33 U.S.C. § 701a : US Code - Section 701A: Declaration of policy of 1936 act

Search 33 U.S.C. § 701a : US Code - Section 701A: Declaration of policy of 1936 act

It is recognized that destructive floods upon the rivers of the
United States, upsetting orderly processes and causing loss of life
and property, including the erosion of lands, and impairing and
obstructing navigation, highways, railroads, and other channels of
commerce between the States, constitute a menace to national
welfare; that it is the sense of Congress that flood control on
navigable waters or their tributaries is a proper activity of the
Federal Government in cooperation with States, their political
subdivisions, and localities thereof; that investigations and
improvements of rivers and other waterways, including watersheds
thereof, for flood-control purposes are in the interest of the
general welfare; that the Federal Government should improve or
participate in the improvement of navigable waters or their
tributaries, including watersheds thereof, for flood-control
purposes if the benefits to whomsoever they may accrue are in
excess of the estimated costs, and if the lives and social security
of people are otherwise adversely affected.