Title 33, Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-102

§560 Contributions From Private Parties; Return of Excess

Title 33 › CHAPTER 12 — RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 560

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Army can accept money from private groups to spend alongside federal funds on approved river and harbor improvement projects when the Chief of Engineers finds the work helps navigation. If local contributions end up larger than the actual, properly charged cost, the extra can be returned to the contributors with the Secretary’s approval, unless the law that required the payment says the United States must keep it.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §560

Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Army is authorized to receive from private parties such funds as may be contributed by them to be expended in connection with funds appropriated by the United States for any authorized work of public improvement of rivers and harbors whenever such work and expenditure may be considered by the Chief of Engineers as advantageous to the interests of navigation: Provided, That when contributions heretofore or hereafter made by local interests for river and harbor improvements, in accordance with specific requirements or under general authority of Congress, are in excess of the actual cost of the work contemplated and properly chargeable to such contributions, such excess contributions may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Army, be returned to the proper representatives of the contributing interests, unless the provision of law under which the contribution is made requires that the entire contribution be retained by the United States.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is from act Mar. 4, 1915, popularly known as the “Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1915”.

Prior Provisions

Section superseded act Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 144, § 8, 37 Stat. 827, which read as follows: “The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to receive from private parties such funds as may be contributed by them to be expended in connection with funds appropriated by the United States for any authorized work of public improvement of rivers and harbors, whenever such work and expenditure may be considered by the Chief of Engineers as advantageous to the interests of navigation.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 641. section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 560

Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102