President’s Budget for Fiscal Years 20 and 21

For the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 

 Fiscal Year (FY) 2020

FY 20 Work Plan

Additions 

 FY 2021 

Looking back at the 2019 budget for dredging, there were no funds allocated to the Ouachita-Black Navigation Project.  In addition, no funding was appropriated in the FY 20 President’s Budget or Work Plan. 

However, according to Maj. Gen. Mark Toy, President of the Mississippi River Commission (MRC), in his 5 May 2020 response to ORVA’s statement to the MRC, “funds in the amount of $2.5M were received in the FY 2020 Supplemental and will be used for dredging this year.”  According to Gen. Toy, “we will continue to express capability for dredging, maintenance, lock operations and recreation annually.” 

Naturally this was good news.  ORVA recently learned through conversations with the Vicksburg District Operations staff and the Monroe Field Office, that the dredging contract associated with this $2.5M supplemental was obligated and the Dredge Iowa began dredging at Lock 1 (Lindy C. Boggs) on the Red River, Tuesday, May 26, 2020.  Once dredging is complete on the J. Bennett Johnston Waterway, dredge operations will move to the Ouachita.  The staffs surmise that dredging will commence at “hot spots” on the Ouachita as previously determined and not necessarily in any one location from point to point.  We later learned, however, that the move to the Ouachita was dependent upon how “far” the $2.5M would go.  We do expect that the Iowa will transition from the Red to the Ouachita at some point in July 2020. 

High water will continue to effect dredging and the Corps will experience another short construction (dredging) season.  The Columbia Lock is out of water and Jonesville remains underwater with the navigation pass in use.  Once the water recedes, the Corps will be better able to conduct surveys to determine dredging needs on the Project. 

 May 2020 picture of the Columbia Lock.

May 2020 picture of the Columbia Lock. 

ORVA continues to press its Congressional delegations and Corps’ contacts for additional funding. It continues to fight for resources for backlog maintenance, dredging, recreation, backlog maintenance at the three Corps’ lakes in Arkansas, a new DeGray Lake Field Office, and positive language to support legislation for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020.    

As we all know, adequate funding for operation and maintenance (to include dredging) supports local industrial development agencies as they recruit water-based industry to the area.  This type of commitment on a continuous annual basis is what the Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project needs for increased commercial navigation to occur.  And with the return of commercial traffic on the upper portion of the waterway, the future utilization of the navigation project is moving in a positive direction.   

ORVA believes with improvements in the economy and the continued need for efficient transportation, the Ouachita-Black Rivers Navigation Project will be a vital component of the region’s future economic growth and will continue to improve the quality of life for people within the Ouachita River Basin in both Arkansas and Louisiana.