Waterways Management Branch (dpw)
The Ninth District Waterways Management Branch (dpw) is responsible for the Aids to Navigation and Domestic Icebreaking missions on the Great Lakes. The Airs to Navigation system is composed of 5,500 federal and private aids, including more than 1,200 buoys that are removed or replaced each year to protect them from loss due to winter ice. Additionally, the Ninth District Waterways Management Branch is the program manager for ten Cutters, eight Aids to Navigation Teams, and the St. Marys River Vessel Traffic Service.