Protection, Clearing and Straightening Channels

The Department of the Army, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, funds channel clearing, protection, and straightening projects for navigation or flood control under CFDA 12.109; the program operates on a project-by-project approval basis with no statutory application deadline, as the Chief of Engineers makes final decisions on individual proposals.

Eligible applicants are states, political subdivisions of states, or other responsible local agencies established under state law with full legal authority and demonstrated financial capability to undertake the necessary legal and financial responsibilities. Applicants must furnish evidence of legal authorization and willingness to provide all required local participation and cooperation. Each project must be engineering feasible, complete within itself, and economically justified. The program prioritizes work undertaken as emergency measures to clear or remove unreasonable obstructions to navigation in navigable portions of rivers, harbors, and other waterways of the United States or their tributaries, where the obstruction provides existing traffic with immediate and significant benefit.

The nonfederal interest must provide all lands, easements, and rights-of-way for project construction and bear the costs of necessary annual maintenance until the location may become part of a specifically authorized project. Local cost participation requirements and procedures for determining the local share follow those for navigation or flood control projects under regular congressional authorization. Annual federal expenditures under this authority are limited to $1 million total program-wide. Projects selected proceed under emergency authority rather than formal congressional authorization; funding is constrained and dispersed across whatever projects meet the criteria in a given fiscal year.

Prospective sponsoring agencies must submit a formal letter to the relevant District Engineer indicating clear intent to provide all required local participation. Detailed information on engineering regulations, project requirements, and procedures is available from the nearest District Engineer. Given the $1 million annual ceiling and emergency-focused scope, award magnitudes are typically modest; the program serves as a limited-capacity mechanism for urgent navigation or flood control interventions rather than a broad-based infrastructure funding source.