OE/CORPS ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) represents to federal government’s largest water resources development and management agency, responsible for commercial navigation, flood damage reduction, and a variety of other resource needs.  As a major command of the U.S. Army, the Corps has both a military mission to provide engineering services to the Army, and a civil mission to develop and manage the nations’s water resources.  It is the Civil Works mission and programs that provides local communities and sponsors with the opportunities to meet water resource needs where there exists both a local and national interest.

COE CIVIL WORKS ORGANIZATION:

The four levels in the Army Civil Works organization are the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), the Corps national Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the 11 regional Corps Divisions and the 36 local Corps Districts.  The regional Division and District offices are geographically aligned as follows:

[1] Lower Mississippi Valley Division:  Vicksburg, MS; Districts (4):  Memphis, TX, New Orleans, LA, St. Louis, MO, Vicksburg, MS;

[2] Missouri River Division:  Omaha, NE; Districts (2):  Kansas City, MO; Omaha, NE;

[3] New England Division:  Waltham, MA;

[4] North Atlantic Division:  New York, NY; Districts (4):  Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, Norfolk, VA, Philadelphia, PA;

[5] North Central Division:  Chicago, IL; Divisions (5):  Buffalo, NY, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, Rock Island, IL, St. Paul, MN;

[6] North Pacific Division:  Portland, OR; Districts (4):  Anchorage, AK, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Walla Walla, WA;

[7] Ohio River Division:  Cincinnati, OH; Districts (4):  Huntington, WV. Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, Pittsburgh, PA;

[8] Pacific Ocean Division:  Fort Shafter, HI;

[9] South Atlantic Division:  Atlanta, GA; Districts (5):  Charleston, SC, Jacksonville, FL, Mobile, AL, Savannah, GA, Wilmington, NC;

[10] South Pacific Division:  San Francisco, CA; Districts (3):  Los Angeles, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Francisco, CA;

[11] Southwestern Division:  Dallas, TX; Districts (5):  Albuquerque, NM, Fort Worth, TX, Galveston, TX, Little Rock, AR, Tulsa, OK.

COE PRIMARY MISSION AND OBJECTIVES:

[1] Navigation Improvements—to assist in the development, safety, and conduct of waterborne commerce;

[2] Flood Control—to prevent or reduce flood damages and disruptions by accommodating flood flows in problem areas;

[3] Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction—preventing or reducing tidal and storm-related damage by building protective structures, such as dams or barriers, in estuaries; by raising the heights of dunes and natural beaches; and by building groins, dikes, seawalls or breakwaters;

[4] Coastal and Shoreline Erosion—protect against ocean and lake shoreline erosion by providing seawalls, groins or other structures that reduce waves’ destructive effects; by filling an nourishing beaches and dunes to replace and maintain lost areas; and by planting vegetation that will hold and stabilize erodible materials; by preventing streambank erosion through the use of gabions, riprap and vegetative plantings;

[5] Water Supply—at the request of local interests, include water supply storage in new projects, and modify existing projects for new or additional water supply storage, and in limited emergency circumstances, provide emergency supplies of clean water to a locality confronted by a source of contaminated water likely to cause a substantial threat to public health;

[6] Hydroelectric Power—facilities for hydroelectric power are recognized as primarily the responsibility of non-federal interests; however, the Corps may include hydroelectric power development in multipurpose projects when it complements the major objectives of flood control or navigation;

[7] Outdoor Recreation—facilitate the development of outdoor recreation facilities at Corps projects thereby providing a variety of opportunities for picnicking, camping, swimming, boating, hunting, fishing, hiking, and other pursuits;

[8] Environment—per various federal requirements (Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act), a recognition that Corps projects must include not only facilities to mitigate unavoidable environmental damages, but also considerations of environmental restoration through opportunities created by the projects;

[9] Water Quality Control—per Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) requirements, the Corps is required to consider including water storage for regulation of stream flow and quality improvements in is reservoir and lake projects;

[10] Aquatic Plant Control—per the River and Harbor Act, the Corps is authorized to conduct research and control or eradicate undesirable aquatic plants through research and application on the use of chemicals, mechanical harvesters, and natural enemies (insects, pathogens, and fish).