Construction workers from a contracting firm drill holes into the downstream concrete apron to form a secant wall August 3 at Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River in Monaca, Pa. The project at Montgomery, part of the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, will include replacing the facility’s 360-foot auxiliary chamber with a wider and longer 600-foot chamber that can fit up to nine barges at once. The district expects to begin work on the new lock construction in 2024. It will take at least eight years to complete. (Photo by Michel Sauret/Pittsburgh Engineer District)
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WRDA 2022 Authorizes Pittsburgh Engineer District Projects

February 8, 2023 By Waterways Journal

The 2022 Water Resources Development Act, signed into law in late December by President Joe Biden, includes authorization for several new projects for the Pittsburgh Engineer District.

The nearly 400-page act does not include funding, which must be provided by Congress through the Energy and Water Development Act and supplemental appropriations.

Pittsburgh Projects

Projects within the Pittsburgh District include:

• Adding hydrilla, a type of algae, to the list of invasive species Corps researchers can investigate. The algal blooms have choked out aquatic life and damaged boat motors, the Corps said.

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• Conducting a feasibility study and flood-risk management project for the Chartiers Creek watershed in southwestern Pennsylvania.

• Pursuing federal and non-federal modifications to add hydropower generation and energy storage capacities  at Hildebrand Lock and Dam on the Monongahela River and Stonewall Jackson Dam in Weston, W.Va.

• Authorization to provide planning assistance to states, research and development and funding to process permits.

The Pittsburgh Engineer District encompasses 26,000 square miles and includes portions of western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, eastern Ohio, western Maryland and southwestern New York. The district has jurisdiction over more than 328 miles of navigable waterways, 23 navigation locks and dams, 16 multi-purpose flood-control reservoirs and 42 local flood-protection projects.

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