2012 ASBPA Conference
Oral Presentation
Coastal Systems Portfolio Initiative
Donald E. Cresitello1, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
The development of a systems approach to reduce damages and better manage risk due to coastal storms is
crucial to demonstrating the significance of the service provided to the nation by the USACE Flood Risk
Management Program. The connectivity among coastal projects in the following three business lines: flood risk
management (coastal storm damage reduction or coastal risk reduction), navigation and coastal ecosystem
restoration must be considered when developing a systems approach to reducing risk along the coast.
Through the Planning Center of Expertise – Coastal Storm Damage Reduction (PCX-CSDR), the US Army Corps of
Engineers initiated a process that examines and evaluates federal projects along the nation’s coastline as a system
of systems instead of as individual projects. The findings are summarized in a Technical Review Document and
web database, which is updated on an annual basis.
The Coastal Systems Portfolio Initiative (CSPI) began as an attempt to develop a rational, technically and
economically sound decision-making framework for the coastal program, in particular to assure that the coastal
projects were able to provide those benefits for which each was explicitly authorized. Public entities that
manage shore protection in the United States face tough decisions. As the Federal agency authorized by
Congress to study, plan, design, construct, and re-nourish coastal storm damage reduction projects, the USACE
is tasked with providing technical input on current and future needs for shore protection. Accurate, up-to-date,
and accessible technical information would be a valuable resource for non-technical decision makers
responsible for making rational, balanced decisions for managing shore protection programs, in the context of
regional sediment management.
The technical review of coastal projects presents a qualitative analysis of existing conditions, estimated federal
future costs (over the next five years), resources at risk and opportunities for action. In FY12, the Technical
Review Document and web database were updated and expanded to include coastal projects across the
nation’s coastline, adding states along the Gulf of Mexico, Pacific Ocean and Great Lakes.
The recent past practice of unpredictable funding streams significantly impacts the capacity for these projects to
perform in accordance with their project purposes as authorized by Congress. Serious political interests have
requested that USACE present a new way to implement projects as the future civil works program lacks a viable
funding source for years to come. In order to successfully employ this necessary paradigm shift, three pilot
studies are being undertaken by the project team to investigate the feasibility of taking a systems approach to
more efficiently and effectively budget for, study and construct the coastal projects in the USACE Flood Risk
Management, Navigation, and Ecosystem Restoration programs. Pilot studies for a group of projects would be
tested over the next 3 to 5 years and would demonstrate the following: (1) maximize sediment management
along the South Shore of Long Island, (2) maximize risk reduction along the Atlantic Ocean coast of New
Jersey, and (3) maximize regional benefits for the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The team’s
challenge is to develop successful pilot studies to identify and demonstrate the least cost solutions while
providing the same level of benefits across every project area.
The New Jersey Pilot Study evaluated and prioritized the network of USACE coastal projects with specific
objectives to: identify efficiencies in meeting project purposes, maximize risk reduction, and maximize
opportunities for RSM. The study involved the convening of a one-day panel of non-USACE experts to assist
with the development of a rational, prioritized five-year plan for the USACE coastal projects in New Jersey.
Through CSPI, USACE is also performing an analysis of the economic impacts of beach nourishment projects in
New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Beach nourishment projects help offset coastal erosion, which can
significantly diminish the economic values generated by the nation’s coastline. The study will identify a set of
nourishment projects currently being conducted by USACE in the three study states, determine the impact of
eliminating those projects on the affected beaches (i.e., what the beaches may look like if the projects are
discontinued), estimate the reductions in tourism related to increased erosion from not maintaining the projects,
and finally estimate the reduced spending, job loss, and reduced tax revenues associated with the loss in
beach-related tourism. The results of this work will allow policy makers to better understand the value that
nourishment projects have for sustaining economic conditions in coastal communities, including the impact that
nourishment projects have on state-level tax revenues.
2012 ASBPA Conference
Oral Presentation
26 Federal Plaza – Room 2145, New York, NY 10278, 917-790-8608, Donald.E.Cresitello@usace.army.mil.
Bio: Donald E. Cresitello received his B.S. and M.S. in Ocean Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology. He has
worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District for 9 years as a Coastal Planning Regional Technical
Specialist where his primary experience is with coastal storm damage reduction projects in New Jersey and New York.
Donald is also involved in a number of national efforts including Coastal Systems Portfolio Initiative (CSPI) and Regional
Sediment Management (RSM). Additionally, he manages the New York State Hurricane Evacuation Study, the Hurricane
Planning and Preparedness Study for New York City.
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