The Power of Water

1. The Power of Water A Regional Perspective on Water Resource Challenges and Opportunities Lester S. Dixon Director of Programs, South Atlantic Division US Army Corps of Engineers

2. US Army Corps of Engineers USACE mission is to provide quality, responsive engineering services to the nation, in four broad mission areas: • Water resource infrastructure • Environmental management & ecosystem restoration • Response to natural and manmade disasters • Engineering and technical services to the Army, DoD • and other Federal agencies.

3. What Are the Demands for Water in the Southeast? Water Supply Wetlands/In-stream Flow Hydroelectric Power Navigation Recreation Flood Control

4. Trends in the Southeast • Unprecedented growth in population • Significant change in the landscape (primarily urban sprawl) • Growing and conflicting demands for water • Interstate water conflicts • Water quality degradation • Habitat loss and fragmentation • Endangered and threatened species conflicts • Growing public focus on “quality of life” issues

5. Principal Water-Related Challenges • Water quantity and conflicting demands • Water and wastewater infrastructure • Water quality degradation • Institutional fragmentation • Creating a “win-win” mindset among diverse stakeholders

6. Quantity Quality Timing Distribution Four Dimensions of Water

7. Solutions • Embrace a more comprehensive, multi-dimensional watershed approach • Develop and empower regionally/locally-based watershed resource teams • Develop innovative strategies to finance water planning and infrastructure solutions • Establish processes to promote earlier, more effective, more inclusive dialogue on specific water resource issues

8. What is a Watershed Approach? • Promotes collaboration and leveraging among Federal, state and local agencies and non-government interests • Balances economic, environmental, & quality of life objectives • Provides a flexible & adaptable “framework” for solutions • Focuses on holistic strategies and solutions without preoccupation as to who implements them • Aligns and integrates existing water resource projects and management activities to address changing needs • Encompasses a broader geographic scale and system-wide perspective • Recognizes interdependencies among natural and human variables

9. Encouraging Signs • Technological advances in large, complex system analysis • Emergence of active locally-based watershed organizations • New partnership initiatives among government agencies, conservation organizations, and corporate America • Emergence of state-wide comprehensive watershed planning and state initiatives to create regional authorities to address water and related issues • Multi-state collaboration on natural resource-based initiatives • Federal family cooperation • Federal endorsement of a comprehensive watershed approach to planning and resource management

12. What the Corps is Doing to Position for Future Challenges Our Strategic Plan Focus the talents and energy of the Corps of Engineers on comprehensive, sustainable and integrated solutions to the Nation’s water resources and related challenges through collaboration with stakeholders (regions, States, local entities, other Federal Entities, etc.) playing a leadership or support role as appropriate.

13. Positioning for Future Challenges Our Environmental Operating Principles (EOP) New Guidance • Planning Civil Works Projects under the EOP • Civil Works Review Board (CWRB) • Model Improvement & Certification • Peer Review Protocols • Collaborative Planning

14. Questions?