The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a final allocation for almost $77 million to the Wilmington District to continue work on fiscal year 2014 (FY14) civil works projects.
These funds are to be used for work activities completed to date under the continuing resolution and to finish activities scheduled through FY14.
This money is separate from the funding requested in the FY 2015 President’s budget.
The FY14 funds are provided for multiple Wilmington District projects in key Corps of Engineers’ critical mission areas including commercial navigation, flood and coastal storm damage reduction, aquatic ecosystem restoration and hydropower.
“ We are particularly pleased by this generous allocation in light of our nation’s constrained financial resources ,” said Army Col. Steven A. Baker, Wilmington District commander .
“ This means we can move forward on two projects important to the District: the construction of a mitigation feature at Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay and coastal storm damage reduction at Carolina Beach .”
The District will develop oyster reefs at the Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay project to mitigate for prior deepening of Wanchese Harbor, and will complete a periodic nourishment cycle at Carolina Beach before Federal participation expires in December 2014.
The funds Wilmington District received for the Carolina Beach coastal storm damage reduction project must be combined with non-Federal funds to meet cost share requirements.
Additionally, the District received advance funding for Kure Beach, also a cost-shared project, for its next periodic nourishment cycle.
This project is scheduled for FY 2016.
Allocated funding covers work accomplished during the continuing resolution and planned activities for the rest of the fiscal year for the Investigations, Construction and Operation and Maintenance programs.
Activities include continuation or completion of multiple studies and other construction actions.
For operation and maintenance, $50.5 million in funds have been allocated in FY14 for maintenance dredging at multiple North Carolina navigation projects, activities at five multi-purpose lake projects in North Carolina and Virginia, and operation of the Cape Fear River locks and dams.
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Press Release, March 11, 2014