External Coordination and Communication of Engineering With Nature Program-Funded Projects to The Water Institute

In collaboration the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN) program, the Water Institute (the Institute) completed a study in 2023 that evaluated policies and practices potentially hindering inclusion of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into Civil Works projects where they could potentially advance multiple USACE Mission Areas (Ehrenwerth et al., 2022; Fischbach et al., 2023a, 2023b; Windhoffer et al., 2023). That study included a comprehensive review of USACE project alternative evaluation methods, as well as identification and assessment of approaches for incorporating a wider range of social, environmental, and economic benefits and costs into NBS alternative evaluation.

The Institute has extended that collaboration with EWN to complete several research projects designed to help advance and accelerate incorporation of NBS into Civil Works projects. This report provides a summary of the activities accomplished to support external coordination and communication of the EWN-funded work that the Institute has undertaken.