BALTIMORE -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District, will receive approximately $62 million in supplemental funding to support critical missions over several years across the Chesapeake Bay region, including local dredging projects; completion of the District of Columbia flood risk management project, which reduces risk to human safety and critical infrastructure in downtown D.C. from flooding of the Potomac River; mitigation work associated with the Wyoming Valley levee project in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; and $37.5 million for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island ecosystem restoration project, which will restore and expand island habitat through the beneficial use of dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor and approach channels.
Funding is from two recently enacted laws — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. A Jan. 19 announcement by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works detailed the Civil Works studies, projects and programs that USACE will implement in fiscal 2022 with the $22.81 billion in supplemental funding provided nationwide.
“The funding in these historic laws will allow us to execute important projects and services for the region, which support our local and national economies and help restore critical Chesapeake Bay habitat,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Estee S. Pinchasin. “In collaboration with our partners, we will maximize this opportunity to do what this District does best — serve and strengthen the Nation, energize the regional economy and reduce disaster risks.”
Baltimore District funding highlights:
- Washington Harbor - $400,000 for engineering and design for either full replacement or repair of the historic Washington Tidal Inlet Flood Gates in the District of Columbia. The gates, designed to operate with the rise and fall of tides, prevent water from stagnating in the tidal basin by allowing fresh water to flow in and out of the basin.
- Indian Rock Dam and Codorus Creek Flood Risk Management - $1.045 million for deposit removal, design of flood wall and rip rap repairs.
- Herring Bay and Rockhold Creek - $2.15 million for maintenance dredging of the Herring Bay & Rockhold Creek federal channel in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. This project was last dredged by USACE in 2009, and maintenance dredging is required to address shoaling and to restore the channel to its authorized depth of 7 feet. Rockhold Creek provides access to the Chesapeake Bay and supports approximately 4,000 registered boats, 34 marinas and 1,700 maritime jobs.
- Northeast River - $2.4 million for maintenance dredging of the Northeast River federal channel in Cecil County, Maryland. This project was last dredged by USACE in 1999, and maintenance dredging is required to address shoaling and to restore the channel to its authorized depth of 7 feet. The Northeast River provides access to the Chesapeake Bay and supports approximately 10 marinas, 300 maritime jobs and provides an estimated economic impact of $35 million per year to local maritime commerce.
- Slaughter Creek - $50,000 for Engineering and Design work for dredging of the Slaughter Creek federal channel in Dorchester County, Maryland. Dredging can occur if Operations and Maintenance funds are made available in the future. This project was last dredged by USACE in 1987. Engineering and Design work will include surveys of the federal channel and a placement site proposed by the non-federal sponsor, development of dredging plans and environmental coordination. The channel is used periodically by the dredging industry for docking of hydraulic dredges working in the region.
- Cowanesque Lake - $349,000 for debris removal and repair to areas impacted by Tropical Storm Fred. This includes repair of water and sewer line manholes; improvements to various campground, day-use, boat ramp and courtesy dock areas; and upgrade of wastewater treatment plant tank.
- Raystown Lake - $655,000 for repair to areas impacted by Hurricane Ida. This includes replacement of damaged and missing navigational buoys; purchase and placement of stone rip-rap to repair washed-out areas at Tatman Run and Nancy's Camp campground; replacement of damaged courtesy docks at seven boat launches; removal of hazardous debris; design of a more durable courtesy dock system to withstand impacts of high water for Shy Beaver, James Creek and Snyder's Run boat launches; replacement of trees uprooted in Nancy's Camp Campground; raising the elevation of the access ramp to the USACE boat house by five feet; relocation of the damaged Weaver Falls playground; and repairs to the Seven Points beach playground.
- Tioga-Hammond Lakes - $10,000 for repair or replacement of the Sewage Treatment Plant Sludge Pump #2.
- Wyoming Valley Levee Project - $11.176 million for completion of all mitigation work associated with the authorized flood risk management project for the communities of Plymouth, Kingston-Edwardsville, Swoyersville-Forty Fort, Hanover, Exeter and Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania; and reimbursement of non-federal sponsor for completed mitigation work.
- Eastern Shore, Mid Chesapeake Bay Island - $37.507 million for execution of the Project Partnership Agreement between the Army and the State of Maryland for Mid-Bay Island construction; construction start on Barren Island restoration; and completion of field work to support engineering during construction activities for James Island, to include continued drilling and testing.
- Washington, D.C. and Vicinity Flood Risk Management - $6.265 million for completion of the project, including the construction of the 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue closures, raising the District of Columbia levee system to a uniform elevation, and modifying existing utilities that cross the levee alignment.
Additional Information
Additional details regarding the amounts provided to various programs, projects and activities for fiscal 2022 may be found at: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Budget/.
Release no. 22-001