Section 111 Authority

Section 111 of the 1968 River and Harbor Act provides authority for the Corps of Engineers to develop and construct projects for prevention or mitigation of damages caused by Federal navigation work. This applies to both publicly and privately owned shores located along the coastal shorelines of the United States. Each project is limited to a Federal cost of not more than $5 million

The Corps can initiate an investigation of a prospective mitigation of damages project upon receipt of a request from a sponsoring agency empowered under state law to provide the required local cooperation. See sample letters requesting a study.

This authority may not be used for the following purposes:

1. To construct works for prevention or mitigation of shore damage caused by riverbank erosion or vessel-generated wave wash.
2. To prevent or mitigate shore damage caused by non-Federal navigation projects.

A recommendation to construct a project to prevent or mitigate shore damage attributable to a Federal navigation project may be considered when both of the following conditions exist:

1. The navigation project has been determined to be the cause of the damage, and abandonment of the navigation project is not the most viable solution.
2. Analysis based on sound engineering and economic principles clearly demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed work.

Construction Requirements for Federal cost sharing are as follows:

1. If the work recommended is confined to mitigation work where erosion is totally attributable to the Federal navigation works, costs are shared in the same manner as the project causing the erosion or shoaling.
2. If the work recommended is a combination of mitigation and restoration of beaches eroded due to other causes, mitigation work will be shared in the same manner as the project causing the erosion or shoaling and the remaining work will be 100 percent local, unless it qualifies as a Federal beach erosion control project.