Jersey, you've mentioned a civil engineering company at a cost of $7-9K; then someone mentioned lawyers - now you know a lawyer is going to cost thousands of dollars.
And what is a lawyer going to do to a government/ACoE employee? The government employee is totally insulated from harm. A private lawyer probably couldn't even get a letter of reprimand into the employee's personnel file let alone force them to do anything. So what's the threat there?
Also, the government has attorneys on staff, so it's not like they're going to cower with fear at the thought of having to pay an attorney; they already are paying him, full time no less!
In one of your previous postings for help on this issue, a forum newcomer told a story about someone who was building a pond and was coming up against resistance similar to yourself. I believe the words quoted in the posting were "congressional inquiry." And the problem was solved.
You haven't come back and said that you had no luck with the congressmen or senators.
Have you tried that yet?
