National Treasures and the Army Corp of Engineers

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The historic Village of Zoar, home to nearly 200 residents, is protected from flooding by a levee built in the 1930s. Record floods in 2005, however, raised concern about the levee’s integrity. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has nearly completed a three-year study to assess the levee’s future. One of many alternatives under consideration could have included removing the levee entirely, potentially requiring the relocation or demolition of 80% of this remarkable historic village. PHOTO: TOM BOWER

As of November 2013, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is no longer considering removal of the levee that protects the Village of Zoar. This means that the greatest threat to Zoar—relocation or demolition of the historic community—is off the table. The news reflects the Army Corps’ appreciation of Zoar’s historic and cultural importance. PHOTO: ANDY DONALDSON

Several years ago, Charleston became a home port for Carnival Cruise Lines. As a result, the number of cruise ships and passengers has increased exponentially, creating significant impacts throughout the National Historic Landmark district. Though the City of Charleston and the Ports Authority voluntarily agreed in 2010 to cap the number of visits by ships, the agreement is not legally binding. The National Trust has supported ongoing litigation in federal court challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' lack of compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and in the ongoing dispute over state permitting for a proposed new cruise ship terminal. PHOTO: NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION

A U.S. Federal Court ruling issued in 2013 vindicated our claim that the Army Corps must consider the adverse effects of the cruise ship terminal on the adjacent historic district in Charleston. By insisting that the Army Corps take a broader look at nearby historic places before issuing permits, the ruling reinforced our long-standing conviction that the Corps must do a better job complying with federal preservation laws, which protect thousands of historic places across the country. PHOTO: COASTAL CONSERVATION LEAGUE

Among the oldest in the nation, the National Register-listed Willamette Falls Navigation Canal and Locks opened in 1873, by-passing the second-largest falls in the U.S., and have been owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1915. Throughout the last century, the locks were well-managed and maintained. Unfortunately, in recent years, funding declined substantially. In November 2011, the U.S. Army Corps moved the canal and locks to “non-operational” status, closing them indefinitely. PHOTO: BRIAN ROCKWELL

In 2014, the Army Corps acknowledged that under the definitions outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106, the 2011 closure of Willamette Falls Navigation Canal and Locks caused “adverse effects” to the historic lock. As required by the Act, District officials have now entered into mandatory negotiations with Locks stakeholders, aimed at mitigating those effects. PHOTO: SANDY CARTER

The James River flows through a collection of nationally recognized cultural, historic, and natural resources located in Virginia’s Historic Triangle - a region which receives over 3.5 million visitors annually. Dominion Virginia Power plans to construct a high-voltage transmission line across the river that will include as many as 17 towers that are up to 295-feet tall, requiring a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. PHOTO: JAMES RIVER ASSOCIATION

In June 2014, the National Trust submitted a comment letter to the Army Corps expressing our concerns about Dominion Power’s controversial transmission line project crossing the James River. This was the first opportunity that organizations participating in consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act were given to comment following the initial notice of consultation issued by the Corps in August 2013. The 17-page letter submitted by the National Trust highlights what we believe to be severe defects in the Section 106 consultation process to date, as well as major concerns about the route of the proposed line itself. PHOTO: KRIS WEINHOLD

The Antiguo Acueducto del Río Piedras is situated on a verdant and unique riverfront tract in metropolitan San Juan. Para la Naturaleza, a unit of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, proposes to restore the site’s facilities for use as a visitor center dedicated to research, recreation and education about the benefits of water resource conservation. The historic site contains a small low-water dam, a valve house, six sedimentation and filtration tanks, an engine room, and employee housing. The overall shape of the historic site is defined by the river’s meander and is thus inseparable from it. PHOTO: PARA LA NATURALEZA

In the mid-1980s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated channelization work on the Puerto Nuevo and Piedras rivers, recommending as a flood control measure that their courses be straightened and confined to a concrete channel. Over the last 30 years the Army Corps has pursued a phased approach with the Antiguo Acueducto del Río Piedras identified as the final segment of that larger project. Current plans call for placement of a high velocity boxed-channel across the Acuedcuto destroying not only this National Register-listed resource, but the Río Piedras’ last remaining natural meander and its associated ecosystem. PHOTO: PARA LA NATURALEZA

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