Watershed Planning

1
Watershed Planning the Corps of Engineers

• Robyn S Colosimo
• USACE - Headquarters

2
Water Resources Challenges
Increasing Demand for Water
3
Watershed Planning

• Not a new concept
• But appears to be a new answer
• Could be argued that all studies are watershed
  based
• Scale is the segregating measure
• But what is all the noise about watershed
  planning
• Why is it getting so much attention?

4
Watershed Planning Success- Key Questions

• What does right look like?
• Is it one size fits all?
• What is the role of the federal government? State
  government? Local government?
• Are river basin commissions the only model for
  success?
• Key Incentivizing watershed planning and not
  development of the plan

5
Mission Impossible

• Modernize the Corps Civil Works Delivery Model
  (authorization)
• Strategic Target 5 to 10 years out
• Key Points
• Apply lessons of the past
• Avoid incremental change balance radical
  unacceptable change
• Keep the goodness of the current project
  authorization process while removing the
  unnecessary constraints
• Challenge thinking broadly, not narrowly not
  being deterred by the anti-change reaction
• Real job Challenge conventional thinking
• Key to future success Our ability to change
  (adapt)

6
Scope of Activity

• 2 year effort
• Year 1 research relationship cultivation
• Year 2 cultivation of ideas
• Targets of Opportunity
• Policy Guidance
• WRDA 10 (simpler measures/corrections)June 10
• WRDA 11 (culmination of effort)- June 11

7
Progress to Date

• Conducted Interviews of 50 individuals (March
  September)
• Synthesizing Problem (not symptoms)
• Rough list of ideas
• Next Step Further solicitation of ideas
• Begin to build support for ideas
• Move out on actions concurrently

8
Fundamental Questions

• Change or not to Change?
• Or is Change Needed?
• What is wrong with status quo?
• Do we continue to ignore warning shots?
• Do we let change happen to us?
• What is on the table for consideration?
• How can we best serve the taxpayers needs?

9
Problems (Perceived)

• Lack of Federal Vision for Water
• Outdated Federal Interest Definitions
• Corps in Leadership Role
• Complex Problems
• Legal and Policy Constraints
• Changing Workforce
• Program that is a collection of projects

10
Problems (Perceived) Continued

• Fiscal Limitations
• Special Legislation
• Authorization Vehicle
• Review Process (Peer and Agency Technical)
• Separation of Authorization and Appropriation
  Determinations
• Cost-Sharing
• Less Focused and Coordinated Action
• Collaboration

11
Some Things I Have Learned in the Last Few Months

• Congress is additive in providing direction
• Corps may simply be a decision support agency
  (mission is to educate inform?)
• Need to understand motivation of sponsor (money,
  permits, expertise or something else?)
• Cost-sharing (WRDA 86) had strong unintended
  consequences
• More tools science complicates decision
  making
• Project by project decision making has the
  effect of incrementally building a program
• Not good at dealing with competing interests
• It is impossible to predict the future with
  accuracy

12
Some Things I Have Learned In the Past Few Months
(cont)

• Technology is both a solution and problem
• Corps litmus test for investment is best buy
  versus good enough
• Good behavior must be incentivized
• Cost codes/cost sharing undermine teamwork
• Experts are few and far between ( spread thin)
• Vision is owned by those in charge
• Decision making IS political
• Personalities matter
• It is all about EXPECTATIONS/GOALS
• Time for bold action is NOW

13
Some Initial Ideas

• Move away from rigid b-c analyses
• Alter cost-sharing in feasibility phase
• Alter delivery of services to meet needs to
  region
• Create specialized teams to work virtually with
  authority
• Build support for federal priority setting
  (authorization appropriation)
• Initiate priority setting through major basin
  studies
• Build Federal State partnerships

14
Some initial ideas (continued)

• Incentivize watershed planning
• Grants?
• Modify authorization appropriations processes
  (benchmark with other agencies)
• No Chiefs Report
• Modify Administration Review procedures
• Create Study/Review Boards (Honest Broker)
• Examine legal constraints remove them

15
Ultimate Goal

• Simple, elegant, responsive, predictable and
  productive Civil Works program that meets
  contemporary and future water resources needs
• Real goal make necessary adaptations before we
  are thrown under the bus

16
Questions ?
US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONG