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River Basins and Coastal Systems Planning Within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) has played a large and important role in shaping water resources systems in the United States since Congress first tasked it in 1824 to improve navigation on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Since then, rivers have been modified for navigation and flood control, harbors have been dredged for shipping, and coastlines are routinely fortified against erosion and beach loss. Recent decades have seen an overall decline in budgets for civil works project construction, yet the range of objectives for water resources projects has broadened as society places more value on environmental and recreational benefits. Thus, the Corps' portfolio of water resources projects has changed considerably. There is a reduced emphasis on traditional construction projects and an increased focus on maintenance and reoperation of existing projects such as locks, dams, and levees and on environmental restoration projects.
An integrated approach to water resources planning at the scale of river basins and coastal systems is widely endorsed by the academic and engineering communities. The Corps' mission, expertise, and experience give it immense potential to alter the structure and functioning of the nation's waterways and coasts. As might be expected in a large and complex organization answering to a range of public and private demands, implementation of these new policies and objectives is neither consistent nor complete. River Basins and Coastal Systems Planning within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends improvements in the Corps' water resource project planning and review process. This report compares economic and environmental benefits and costs over a range of time and space scales, suggests multiple purpose formulation and evaluation methods, and recommends integration of water development plans with other projects in the region.
eBook
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Planning
From the Executive Summary:
There are some concerns that the current Corps planning and construction budget has not kept pace with expanding national water management needs for flood hazard management, water transportation, and other purposes. At the same time, others question the wisdom of and budgetary prospects for the continuation of a traditional water project construction program. Debates about water use and funding priorities now extend to intense scrutiny of Corps of Engineers planning, investment, and project operations programs.
eBook
Analytical methods and approaches for water resources project planning
Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning is part of a larger study that was conducted in response to a request from the U.S. Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 for the National Academy of Sciences to review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's peer review methods and analytical approaches. This report reviews the Corps' analytical procedures and planning methods, largely in the context of the federal Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies, also known as the Principles and Guidelines or \"P and G\" (P&G), as well as the Corps' Planning Guidance Notebook (PGN).
eBook
Review Procedures for Water Resources Project Planning
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, through its civil works program, can take pride in its contributions throughout our nation's history to the development of waterways infrastructure, navigation, flood damage reduction, water resources development and protection, and environmental restoration. Many projects that have been pioneering in their concept and bold in their execution were made possible by the creativity and dedication of outstanding scientists, engineers, and builders.
The Corps has always had review processes for evaluation of its planning studies and projects, with the focus often being largely on the technical aspects. In recent years, however, increased consideration of such factors as environmental impacts, economic evaluations, political pressures, and new paradigms about flood control and management has engendered increased criticism and concern that some of the Corps' studies may have led to conclusions, recommendations, and project decisions that are not adequately supported by the assumptions and analyses that were used. The focus of the report is on review of Corps of Engineers studies, with careful attention given to the need for independent, external reviews by panels of well-qualified and impartial experts for large, complex, and sensitive projects.
eBook
Adaptive management for water resources project planning
This book reviews the Corps of Engineers' experiences to date with the concept of \"adaptive management\" and provides advice on additional and more effective implementation of this planning approach. The adaptive management concept itself is complex and evolving, but might be summarized as \"learning while doing.\" The book reviews literature on adaptive management and notes that a range of adaptive management practices present themselves for Corps projects. It is noted that there is no \"cookbook\" approach to adaptive management, and the book encourages the Corps of Engineers to continue to work with and learn from its applications of the concept. To facilitate institutional learning and to ensure that experiences are being employed across the agency, the book recommends that a Corps Center for Adaptive Management be established. The book also notes that greater involvement from the administration and Congress will be essential to successful adaptive management applications, as the Corps' efforts in this area will benefit from clarified water resources management objectives, the authority to manage adaptively, and from resources necessary for programs such as stakeholder collaboration and post-construction evaluations.
eBook
New directions in water resources planning for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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.
eBook
Water Supply Systems: Past, Present Challenges, and Future Sustainability Prospects
At the beginning of human history, surface water, especially from rivers and springs, was the most frequent water supply source. Groundwater was used in arid and semi-arid regions, e.g., eastern Crete (Greece). As the population increased, periodic water shortages occurred, which led to the development of sophisticated hydraulic structures for water transfer and for the collection and storage of rainwater, as seen, for example, in Early Minoan times (ca 3200–2100 BC). Water supply and urban planning had always been essentially related: the urban water supply systems that existed in Greece since the Bronze Age (ca 3200–1100 BC) were notably advanced, well organized, and operable. Water supply systems evolved considerably during the Classical and Hellenistic periods (ca 480–31 BC) and during the Roman period (ca 31 BC–480 AD). Also, early Indian society was an amazing vanguard of technology, planning, and vision, which significantly impacted India’s architectural and cultural heritage, thus laying the foundation for sustainable urban living and water resource management. In ancient Egypt, the main source of freshwater was the Nile River; Nile water was conveyed by open and closed canals to supply water to cities, temples, and fields. Underground stone-built aqueducts supplied Nile water to so-called Nile chambers in temples. The evolution of water supply and urban planning approaches from ancient simple systems to complex modern networks demonstrates the ingenuity and resilience of human communities. Many lessons can be learned from studying traditional water supply systems, which could be re-considered for today’s urban sustainable development. By digging into history, measures for overcoming modern problems can be found. Rainwater harvesting, establishing settlements in proximity of water sources to facilitate access to water, planning, and adequate drainage facilities were the characteristics of ancient civilizations since the ancient Egyptian, Minoan, Mohenjo-Daro, Mesopotamian, and Roman eras, which can still be adopted for sustainability. This paper presents significant lessons on water supply around the world from ancient times to the present. This diachronic survey attempts to provide hydro-technology governance for the present and future.
Journal Article
Environmental Regulations, Air and Water Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India
Using the most comprehensive developing country dataset ever compiled on air and water pollution and environmental regulations, the paper assesses India's environmental regulations with a difference-in-differences design. The air pollution regulations are associated with substantial improvements in air quality. The most successful air regulation resulted in a modest but statistically insignificant decline in infant mortality. In contrast, the water regulations had no measurable benefits. The available evidence leads us to cautiously conclude that higher demand for air quality prompted the effective enforcement of air pollution regulations, indicating that strong public support allows environmental regulations to succeed in weak institutional settings.
Journal Article