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  • June

    More than 70 volunteers participated in this year’s Clean the Bay Day with the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The location: the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area here June 7, 2014. Volunteers from Williamsburg, James City County, Yorktown, Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Plymouth, Minnesota participated. Organizations represented included not only the Norfolk District but also members from Lafayette, Woodside, I.C. Norcom and Churchland High Schools, Girls Scout Troup 1381, Bayside Area Boy Scouts, Boy Scout Troup 6, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Army, Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, the Society of Military Engineers and other organizations not captured. A total of 68 bags of trash - 1,410 pounds of bagged trash and approximately 590 pounds of bulk non-bagged items – were collected. The most unusual items included a sledge hammer, a dog carcass, a kayak paddle, one dead turtle, a respirator, an arrow and one big red ball. The majority of debris was cigarette butts, plastic bottles and Styrofoam from buoys.

    Corps, volunteers collect more than 2,000 pounds of shoreline debris

    PORTSMOUTH, Virginia – Sunglasses. Check! Bug spray. Check! Bottled water. Check! Trash bags. Check!
  • NORFOLK, Va. -- Norfolk District leadership gathered May 19, 2014 for hurricane contingency planning in the case the district's headquarters, the Waterfield Building, was heavily damaged during a storm. The Continuity of Operations meeting anticipated needs, abilities and work-arounds for the more than 300 Norfolk District employees. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Worst-case scenario forecasting helps district plan for hurricane season

    Six feet of murky river water swirls around desks, seeps through walls and begins corroding wires. It’s a scenario that would put Norfolk District out for six months and cause $10 million or more in damage. “All it would take is a hurricane catching us at high tide and that could be a reality for us,” said Stan Ballard, district emergency management services chief. Ballard gathered leadership for Continuity of Operations meeting, or COOP, to anticipate needs, abilities and work-arounds for the more than 300 Norfolk District employees in such a scenario.

  • Worst-case scenario forecasting helps district plan for hurricane season

    Six feet of murky river water swirls around desks, seeps through walls and begins corroding wires. It’s a scenario that would put Norfolk District out for six months and cause $10 million or more in damage.

  • May

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold its 2015 FNOD quarterly restoration advisory board meeting March 25, 6-8 p.m., at the Courtyard Marriott, located at 8060 Harbour View Boulevard, Suffolk, Virginia.

    FNOD Restoration Advisory Board meets June 5

    Community members can learn more about the Formerly Used Defense Site here and latest clean-up progress during the project’s quarterly Restoration Advisory Board meeting on Thursday, June 5, from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.
  • Historic Fort Norfolk, Va.

    Historic Fort Norfolk reopens ahead of schedule

    Fort Norfolk reopened to the public today, four weeks ahead of schedule, after contractors replaced the roof on the circa-1855 magazine building here.
  • SOUTH MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA -- Paddlers come from as far away as California to participate in the annual Paddle for the Border event. This year 340 people met at the South Mills, N.C. welcome center and paddled 11 miles - and across the Virginia state line - to a picnic area for lunch.

    350 participate in 11th annual Paddle for the Border

    Paddlers came from as far away as California to participate in this year's Paddle for the Border event May 3, 2014. More than 340 people met at the South Mills, N.C. welcome center and paddled 11 miles - and across the Virginia state line - to a picnic area for lunch.

  • 350 participate in 11th annual Paddle for the Border

    As the first light of day tried to peek through gray clouds, hundreds of cars and trucks arrived and began to unload kayaks and canoes onto the banks of the historical Dismal Swamp Canal for the 11th Annual Paddle for the Border May 3.

  • District team recognized as USACE 2013 PDT of the year

    The task: build a state-of-the-art, world-class medical facility in five years. The result: the $1 billion Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, a model of modern military medical facilities that now stands where a golf course once existed on post.

  • April

    Corps studies accessibility for Cemetery

    A team from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is traveling around and taking notes at Arlington National Cemetery to assess the accessibility of certain sections of the 150-year-old facility for its disabled visitors.

  • March

    Permit proffered for Henry County's Commonwealth Crossing Business Center

    Regulators with the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here forwarded an initial proffered permit to Henry County Industrial Development Authority officials today, crossing an important milestone in the federal permitting process for the proposed Commonwealth Crossing Business Center in Henry County, Va.
  • On Feb. 27, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources closed the Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge, which crosses onto the Dismal Swamp Canal between North Carolina and Virginia, to allow their maintenance crew to repair cylinders in a hydraulic arm weld, which had broken from the bridge’s bascule.

    Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge reopens

    SOUTH MILLS, N.C. – The Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge reopened at 5 p.m., March 19, after a two-week closure to repair cylinders in a hydraulic arm weld, which had broken from the bridge’s bascule.

  • February

    Historic Fort Norfolk, Va.

    Historic Fort Norfolk to close for building repairs Feb. 24

    Fort Norfolk will close to visitors from Feb. 24 to June 6 as contractors replace the roof on a circa 1855 magazine building.
  • The Great Bridge Lock on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal reopened today after a two-day closure to vessel traffic. Contractors, overseen by the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, removed and replaced a 72-ton set of aging lock gates as part of a service plan to increase the lifespan of the locks.

    Great Bridge Lock reopens to vessel traffic

    The Great Bridge Lock on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal reopened this afternoon after a two-day closure to vessel traffic to replace lock gates.

  • January

    Cutter-head dredge Wilko was used to maintenance dredge the Lynnhaven Inlet Federal Navigation Channel, Virginia Beach, Va.

    Corps completes Lynnhaven Inlet dredging; shoaling removed, community beaches renourished

    The Lynnhaven Inlet Federal Navigation Channel is fully navigable, after a $2 million maintenance dredging project removed critical shoaling conditions exacerbated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

  • Norfolk District is open for normal operations Thursday, Jan. 30. Liberal leave and telework are authorized.

    NORFOLK, Va -- The Norfolk District will be open for normal operations Thursday, Jan. 30. Liberal leave and telework are authorized. Telework should be coordinated and approved by your supervisor.

  • Norfolk District shines for Elizabeth River restoration

    A 623-square-foot sanctuary oyster reef in the Elizabeth River captured recognition for the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental work yesterday.

  • October

    ARLINGTON, Va. -- Secretary of the Army John McHugh transfers the JFK Eternal Flame back to its permanent location on Oct. 29, 2013, after repair work to the site was completed. The flame underwent a full replacement of gas and airlines, received new digital controls and sensors, as well as a new burner assembly.

    Temporary Flame transferred to permanent Eternal Flame at President John F. Kennedy's gravesite

    The temporary flame that has been operating at the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy and his family since this spring was transferred to the permanent Eternal Flame in a ceremony on Oct. 29, 2013.
  • Col. Paul Brooks, Fort Lee garrison commander, presents the 2012 Directorate of Public Works Installation Support Program of the Year Award to Col. Paul B. Olsen, district commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District, as Greg Williams, DPW director, looks on. (U.S. Army photo)

    Norfolk District snags installation support award

    U.S. Army Installation Management Command awarded the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the 2012 Director of Public Works Installation Support Program of the Year. The nomination noted Norfolk District’s “team approach in delighting the ultimate customer – the soldier.”
  • Jennifer Armstrong (right), a Norfolk District project manager, shows Jo-Ellen Darcy, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, fossilized oyster shell stored at the district's Craney Island Dredge Material Management Area in Portsmouth, Va. The shell is destined to be used in Corps sanctuary oyster reefs in the Elizabeth River as part of the Craney Island Eastward Expansion project environmental mitigation plan. The mountainous piles of shell were obtained from the Commonwealth of Virginia through an agreement between the Norfolk District and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Going big: district tackles oysters, Lynnhaven

    Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving mountains of fossil oyster shell from Craney Island in Portsmouth, Va., to build 16 acres of sanctuary reefs in Elizabeth River and some of its tributaries, while the work to bring environmental restoration on the Lynnhaven River is ongoing.

  • Great Bridge Locks reopen as tidal waters recede

    The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reopened the great bridge lock in Chesapeake, Va.
  • Jennifer Armstrong (right), a Norfolk District project manager, shows Jo-Ellen Darcy, the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, fossilized oyster shell stored at the district's Craney Island Dredge Material Management Area in Portsmouth, Va. The shell is destined to be used in Corps sanctuary oyster reefs in the Elizabeth River as part of the Craney Island Eastward Expansion project environmental mitigation plan. The mountainous piles of shell were obtained from the Commonwealth of Virginia through an agreement between the Norfolk District and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Going big: district tackles oysters, Lynnhaven

    Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving mountains of fossil oyster shell from Craney Island in Portsmouth, Va., to build 16 acres of sanctuary reefs in Elizabeth River and some of its tributaries.

  • September

    The Corps Dredge Currituck performs dredging operations in Virginia Beach's Rudee Inlet in 2005. The Currituck is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopper dredge that performs maintenance dredging up and down the East Coast. (U.S. Army Photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Currituck rescues stranded boater from James River

    The crew found a man, soaked and shivering in the 64-degree night.

  • July

    The national wetland plant list received its first update since going web based in 2012. The list features 7937 plant species, which is a reduction of 263 species from 2012. (U.S. Army image)

    Agencies prune plant list

    When the national wetland plant list was initially rolled out to the web in May 2012 the Corp’s Regulatory Office said there would be periodic changes. Earlier this month those periodic changes became a reality.

  • June

    SANDBRIDGE, Va. -- The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, partnering with the city of Virginia Beach, Va., began a five-mile hurricane protection and beach renourishment project in Sandbridge in mid-April, 2013. The $13.35 million non-federal project included the dredging and placement of approximately 2 million cubic yards of sand along public beachfront from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge to the Dam Neck Naval facility.

    2-plus million cubic yards added to Sandbridge beachfront; Big Beach completion now under way

    VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A five-mile hurricane protection and beach renourishment project in Sandbridge is complete.
  • NORFOLK -- Michelle Hamor is the 2013 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood risk manager of the year. The Corps gives the award yearly to individuals who excel in the field of flood plain management, which plans for and identifies ways at controlling and reducing flood damages experienced by citizens living in flood plains. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Flood plain manager flooded with praise

    Michelle Hamor, chief of Norfolk District’s flood plain management section, is the 2013 recipient of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Flood Risk Manager of the Year Award. The Corps gives the award yearly to individuals who excel in the field of flood plain management, which plans for and identifies ways at controlling and reducing flood damages experienced by citizens living in flood plains.

  • May

    ARLINGTON, Va. – Randy Barton, an Arlington National Cemetery engineering technician, lights a temporary flame using a torch that was lit from the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame at the cemetery April 29, 2013. The temporary flame will burn while the permanent flame undergoes repair and upgrade work to install new burners, a new igniter and new gas and air lines. Work on the burner itself will take about three weeks to complete. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Repairs begin on JFK Eternal Flame

    ARLINGTON, Va. -- Contractors began work here Monday, April 29, on the burner of the President John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, which has been lit since 1967. Technicians from Meltech Corp., Inc.; based in Landover, Md.; built an 8-foot temporary fence and installed a temporary flame at one of the most visited sites in Arlington National Cemetery.

  • April

    Lance Cpl. Joseph Marshall, a squad automatic weapon gunner with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, waits for the sun to rise in Southern Marjah District, Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 23, the first day of Operation Watchtower. Marshall is from Glenallen, Alaska.

    Engineering a difference

    Thumbing through the pages of his chartreuse logbook where he writes down thoughts, project plans and drawings, Capt. Antonio Pazos stops to point out a particular drawing. It’s a rough sketch diagram of how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and federal and state engineers designed a dewatering plan to remove 400 million gallons of water from the Brooklyn Battery and Queens tunnels after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast Oct.29, 2012.

  • Engineering a difference

    Captain Antonio Pazos was in the Hurricane Sandy emergency operations center, simultaneously gathering progress reports for 14 projects which included the tunnels, preparing reports for the New York’s emergency operations center and controlling the flow of water. It was right where a self-identified adrenaline junkie was meant to be.

  • March

    (From left to right) David King, Ph.D., Zeki Dmemirbilek, Don Ward and Lihwa Lin, are the team members performing the computer modeling efforts in Vicksburg, Miss. The end result will assist Norfolk District engineers with designing a jetty that will maximize the benefits within the alloted $3.6 million to design and build it for the residents Tangier, Va.

    For eroding island, engineers' efforts start with models

    NORFOLK, Va. -- Waterman and residents on the tiny, sinking island of Tangier worry every time the winds blow through the fishing community at more than 30 miles per hour. The island, located in the Chesapeake Bay just below the Maryland and Virginia border, is sinking and eroding away -- a dilemma that's expedited by churning storm waters.
  • The hopper dredge B. E. Lindholm from Weeks Marine Inc., was called in to dredge when hazardous shoaling in the Thimble Shoals federal navigation channel was discovered and one side of the navigation lane was closed.

    Corps responds to emergency dredging in Thimble Shoals federal channel

    NORFOLK – Hazardous shoaling in the Thimble Shoals federal navigation channel launched action between local and federal agencies as they raced to reopen a closed navigation lane. The Virginia Pilots Association alerted the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, of the hazard on March 13, and within hours, a survey team was mobilized.