From our hundreds of rivers, lakes and wetlands to our thousands of miles of coastal shoreline, we are fortunate in the United States to enjoy an abundance of water resources. As a nation, we value these resources for their natural beauty, for the many ways they help meet human needs, and for the habitat they provide for thousands of species of plants, fish and wildlife.
USACE is proud to have the responsibility of helping to care for these important aquatic resources. Through its annual appropriations, USACE plans, invests in, operates, and maintains a system of Civil Works infrastructure. The USACE Civil Works program carries out a wide array of projects that provide:
One major challenge USACE and other government agencies face is finding the right balance among the often conflicting concerns our society has related to our water resources. We want these resources to help fuel economic growth (navigation, hydropower). We want them to provide social benefits (recreation). And finally, we want to be sure that they are available for future generations (environmental protection and restoration).
USACE seeks to achieve this balance through an integrated approach to water resources management that focuses on regional solutions involving an array of stakeholders (i.e. other government agencies, environmental groups, businesses and private organizations).
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