Federal water-resources agency and navigation-project owner

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Civil Works

USACE hopper dredge Essayons operating in the Columbia River near Cathlamet, Washington

Benjamin Rogers / U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division / DVIDS (public domain)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works is the federal owner and manager of authorized navigation projects, delivered through regional divisions and districts rather than a single national contracting office.

Organization overview

Federal water-resources agency and navigation-project owner

Geographic footprint: Americas, United States, Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Great Lakes, and Inland waterways. Core marine roles: Federal navigation project owner, Coastal and inland navigation asset manager, Planning, design, construction and operations-and-maintenance authority, and District contracting, task-order and contract-administration authority.

Project records 30 Last reviewed 16 August 2026

Type

Federal water-resources agency and navigation-project owner

Active regions

Americas, United States, Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, Pacific Coast, Great Lakes, Inland waterways

Marine works roles

Federal navigation project owner, Coastal and inland navigation asset manager, Planning, design, construction and operations-and-maintenance authority, District contracting, task-order and contract-administration authority, Corps-owned fleet and private dredging programme scheduler, Hydrographic survey and channel-condition publisher, National DQM programme owner and dredging-data steward, Dredged-material management and beneficial-use programme partner, Waterborne-commerce and navigation-infrastructure data publisher, Non-federal sponsor partnership administrator

Role in marine infrastructure

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works is the federal owner and manager of authorized navigation projects, delivered through regional divisions and districts rather than a single national contracting office. Its coastal portfolio includes approximately 13,000 miles of channels, 28 locks at 25 sites and more than 1,000 other navigation structures; the wider navigation mission maintains more than 25,000 miles of waterways serving 400 ports and harbours. Work spans planning, design, construction and operations and maintenance, including channel deepening, recurring dredging, locks, jetties, breakwaters, hydrographic surveys and dredged-material management. Districts use both private contractors and the Corps-owned dredge fleet, while national systems record contracts, plant activity, channel conditions and waterborne commerce. The profile describes enterprise capability only: a district award, task order, survey or acceptance record remains necessary to assign a contractor, dredge, quantity, progress state or performance result to an individual project.

Related records 30

Sources used 10

Source collections