and Harbor Act approved July 3, 1930, (Public Law 520, 71st Congress) as 

 amended and supplemented o" A so-called sea wall proviso, iirtiich represents 

 a departure from the basic general policy for Federal participation of not 

 more than one- third contribution toward the first cost of works for the 

 improvement and protection of shores owned by States, rnxmicipalities, or 

 other political subdivisions, reads as follows; "TThere a political sub- 

 division has heretofore erected a sea wall to prevent erosion, hy waves 

 and currents, to a public highway considered by the Chief of Engineers 

 sufficiently important to justify protection, Federal contribution toward 

 the repair of such wall and the protection thereof by the building of an 

 artificial beach is authorized at not to exceed one-third of the original 

 cost of such wallo" 



The Office of the Chief of Engineers has indicated informally that 

 any case which appears to come under the terms of this proviso should be 

 very carefully examined in the light of the exact language of the law and 

 all aspects of the situation in order to determine that the case does 

 actually fall under this provisoo The language is such that it permits 

 considerable leeway in the determination of whether an existing sea wall 

 can be considered to come under the provisions of this section or noto 



The act also provides that the work may be done by the State, 

 municipality or political subdivision which owns the shore or, if it 

 requests, by the Chief of Engineers'. The Chief of Engineers is authorized 

 to make payment to the State, municipality, or political subdivision, of 

 the amount authorized by Congress when he finds that the project has been 

 completed in accordance with the authorized plans and specifications. 

 The Chief of Engineers is also authorized in his discretion to make 

 partial payments as the work progresses with the restriction that the 

 paymaits made, including previous payments, shall not be more than the 

 United States pro rata part of the value of the labor and materials which 

 have actually been put into the construction in conformity with the plans 

 and specific a tionso 



LOCAL GOVERMMENT RESPONSI BILITIES 



The responsibility of the various States with respect to shore pro- 

 tection is fixed by State laws and the attitudes of state legislatures 

 and governors to budgetary matters o Certain States and local govern- 

 ments have provided means by which shore protection works can be and 

 have been built independently of the Federal Government o 



The State or local government usually is the responsible agency 

 cooperating with the Federal Government in the conduct of cooperative 

 studies of beach erosion at specific localities » In the case of con- 

 struction of protective works it is usually their responsibility to pro- 

 vide, by methods of their own determination, two-thirds of the first cost 

 and the entire maintenance for protection of shores owned as non-Federal 



