The nation's water resources infrastructure features thousands of dams, an extensive levee system, and many harbors that can accommodate large ocean-going vessels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned, designed, and constructed much of this infrastructure, and now maintains it. Today, Corps feasibility studies are generally more comprehensive and multifaceted than in the past, and they are often conducted in a politically charged environment. The complexity and challenges of some Corps planning studies--especially the Corps' Upper Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway draft feasibility study in the late 1990s--led Congress to request the National Academies to investigate the Corps' feasibility study process. This report provides advice on implementing improved review procedures for Corps water resources planning studies.
The division produces 60-70 reports per year. These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review. The experts who volunteer their time participating on study committees are vetted to make sure that the committee has the range of expertise needed to address the task, that they have a balance of perspectives, and to identify and eliminate members with conflicts of interest. All reports undergo a rigorous, independent peer review to assure that the statement of task has been addressed, that conclusions are adequately supported, and that all important issues raised by the reviewers are addressed. Thus, while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy.
Primary Board:
Water Science and Technology Board
Collaborating Unit(s):
Ocean Studies Board
- Analytical Methods and Approaches for Water Resources Project Planning (2004)
- Adaptive Management for Water Resources Project Planning (2004)
- River Basins and Coastal Systems Planning Within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2004)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Water Resources Project Planning: A New Opportunity for Service (2004)