Charleston District’s Civil Works Program for Fiscal Year 2019
February 12, 2018
The White House released the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2019, which included approximately $29 million for the District’s Civil Works program. This budget represents a continuing, fiscally prudent investment in the nation’s water resources infrastructure and in the restoration of its aquatic ecosystems, yet reflects the realities of the nation’s current fiscal status and the tough decisions that have to be made to put the nation on a fiscally prudent path.
The Budget allocated funds for maintenance dredging, condition surveys and environmental activities. Funds consist of $20.6 million for Charleston Harbor maintenance dredging, $3.9 million for routine operation and maintenance of the Cooper River Rediversion Project, $875,000 for project condition surveys, $3.5 million for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, and $75,000 for inspections of completed works.
Charleston Harbor Post 45 was not included in the construction portion of the FY19 budget. This project is not alone, as there are many very important and worthy Civil Works projects around the nation that are justified for construction that are not funded in the FY 2019 Budget. In an era of constrained resources, hard decisions have to be made with available resources. Construction of the Post 45 project will still begin this month as federal funding ($17.5 million) was previously provided in the FY17 Work Plan and the South Carolina Ports Authority provided the remainder of the funds needed to award the two construction contracts for deepening of the entrance channel.
Allocated funds for Charleston Harbor operation and maintenance will enable the District to perform routine maintenance dredging throughout the three operational areas of the harbor; the entrance channel, lower harbor and upper harbor.
Funding for the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway will enable the District to perform much needed maintenance of the dredged material placement areas for the project, which is critical to maintaining the current level of performance of the placement sites in order to receive future dredged material. The District is performing dredging with funds provided during fiscal year 2017 and needs placement sites well maintained in order to receive future dredged material in the most economic manner possible.
