River Basins and Coastal Systems Planning Within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2004) / Chapter Skim
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4 Authorities, Methods, and Practices of Integrated Water Project Planning in River Basins and Coastal Systems
4 Authorities, Methods, and Practices of Integrated Water Project Planning in River Basins and Coastal Systems
Pages 81-114
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From page 81... ...
Integrated water project planning is also indicated in a number of authorities supporting an ecosystem approach in Corps activities, whether 81
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From page 82... ...
and watersheds WRDA of 1986, Authorizes modifications in the structures or Section 1135 (as operations of water projects for the purpose of amended) improving the quality of the environment in the public interest; this authority is limited to existing Corps projects WRDA of 1992, Authorizes the beneficial use of dredged Section 204 material for the protection, restoration, and cre ation of aquatic and ecologically related habitats WRDA of 1996, Authorizes aquatic ecosystem restoration and Section 206 protection projects to be pursued at sites with no existing Corps project WRDA of 1996, Authorizes the selection of a dredge material Section 207 disposal method that is not the least-cost alternative in order to achieve environmental benefits, to include creation of wetlands and shoreline erosion control for the purpose of protecting significant ecological resources
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From page 83... ...
91611) authorizes investigations for modifying existing projects and their operations when found "advisable due to significantly changed physical or economic conditions and for improving the quality of the environment in the overall public interest." After an initial appraisal, the so-called 216 study process can lead to a general investigations study, which can be appropriate for large-scale ecosystem restoration projects linked to existing
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From page 84... ...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Planning Guidance An emphasis on integrated watershed and coastal systems planning is also found in recent Corps policy guidance.
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From page 85... ...
. Despite the clear authority and strong evidence for internal support for integrated river basin, coastal system, and ecosystem planning, the amount of focused guidance for such planning is relatively limited compared to that for economic evaluation of water projects.
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From page 86... ...
Alternative project plans can be compared based on their beneficial and adverse effects within the immediate project domain. In the sections of the PGN that provide supporting guidance for each of the six project planning steps, there is a single paragraph (U.S.
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From page 87... ...
The Corps district office performs this study, which also includes identifying a prospective local sponsor for cost-sharing during the feasibility phase. The reconnaissance study will recommend either that a feasibility study be conducted or that all further planning be discontinued.
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From page 88... ...
The PED is then sent to the Secretary of the Army, and the Corps' chief of engineers recom mends approval of the project. An important step would therefore be to review these main planning guidance documents and identify cases in which better and more explicit language would bring guidance for day-to-day project planning into closer conformity with general statements of principle and would clearly endorse planning on broader spatial and temporal scales.
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From page 89... ...
Benefits in the NED account are intended to show how the plan increases the production and/or consumption potential of the national economy, while costs in the NED account are intended to measure the national or social opportunity costs of implementing the plan. For all project purposes except ecosystem restoration, "the alternative plan that reasonably maximizes net economic benefits consistent with protecting the nation's environment, the NED plan, is to be selected" (U.S.
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From page 90... ...
In some instances, drafting more explicit guidance on how to incorporate broader systems effects into project planning involves nothing more than bringing practice into line with the traditional policy objective of maximizing the NED benefits from water projects. For example, the fact that evaluation of projects in the upper reaches of a river basin is not explicitly required to consider downstream or cumulative effects does not mean that such effects might not be considered.
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From page 91... ...
Nonetheless, clear guidelines regarding identification of the suite of potential objectives and impacts of a water project, and the basis for weighing the costs and benefits and developing effective trade-offs, are necessary for effective integrated water resources planning. Practice Although the Corps' planning documents lack comprehensive guidance on performing integrated river basin and coastal system studies, in practice the Corps is often able to conduct such analyses.
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From page 92... ...
If the choice of alternative is made only with reference to estimated local NED benefits and costs, then alternative 1 would be selected as the "alternative plan that reasonably maximizes net economic benefits"(U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2000b, Section 2-3)
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From page 93... ...
Spatial integration of water resources projects among Corps districts at the division level is informally addressed by a Policy Review Board. The Policy Review Board (consisting of district office representatives and the division-level executives)
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From page 94... ...
Another procedure that may enhance project planning and, indirectly, multi-project integration is the project management business process, which is based on a stated Corps commitment to provide "customer service" in delivering quality projects and includes elements of coordinated management, teamwork, partnering, and balancing of competing demands. Although not explicitly designed to foster integrated river basin and coastal system project planning, the guidelines for both of these programs could be revised to include system integration and environmental stewardship as explicit review objectives.
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From page 95... ...
. Trade-Off Analyses Balancing the economic and the environmental benefits and costs of water projects involves both identifying and evaluating potential trade-offs between these two goals.
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From page 96... ...
An advantage of adopting such an approach is that the environmental effects of Corps activities could then be directly evaluated with more traditional NED benefits and costs. Corps projects that improved the quantity and/or quality of environmental goods would increase net economic benefits, while actions that had the opposite effect would reduce net benefits.
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From page 97... ...
. Because of these obstacles, the Corps has taken alternative approaches to integrate NER and NED considerations into project planning in ways that are systematic, yet stop short of monetizing environmental benefits.
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From page 98... ...
The use of trade-off analysis as an analytical framework for integrating NER and NED effects into project planning offers a feasible alternative for allowing the Corps to engage in systematic project planning, given the continuing controversy over the reliability and validity of existing approaches for monetizing environmental benefits and costs. The Corps has developed extensive guidelines for how to undertake such analysis (Institute for Water Resources, 2002)
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From page 99... ...
EXAMPLES OF THE CORPS' USE OF INTEGRATED PLANNING IN RIVER BASINS AND COASTAL SYSTEMS In reviewing Corps performance in using an integrated approach to water project planning in river basin and coastal systems, it is useful to examine instances in which the Corps has specifically completed such studies. These examples serve to illustrate the Corps' capabilities in this regard and, by extension, the conditions necessary to allow such studies to take place.
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From page 100... ...
For example, despite agreement on broader objectives for ecosystem restoration, differences in specific priorities and preferred methodologies can halt a project, even after reconnaissance and feasibility studies identify worthwhile goals. In the traditional water resource areas of flood damage reduction and navigation, integrated water resource planning must generally incorporate significant existing civil works.
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From page 101... ...
Preparation of the plan was a joint effort of the Reclamation Board of California and the Corps. The goals of the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Comprehensive Study (comprehensive plan)
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From page 102... ...
· A comprehensive solution to improve public safety, reduce flood damages, and restore degraded ecosystems will require a combination of measures that increase conveyance capacity, increase flood storage, and improve floodplain management. As originally conceived, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Study lead to a single master plan specifying flood damage reduction and ecosystem restoration projects throughout California's Central Valley.
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From page 103... ...
The case study below describes the evolution of the Corps strategy for ecosystem restoration within the Mississippi River Basin, and specifically within its lower portion -- the Louisiana coastal zone. This case study shows that the Corps has become increasingly experienced in jointly planning environmental restoration projects, especially high-profile and complex restoration projects, with other agencies and stakeholders.
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From page 104... ...
In 1981, the Louisiana legislature established the Coastal Environment Protection Trust Fund and appropriated $35 million for 17 pilot projects to combat erosion, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, and wetland loss along Louisiana's coast. In 1989, the Louisiana legislature established the State's Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Trust Fund.
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From page 105... ...
The Corps chairs the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force created by the Breaux Act. In 1993, the task force, as mandated by Congress, produced a multi-volume Coastal Restoration Plan that proposed numerous projects of varying scales.
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From page 106... ...
. The Coast 2050 plan was revised and updated and renamed the Louisiana Comprehensive Coastwide Ecosystem Restoration (LCA)
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From page 107... ...
The need for system planning is particularly evident in cases where river control works have interrupted the delivery of sediment to the coastal zone (see case study below on the California master plan for coastal sediment management)
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From page 108... ...
to evaluate California's coastal sediment management needs on a regional, system-wide basis. In addition to evaluating and prioritizing coastal sediment management needs, the California master plan is intended to identify approaches for restoring and maintaining coastal wetlands and beaches and to coordinate information on sediment sources and sinks and beach erosion.
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From page 109... ...
These options for managing dredged material are typically more costly than the least-cost alternative. The funds for such projects must come from current O&M funds, from Section 204 or Section 207 authorizations of the WRDA, or from a local sponsor.
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From page 110... ...
. The project allows for the disposal of a portion of the spoil from extensive maintenance dredging and shipping channel improvements and is expected to generate as much as 100 million cubic yards of dredged material over the next 20 years (U.S.
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From page 111... ...
BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION AND FACTORS FOR FUTURE SUCCESS The most important factor determining whether an integrated watershed, coastal system, or ecosystem study is completed is the existence of a specific authority for the study and its associated funding. Specific authorization may be developed in response to a disaster such as a flood, to findings of jeopardy under the Endangered Species Act (particularly for
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From page 112... ...
Other projects may be titled as, for example, ecosystem restoration projects but may actually include only modest efforts in that regard. Thus, it is not possible to conclusively demonstrate the extent to which adequate systems analysis is carried out to support Corps projects.
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From page 113... ...
Although it was not possible to prepare a "report card" quantitatively on the Corps' performance in using integrated water resources planning, it was nonetheless evident that its application was less consistent than desired and that particular deficiencies and barriers exist that, if addressed, would allow the Corps to perform more consistently and effectively.
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