Evaluation of Environmental Investments Procedures: Interim Overview Manual

For over a decade the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has actively been involved in environmental restoration projects. As this new direction for the Corps has evolved, it has become increasingly clear that environmental restoration projects pose different planning challenges than traditional water resources development projects. The Evaluation of Environmental Investments Research Program (EEIRP) was initiated by the Corps to develop planning methodologies that respond to these challenges. Specifically, the EEIRP is intended to address what have become known as the 'site' and 'portfolio' questions: (1) How can the Corps determine whether the recommended action from a range of alternatives is the most desirable in terms of the environmental objectives? (2) How should the Corps allocate limited resources among many 'most desirable' environmental investment decisions? The Corps planning process is based upon the U.S. Water Resources Council's Economic and Environmental Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies (P&G), promulgated in 1983. The P&G provides an evaluation framework that is equally applicable to traditional water resources projects and environmental restoration projects. However, the differences between these projects, such as restoration's predominance of nonmonetary benefits, require tailoring the P&G planning process for environmental restoration. The Corps ongoing adaptations of the planning process include: (1) promulgating the various forms of guidance for environmental planning, (2) documenting field experience with planning environmental projects (i.e., case studies), and (3) developing the process and products provided by the EEIRP. This report, prepared under the EEIRP Evaluation Framework work unit, is part of that effort.