Under Section 22 of Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 1974 (PL 93-251), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) can provide states, local governments, other non-federal entities, and eligible Native American Indian tribes assistance in the preparation of comprehensive plans and technical assistance in support of water and related land resources.. This is generally referred as Planning Assistance to States (PAS) program. The needed planning assistance is determined by the individual states and tribes and these studies are undertaken at a planning level and detailed designs are not involved.

In this presentation, funding opportunities for state/local governments and other non-federal entities will be presented. USACE has the ability to cost-share 50%-50% with the local sponsor to perform such PAS studies. Following are few example where PAS studies have been performed for local municipalities. These studies are helping municipalities comply with Chesapeake Bay TMDL requirements and coastal resiliency needs.

The technical assistance was completed by USACE-Baltimore District in partnership with the local sponsors York County Planning Commission, Wyoming Valley Sewer Authority, and West Goshen Township, PA. The technical assistance included conducting an assessment of the MS4 stormwater infrastructure and confirmation on conductivity of the stormwater outfalls and infrastructure (inlets, manholes, channels, and pipes). Technical assistance was also provided in developing of ESRI database to store stormwater datasets and other related spatial information to meet Chesapeake Bay TMDL compliance requirements.

The Many Mind Creek Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Study was completed by the USACE, New York District in partnership with the study sponsor the Borough of Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. The goal of this study was to improve coastal resiliency within the Borough of Atlantic Highlands, NJ and identify areas along Many Mind Creek that are prone to coastal or riverine flooding. Areas experiencing severe stream bank erosion, sedimentation, or flow constrictions were identified and possible solutions for these problems were described in the study.