Under the authority provided by Section 22 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1974, the Corps of Engineers can provide states, local governments, other non-Federal entities and eligible Native American Indian tribes assistance in the preparation of comprehensive plans for the development, utilization and conservation of water and related land resources. Typical studies are only planning level detail and do not include detailed design for project construction.
The program can encompass many types of studies dealing with water resources issues. Types of studies conducted in recent years under the program include the following: water supply/demand, water conservation, water quality, environmental or conservation, wetlands evaluation and/or restoration, dam safety and/or failure, flood damage reduction, coastal zone protection and harbor planning.
There are two types of efforts available through the PAS program as described below.