LOS ANGELES – The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2013 includes $32.066 million in federal funding for the Civil Works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District.
According to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jo-Ellen Darcy, “The 2013 Civil Works program is a continuing, fiscally prudent investment in the nation’s water resources infrastructure and in the restoration of its aquatic ecosystems.”
The budget funds work to maintain and improve water resources infrastructure in three main mission areas of navigation, flood and coastal storm damage reduction, and aquatic ecosystem restoration. The Civil Works program additionally contributes to: the protection of the nation’s waters and wetlands; the restoration of formerly used defense sites; and emergency preparedness for natural disasters.
The funding includes $7.2 million for continuing flood and storm damage reduction work along the Santa Ana River Mainstem in Southern California.
The district’s navigation-related projects are funded at $10.805 million for maintenance dredging at five California harbors; Morro Bay, Santa Barbara, Channel Islands, Oceanside and Los Angeles/Long Beach.
The funding includes $12.453 million for operations and maintenance activities associated with the Santa Ana River, the Los Angeles County Drainage Area system, and three dams in Arizona and Nevada; Alamo Lake, Painted Rock, and Whitlow Ranch.
The budget emphasizes performance of existing projects by focusing on the maintenance of flood and storm damage reduction systems and other facilities.
Studies are funded at $1.608 million and include; California coastal sediment management, coastal protection for Solana Beach and ecosystem restoration of Los Angeles River and Malibu Creek watershed.
Additional funding will be distributed nationwide in three other program areas:
• $205 million for the regulatory program
• $104 million for the Formerly-Used Defense Sites Remedial Action Program
• $36 million for emergency management
The fiscal year 2013 Civil Works budget press book, including a state-by-state breakdown, is available at
http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Budget.aspx.