The partners identify a pathway to potentially secure federal funding for levee improvements through the designation of a US Army Corps of Engineers New Start Feasibility Study. This designation allows USACE to complete a study to determine the federal interest in the levee system. If a study is designated and federal interest is established, the Corps will be able to deliver a recommendation to Congress at the end of the process with a request to fund their recommended improvements.
After learning about this process, the project partners agree to purse designation.