The US Army Corps of Engineers' involvement in navigation projects dates to the early days of the United States when rivers and waterways were the primary paths of commerce in the new country. The system of rivers, lakes, harbors, and waterways located within the Mobile District remains one of the most important parts of the region's and nation's transportation system today. USACE maintains them as a safe, reliable, and economically efficient navigation system.
The Mobile District's navigation efforts focus on both inland and coastal waterways, including the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River system, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, the Black Warrior-Tombigbee/Alabama-Coosa river systems, numerous lakes and reservoirs, and the Gulf of Mexico.
USACE's primary navigation responsibilities include planning and constructing new navigation channels and locks and dams, and dredging to maintain mandated channel depths in U.S. harbors and on inland waterways. Nationally, the USACE operates and maintains 25,000 miles of navigable channels and 196 commercial lock and dam sites and is responsible for ports and waterways in 41 states.
In partnership with local port authorities, USACE personnel oversee construction and dredging projects at hundreds of ports and harbors at an average annual cost of nearly $1.5 billion. USACE dredges nearly 300 million cubic yards of material each year to keep the nation's waterways navigable. Much of this dredged material is reused for environmental restoration projects, including the creation of wetlands.
For technical support, contact the Mobile District Navigation Branch (CESAM-OP-TN) at
(251) 690-2570.