Starting in 1824, it added the dangerous obstructions of riverine navigation, such as removing sandbars and snags, dredging, lighthouses and other navigation aids; regulations and appropriations regarding navigable rivers and works affecting them, such as cribs, canals and locks, and later bridges, dams, tunnels, pipes, as well as later inter-oceanic canals and ocean cables as they arose. Commercial aspects regarding public health and the prevention of infectious diseases, the purity of food and drugs, regulations regarding the exportation of livestock and foodstuffs, and transportation of livestock also came under the committee's purview.
Starting in 1824, it dealt with river dangers by removing sandbars and snags, dredging, installing lighthouses, and other navigational aids; managing rules and funding for navigable rivers and structures like cribs, canals, locks, bridges, dams, tunnels, pipes, and later inter-oceanic canals and ocean cables. The committee also managed public health issues concerning infectious diseases, food and drug purity, livestock export regulations, and transportation.