The Southwestern Division’s Civil Works mission covers all or part of six states, spanning about 376,300 square miles—10 percent of the nation’s land area—and serving 36.3 million people, or 11 percent of the U.S. population, based on 2020 data. The program includes planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance of water resource projects to meet regional needs in water supply, flood risk reduction, navigation, ecosystem restoration, hydropower, recreation and other water-related areas.

Project Facts

• Flood Risk Reduction: 74 reservoirs and 760 miles of local protection projects; more than $85 billion in cumulative damages prevented.

• Navigation: Second in the Corps, with more than 500 million tons of cargo transported annually.

• Recreation: First in the Corps, with 83 million visitors each year.

• Hydropower: Second in the Corps, generating 6.7 billion kilowatt-hours—87% of the region’s capacity.

• Water Supply: First in the Corps, with 75% of the total water supply, equal to 8.4 million acre-feet—enough to meet annual needs for 1.8 million households.

• Ecosystem Restoration and Stewardship: Tens of thousands of acres of wetlands restored; 91 lakes managed with 2.3 million acres of land, 1.2 million acres of water, and more than 11,000 miles of shoreline.

• Regulatory: More than 5,000 permit decisions each year to protect waters and wetlands.