct hydrologic, economic, or environmental risk analyses to support an entity’s hazard mitigation plan, ecosystem restoration plan, water resources management plan, long-term recovery plan, climate action plan, etc. Technical Assistance activities through the PAS program are cost shared with the study partner (50 percent).

Comprehensive Plans — Comprehensive Plans provide a vision for addressing water resources challenges in the context of developing, utilizing, and conserving the water and related resources within drainage basins, watersheds, and their ecosystems. Comprehensive planning typically covers a large geographic area and a long-term planning horizon.

Typical water resources problems and opportunities addressed in comprehensive water resource plans can include flood risk management, water supply, water conservation, environmental restoration, water quality, hydropower, erosion, navigation, fish and wildlife, cultural resources, and environmental resources.

Examples of past studies and activities completed under Planning Assistance to States include: • Watershed planning • Flood risk management • Surface and groundwater quality • Environmental Conservation and

Restoration • Water supply and demand • Wetland delineations • Stream assessments • GIS mapping

More information

The USACE San Francisco District website (https://www.spn.usace.army. mil/Missions/Projects-and-Programs/) includes a great deal more information on the above programs and others. USACE staff are also available to discuss particular details:

Regional CAP Production Center: Thomas Kendall: 415-503-6822 / Thomas.R.Kendall@usace.army.mil

Floodplain Management Services and Planning Assistance to States: Jessica Ludy, (415) 503-6621 / Jessica.J.Ludy@ usace.army.mil, or Jonathan Vivanti, (213) 452-3809 / jonathan.d.vivanti@ usace.army.mil