Whether you live on the banks of a river or hundreds of miles from one, your life is impacted upon every day by what happens on our nation's waterways. Our rivers provide affordable transportation for raw materials, manufactured products and consumer goods; a ready water supply for homes and businesses; irrigation for farms; recreation; and habitats for plants, fish and wildlife.

USACE has the challenging and rewarding job of trying to balance the many ways our nation's rivers are used in an effort to maximize the benefits they provide, while at the same time protecting and restoring these important aquatic ecosystems.

Many USACE projects focus on improving the navigability of our rivers, reducing flood risk and erosion along river banks, increasing recreational opportunities on the rivers, and protecting the plants, fish and wildlife that live in and near the rivers.

As part of its overall balancing efforts, USACE is implementing a regional, watershed approach to rivers that takes into consideration nearby, related water resources such as lakes, wetlands and coasts.