BALTIMORE – The president’s proposed budget for fiscal 2019 (FY 2019) released Monday includes roughly $80.8 million in proposed funding for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District.
These funds remain proposed until the enactment of the fiscal 2019 Energy & Water Development Appropriations Act or similar appropriations legislation. The funds are distributed between three program accounts within the District’s Civil Works program:
- Construction General - $21.6 million
- Operation and Maintenance (O&M) – $58 million
- Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Plan (FUSRAP) - $1.2 million
The $21.6 million in the FY 2019 proposed budget for Construction General would be for two projects:
- Poplar Island, Maryland - $21 million – FY 2019 funds for Poplar Island would be used to continue ecosystem restoration at the existing project by beneficially placing dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Project.
- Assateague Island, Maryland - $600,000 – FY 2019 funds for this environmental restoration project would be used to continue dredging sand from in and around the Ocean City Inlet navigation channel and beneficially placing it immediately south of the inlet along Assateague Island. This work is done to mitigate the impacts on sediment transport and erosion caused by the Ocean City Inlet and its jetties.
The $58 million in the FY 2019 proposed budget for Operation & Maintenance would primarily fund activities at existing flood risk management projects owned and operated by Baltimore District; inspection of projects turned over to local sponsors for operation and maintenance; and maintenance of navigation channels. It also includes funds for managing federal recreation sites located at Jennings Randolph Lake in Maryland; and Raystown Lake, Tioga-Hammond Lake and Cowanesque Lake in Pennsylvania. These sites together host an estimated 15 million recreation hours annually.
- O&M of Flood Risk Management Projects owned and operated by Baltimore District - $28.4 million – FY 2019 funds would be used for the operation and maintenance of 16 flood risk management projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia. These projects combined have prevent more than $16 billion in flood damages over the years, with many also serving as sites for recreation.
- Navigation - $29.6 million – FY 2019 funds would include $23.65 million for dredging channels within the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Project and $4 million for dredging the upper portion of Wicomico River, ensuring safe shipping to and from Eastern Shore communities. Additional navigation funds would be used for other activities associated with the ongoing maintenance of federally-authorized navigation channels, including planning for future dredging activities, conducting hydrographic surveys of channels and clearing drift and debris that could be hazardous to navigation from around designated harbors.
The $1.2 million in the proposed FY 2019 budget for FUSRAP would be used for ongoing environmental remedial activities at the W.R. Grace and Company Curtis Bay Facility site in Baltimore.
The proposed FY 2019 budget does not include General Investigations funds for Baltimore District feasibility studies (though this does not affect smaller studies being undertaken through the Continuing Authorities Program, or CAP).
The FY 2019 Civil Works budget press book for the entire U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is available online at http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Budget.aspx, under the heading Program Budget: Press Books.
Release no. 18-015