BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District received a total of $235.6 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan for Army Civil Works to strengthen critical infrastructure across three states and the shoreline of lakes Erie and Ontario and for Manhattan Project Cleanup.
The work plan funding adds to the hundreds of millions of dollars for projects and programs the Buffalo District is already delivering in FY25, paving the way for significant civil works, navigation, and environmental improvements across its 38,000 square mile area of responsibility.
“This investment will touch the lives of Americans every day and enable us to deliver engineering solutions for the nation’s toughest challenges,” said Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, USACE Buffalo District commander. “The Buffalo District’s work will rebuild critical infrastructure along the Great Lakes’ shoreline, prepare harbors for dredging, and address materials left from the Manhattan Project. Our incredibly talented team is ready to make it happen!”
FY25 work plan funds include $96.4 million for operations and maintenance and nearly $140 million for environmental remediation across the Buffalo District.
Total funding for work across states in the Buffalo District includes:
- New York – $64.2 million
- Pennsylvania – $95.25 million
- Ohio – $76 million
Funding for Critical Infrastructure
FY25 work plan funds support continued critical operations at the Mount Morris Dam and Recreation Area and Black Rock Lock. The dam prevented an estimated $170 million in flood damages in 2024, adding to a total of $4.5 billion over its lifetime. The lock supported a combined $5.4 million in business revenue and labor income to the transportation sector in 2024.
This year’s work plan includes a combined $17.46 million for these critical infrastructure sites operated by the Buffalo District, as well as projects in the Black Rock Channel.
- Mount Morris Dam, N.Y. – $4.06 million
- Black Rock Channel and Tonawanda Harbor, N.Y. – $13.4 million*
*A portion of this funding includes operations and maintenance and project funding for the Black Rock Lock.
Funds for the Mount Morris Dam will be used for operations and maintenance, as well as activities including developing a risk communication plan; replacement of the control system for service and emergency gates, cylinder tail rods for gates, and dam sanitary system; rehabilitation of the north access road, internal electrical, and elevator; engineering and design for south adit tunnel and south parapet roadway turn around erosion area; and flush piezometers and foundation relief wells.
Funds for the Black Rock Lock will be used for operations and maintenance, as well as engineering and design for upper guard gate removal and sill recess modifications; installation of miter gates; and fabrication and installation of new maintenance bulkheads.
Funding for Lakes Erie & Ontario Harbors
FY25 work plan funds enable operations and maintenance repairs to navigation structures at 17 of the district’s 36 commercial and recreational harbors across lakes Erie and Ontario – part of the Great Lakes Navigation System.
“With this year’s work plan funding, we will deliver on our mission to ensure safe navigation and the flow of commerce from Great Lakes harbors to the world,” said David Conboy, Buffalo District chief of engineering and construction.
Across lakes Erie and Ontario, harbors maintained by the Buffalo District handled more than 33 million tons of cargo, or approximately 15% of shipping in U.S. Great Lakes harbors in 2022. They also supported more than 6,300 direct, indirect, and induced jobs with more than $5 million in labor income to the transportation sector, and more than $1.6 billion in business revenue.
Many harbors across lakes Erie and Ontario have received funding through the FY25 work plan for sediment sampling, environmental coordination, and work on dredged material management plans. This work prepares them for future dredging by understanding the type of sediments in the harbor and where it is suitable for dredged material to be placed.
“Safe, effective, and sustainable dredging of federal harbors is key to the economic success of communities across the Great Lakes. Federal funding from this year’s work plan helps us keep these harbors open for business and recreational use,” said David Schulenberg, Buffalo District Planning Branch chief.
This year’s work plan includes a combined $92.3 million for operations and maintenance efforts at harbors in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
- New York harbors – $41,697,000**
- Ohio harbors – $50,497,000
- Pennsylvania harbors – $ 100,000
**This amount includes the $13.4 million listed above for Black Rock Channel and Tonawanda Harbor, which includes the Black Rock Lock.
Funding for Manhattan Project Cleanup
Funding for the District’s Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program supports investigations, design, remediation, operations and maintenance, environmental monitoring, and security for projects to identify, investigate, and clean up or control sites that were part of the Nation's early atomic energy and weapons program. Activities at the sites that are eligible for FUSRAP were conducted by the Manhattan Engineer District or the Atomic Energy Commission, both predecessors of the Department of Energy.
“Continued funding for environmental remediation under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program ensures the long-term protection of human health and the environment. It advances our efforts as we make meaningful progress in cleaning up legacy waste sites across the region,” said Neil Miller, Buffalo District Environmental Branch chief.
The FY25 Work Plan allocates $139.25 million in funding for FUSRAP projects in communities across New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
- Guterl Steel Site, Lockport, N.Y. — $1 million
- Harshaw Site, Cleveland, Ohio — $10 million
- Joslyn Manufacturing Site, Fort Wayne, Ind. — $200,000
- Luckey Site, Luckey, Ohio — $15.5 million
- Niagara Falls Storage Site, Niagara Falls, N.Y. — $16.9 million
- Seaway Site, Tonawanda, N.Y. — $500,000
- Shallow Land Disposal Area, Armstrong County, Pa. — $94.45 million
- Superior Steel Site, Scott Township, Pa. — $700,000
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More Information
Additional information on the entire Corps of Engineers’ Fiscal Year 2025 Work Plan can be found at www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Budget/#WorkPlans.
Photos and video of Buffalo District’s projects are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalousace/
The Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes Region, the Army and the Nation in order to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war.