Well, it took me a little while, but I was finally able to review the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 work plan for the Civil Works program that USACE delivered to Congress on January 19th, 2021. This work plan is the allocation of FY 2021 appropriated funds to start, continue, or complete studies, construction projects, and operations and maintenance activities. It is amazing that the process of providing certainty of funding for these activities was not completed until over eight months into the fiscal year; we do live in interesting times.
Highlights of the USACE Civil Works program work plan
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 provided $7.3 billion in FY 2021 for the Civil Works program appropriated into five accounts: Investigations, Construction, Operations and Maintenance, Mississippi River and Tributaries (MRT), and Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).
In the Appropriations Act, Congress allocated $5.1 billion of the $7.3 billion for specific programs, projects, and activities in a “Statement of Managers Amount.” USACE is responsible for allocating the remainder appropriated, or $2.2 billion. The work plan lays out in detail the funding for every program, project and activity as shown below:
| Account | Statement of Managers Amount | Additional Work Plan Allocation (USACE designated) |
Total |
| (In Millions of Dollars) | |||
| Investigations | $89 | $64 | $153 |
| Construction | $1,508 | $1,185 | $2,693 |
| O&M | $2,994 | $855 | $3,850 |
| MRT | $215 | $165 | $380 |
| FUSRAP | $250 | $0 | $250 |
| TOTAL | $5,056 | $2,269 | $7,326 |
That’s the big picture, but what does that mean to your community, state and/or clients? You can find the details of the USACE work plan, including spreadsheets that list all major studies and construction projects, organized by the five major accounts here. Each spreadsheet shows all the studies or projects in that account, and they are organized by state.
Given Mead & Hunt’s Water Resources offices in California, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Wisconsin, some of the studies I’m most interested in include:
- West Sacramento, CA
- Lower Missouri River Basin, KS, MO & IA
- Little Blue River Basin, Jackson County, MO
- Tulsa and West Tulsa Levee, OK
- Planning Assistance to States
The Construction projects that caught my eye were:
- American River Common Features, Natomas Basin, CA
- Continuing Authorities Program (CAP – Section 14 & Section 205)
The Operations and Maintenance projects that caught my eye included:
- Missouri River – Sioux City to the Mouth
- McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, OK – Coffer Box and Webbers Falls Miter Gates
I intend to learn more about these studies and projects by visiting the owning USACE District’s website and talking to the District. You can do the same for the studies and projects that most interest you. I look forward to comparing notes at the upcoming Virtual ACEC Annual Convention from April 26-28, 2021, and the Virtual SAME JETC from May 17 – 21, 2021. You can find me at Mead & Hunt’s booth.
