7377

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7377
• Author: Kusler, J. A. and S. Daly.
• Title: Wetlands and River Corridor Management.
• USFW Year: 1989.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

Table 2
GOALS FOR MULTIOBJECTIVE RIVER CORRIDOR MANAGEMENT
- Flood Damage Reduction
- Erosion Damage Reduction
- Water Quality Protection/Enhancement
- Protection/ Enhancement of Recreational
Opportunities
- Wildlife and Fisheries Protection/
Enhancement
- Improvement of Aesthetics
- Waterfront Revitalization and Economic
Development
The combination of high and rising costs of
engineering approaches, the problems associated
with these approaches, and the changed priorities
for rivers and their adjacent lands have resulted
in adoption of and requests for alternative
approaches which place greater emphasis upon
protection and restoration of natural river and
floodplain/wetland functions and values.
A relatively large number of such
multiobjective protection and/or restoration
efforts have been implemented for at least
portions of rivers and streams in the U.S. in the
last decade. Many more are proposed. Such
multiobjective management efforts include not only
completion of hundreds of local "greenway"
efforts, but establishment of parks and protected
areas for rivers and streams at all levels of
government, implementation of dozens of federal
and state floodplain relocation projects to clear
previously developed hazard-prone areas,
completion of many urban river and stream
waterfront renewal projects, establishment of
thousands of multiobjective wetland/stormwater
detention facilities, and the restoration of many
miles of stream and floodplain through the use of
"bioengineering" approaches for streambanks and
replanting of riparian vegetation.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES LEADING TO
MULTIOBJECTIVE MANAGEMENT:
EXAMPLES OF SUCH MANAGEMENT
Federal Initiatives
As noted above, the national trend toward
multiobjective river corridor management rather
than reliance primarily upon engineering works
began with House Document 465 (Task Force on
Federal Flood Control Policy 1966). Based upon
the recommendations contained in this document,
Congress in 1968 called upon the President to
prepare a report for Congress on a Unified
National Program for Floodplain Management (Public
Law No. 99-448). A federal interagency task group
prepared and issued such a "Unified National
Program" report in 1976. Revised versions were
issued in 1979 and 1985. In perhaps its most
important step to implement the recommendations,
Congress in 1968 authorized the National Flood
Insurance Program. Federally subsidized flood
insurance was offered for existing structures,
providing communities agree to regulate new
development to reduce flood losses. Over 17,797
communities have adopted floodplain and, in many
instances, floodway regulations linked to the 100
flood standard pursuant to this Program. More than
2.3 million flood insurance policies are in
effect. Recently the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), which implements the National Flood
Insurance Program, adopted "community rating
system" _ guidelines for the Program. These
guidelines encourage communities to plan,
regulate, or otherwise manage floodplains in a
manner which goes beyond FEMA's minimum standards
so that future flood losses will be reduced.
Insurance rates will be reduced for communities
that adopt such measures which may include
greenways, wetland protection measures, larger
floodways, and other measures.
Since 1968, Congress has adopted a broad
variety of measures which have directly or
indirectly contributed to multiobjective river
corridor management by establishing environmental
protection goals, procedures, or programs. These
include adoption of:
- the Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (P.L.
91-190) which requires federal agencies to
prepare environmental impact statements prior
to actions which will significantly impact the
environment;
- a national Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968
(P.L. 90-542);
- a National Coastal Zone Management Act of
1972 (P.O. 92-583);
- enhanced cost-sharing requirements for water
projects through the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-662);
- Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of
1972 (P.L. 92-500) and the Clean Water Act of
1977 which establish, in Section 04, a
permitting program for fills in wetlands and
other waters of the U.S. (Hunt, Ehorn, this
volume); and
- floodplain and erosion acquisition initia-
tives including Section 1362 of the National
Flood Insurance Act of 1968.
In 1990 Congress adopted a number of important
measures in the Omnibus Water Bill (HDM5314) which
favor multiobjective management of rivers:
- Section 12 requires the Secretary of the Army
(Corps of Engineers) to "include environmental
protection as one of the primary missions of
the Corps of Engineers in planning, designing,
constructing, operating, and maintaining water
resources projects" and to report back to
Congress on a biennial basis specific measures
taken to carry out these goals.
- Section 13 establishes "as part of the Corps
of Engineers water resources development pro-
gram, an interim goal of no overall net loss of
the Nation's remaining wetlands base, as
defined by acreage and function, and a long
term goal to increase the quality and quantity
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