Waterway development is a partnership effort involving the Federal government, state and local entities, and the private sector. This is particularly true for navigation, flood control, coastal protection, water supply and hydropower. Deep-draft ports handle the trade and commerce which keeps the American economy humming. In 1995, a total of 1.07 billion tons of foreign trade passed through U.S. ports. Ports are a huge business and absolutely crucial to the national economy Ports are at the forefront of job creation in the U.S. economy.
Public ports generate significant local and regional economic growth.
According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, commercial port activity provided employment for 1.6 million Americans in 1994. These were jobs in automobile plants, mini-steel mills, cement terminals, grain elevators and other agribusinesses, wood products industries, coal docks, petrochemical plants, oil terminals, etc. Flood control activities help protect millions of river valley residents as well as cities, farms, highways and railroads. Since 1928, flood protection has been a national objective of Federal water resources management. The Army Corps of Engineers' flood control inventory includes some 380 major lakes and reservoirs to store flood waters and 8,500 miles of levees to protect downstream lives and property.