Home / Media / News Stories

News Stories

  • April

    Sandbridge beach

    Sandbridge Beach renourishment work underway

    The Sandbridge Beach Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project’s 2020 renourishment cycle kicked off sand-borrow and placement operations April, 8.

  • FUSRAP team observes Earth Day, April 22

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District’s Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) wishes you “Happy Earth Day!” because, at FUSRAP, every day is Earth Day. The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP) is an environmental remediation program. FUSRAP does cleanup of radiological contamination generated by activities of the Manhattan Engineer District and the Atomic Energy Commission (MED/AEC) during development of the atomic weapons in the 1940s and 1950s

  • Just Released – New Report on Shared Vision Planning for Europe’s Tisza River Basin

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Institute for Water Resources (IWR) just released a report on the use of a multilateral Shared Vision Planning (SVP) Risk-Informed pilot study within Europe’s Tisza River Basin.  As part of the European Union’s (EU) Water Framework Directive, a partnership of interested river basin stakeholders (known as JOINTISZA) received EU funds to lead a river basin planning process for the Tisza River, a major tributary of the Danube whose watershed is shared by five countries:  Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania.  As part of this river basin planning process, the JOINTISZA organizers wanted to test the use of USACE’s Shared Vision Planning (SVP) process in the basin by conducting a pilot on a subarea of the basin (the Tisza-Körös-Valley common water management system or TIKEVIR) that focuses on flood risk management and considers climate change impacts.
  • A beautiful scene on the shoreline of J. Percy Priest Lake along the Anderson Road Fitness Trail April 21, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District operates the project and encourages the public to take care of public lands on Earth Day and every day. (USACE photo by Lee Roberts)

    Earth Day 2020 focuses on climate action for 50th Anniversary

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 21, 2020) – The first Earth Day in 1970 launched the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event. On the event’s 50th Anniversary April 22, 2020, the theme is climate action. ate action.
  • .

    Corps electric engineer ‘makes’ much needed shields

    It’s no secret our country is experiencing a shortage of face masks. Ever since this virus was declared a pandemic, even those working in hospitals can’t seem to get their hands on the very medical supplies they need to do their day-to-day job. Some hear of the shortage and scramble to get their hands on whatever masks they can find, but not Navigational Electrical Engineer Jeffrey Farmer and the nonprofit group he’s apart of called the “Midsouth Makers.”
  • U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Toy, Mississippi Valley Division commander, and Brig. Gen. Levon Cumpton, Missouri National Guard adjutant general, tour the alternate care site in St. Louis, Missouri, April 13, 2020. The site was developed to support health care facilities in the area. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Audrey Chappell)

    St. Louis converts hotel into alternate care facility ready for patients within days of state request

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Missouri to convert a local hotel for use as an alternate care facility.  USACE St. Louis District provided technical assistance and management of Tarlton Corporation and their subcontractors, as the team raced to finish the conversion to 120 patient rooms, four nurses’ stations, storage areas, a triage center, and meeting rooms spread over four floors within 79 hours of contract award.
  • U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Mark Toy, Mississippi Valley Division commander, and Brig. Gen. Levon Cumpton, Missouri National Guard adjutant general, tour the alternate care site in St. Louis, Missouri, April 13, 2020. The site was developed to support health care facilities in the area. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Audrey Chappell)

    St. Louis converts hotel into alternate care facility ready for patients within days of state request

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State of Missouri to convert a local hotel for use as an alternate care facility.  USACE St. Louis District provided technical assistance and management of Tarlton Corporation and their subcontractors, as the team raced to finish the conversion to 120 patient rooms, four nurses’ stations, storage areas, a triage center, and meeting rooms spread over four floors within 79 hours of contract award.
  • Col. Andrew Kelly, commander of the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, hands a letter certifying the completion of the Alternate Care Facility the district built in the Miami Convention Center to Kevin Guthrie, Deputy Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The facility provides 450 beds, 50 of them intensive care unit beds, gives the state of Florida medical providers and state emergency managers flexibility as they prepare for a COVID-19 based surge at local and regional medical facilities. Initially, the facility was to be completed by April 27, but the deadline was moved to April 20 after a meeting with the Florida governor identified an expedited need. Even with the shortened deadline, the Corps of Engineers delivered the site early, with the contractor completing construction April 18 and the Corps signing over the facility to the state on April 19.

    Jacksonville District Completes Miami Beach Convention Center Alternate Care Facility Ahead of Schedule

    Two months ago, the Miami Beach Convention Center was hosting 80,000 fans for the NFL Experience as part of Super Bowl festivities. The Jacksonville District just finished transforming the center into a 450-bed alternate care facility to treat COVID-19 patients, and did it ahead of schedule.
  • USACE Little Rock essential workers - at work

    To "Essential Personnel" everywhere - thank you.

    Col. Noe, commander of the Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shares a thank you message with all the nation’s essential personnel.
  • .

    Power of the pump, no telework

    While many people are at home working in front of a computer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have people out in the field operating equipment and facilities that, at this point in time, cannot be controlled from a workstation at home. The Graham Burke Pumping Plant is one of those “pieces” of equipment that requires people to be on-site for safe operation. Pumping Plant Operator Leaderman William “Billy” Ray and Pumping Plant Operator John “Brady” Foran are two of those valuable employees who are called upon to run one of the Corps’ most valuable facilities.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Turns Over 7 Alternate Care Sites Over the Weekend

    Between Friday, April 17 and Monday, April 20, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finished seven alternate care sites in response to COVID-19. Together with the previous three completed locations, this brings the total to 10. This weekend the Corps of Engineers finished the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, AK; Wisconsin State Fair Expo Center in West Allis, WI; Gibson Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM; Miyamura High School in Gallup, NM; and the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, FL. The Corps of Engineers is turning over two sites today. They are the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, MI and Westchester County Center in White Plains, NY. 
  • .

    Army Corps Oversees Progress of Alternate Care Facility Construction at State University of New York College at Old Westbury, Long Island, N.Y.

    Construction of the alternate care facility is progressing at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury on Long Island to facilitate care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
  • Ryan James, a digging contractor, breaks through into the back of the gravel room for the first time from the new back crosscut in the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory's Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska. The excavation was part of the phase four expansion of the permafrost tunnel, which added a new 300-foot tunnel and improved 200 feet of the pre-existing tunnel.

    Discovering the Mural in Permafrost

    In the forests of Fox, Alaska, carved into a frozen hillside is a unique manmade 350-meter long research tunnel. Situated on a 16-acre parcel near the confluence of Goldstream and Glenn Creeks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory’s Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility was excavated deep into a large block of discontinuous permafrost that has been going through several recent periods of expansion. The expansion project began back in 2011, taking advantage of the digging seasons when the ground is at its coldest, with an overall project goal of expanding the tunnel facility to better support ongoing and growing research and engineering needs. The most recent expansion effort, this year, has added 300-feet of new tunnel, improved 200 feet of the existing tunnel and added links between the old and new tunnel sections at several locations, to include at an interface between subsurface bedrock and overlying gravels.
  • National Healthcare Decisions Day

    Take time to think about your future needs for National Healthcare Decisions Day

    While April 16 was National Healthcare Decisions Day – a day set aside to take time to think about current and future healthcare needs – these needs take on new meaning when we are confronted with an unexpected healthcare challenge like the COVID-19 coronavirus.
  • Rowles' 1985 Monte Carlo Super Sport. (Photo by Doug Rowles)

    Home Offices, Antique Cars and Cork Boards

    From the comfort of their own homes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District staff are finding innovative ways to adapt and embrace the challenges of coronavirus. 
  • AAFES return policy

    Army & Air Force Exchange Service extends refund policy amid COVID-19 pandemic

    For military shoppers who need to make a return but are hesitant to visit a store during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service is extending its return policy. All purchases made since March 16, 2020, are eligible for returns through July 1, 2020.
  • A senior enlisted soldier speaks at a lectern as an officer in uniform and a man wearing a suit stand on the same stage.

    Army Ramps Up COVID-19 Testing

    Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy joined other Army leaders to discuss the service's latest coronavirus response efforts during a briefing at the Pentagon.
  • .

    Big Island, Below Senath seepage remediation projects awarded

    The Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded Task Orders to construct two seepage remediation projects in Arkansas and in Missouri.
  • Colby, 3, and Sydney Sherwood take the family dog Wookiee for a walk in the neighborhood in San Angelo, Texas, April 16, 2020. Walking with Colby gave us valuable bonding time and wore him out enough for a nap. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ethan Sherwood)

    Parenting during COVID-19

    In the United States Military, 44.1% of active duty members have children. Suddenly many of us were told to stay home unless we leave for essential reasons. This means a lot of us are now trying to complete the mission with kids at home as their schools and daycares have been canceled.
  • 70th Birthday Banner

    Fort Worth District Reflects on 70 Years of Service

    April 16, 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District! Thanks for visiting our website. Enjoy reading a little about our history and take a look back into the origin and some of the defining moments of the district. #ThisIsFortWorth

  • Sandy Lake Dam Rehabilitation Project, Aitkin County, Minnesota

    Over its history, Sandy Lake Dam has undergone a series of modifications, repairs and periodic inspections. From 2011 to 2016, a series of above and below water inspections identified several features that had deteriorated to a point that repair or replacement were necessary to maintain the long-term stability of the structure. Sandy Lake Dam is located on the Sandy River in Aitkin County, Minnesota, 1.25 miles upstream of the junction between the Sandy River and Mississippi River.
  • Re-purposing Water Safety Materials in a Time of Crisis

    Re-Purposing Water Safety Materials in a Time of Crisis

    John W. Flannagan and North Fork of Pound donate water safety bandanas for re-purposing into much needed protective face masks for Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office and Dickenson County Emergency Services.

  • Lac qui Parle Dam Emergency Spillway; Watson, Minnesota

    The Lac qui Parle dike and emergency spillway is designed to retain the Lac qui Parle Reservoir during times of flood but is designed for over topping during extreme events. The overtop elevation of the spillway is 940.75 feet. The Lac qui Parle Dam is located on the upper Minnesota River 30 miles east of the South Dakota border. The dam is about 7 river miles upstream of Montevideo, Minnesota. The dike and emergency spillway is adjacent to and west of the dam between the dam and County Hwy 75. The damaged area of the spillway extends approximately 2,500 feet from the dam.
  • Sally Sydnor, a graduating senior at Handley High School in Winchester, Va., works on her U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Internship project from her home in Winchester. Sydnor has been collaborating remotely with mentors from USACE's Transatlantic Middle East District to complete the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Despite pandemic, high school intern works with USACE to complete project

    Although COVID-19 virus has led to the cancellation of many of the traditional high school rites of passage around the country, a passion for engineering and an assist from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Middle East District (TAM) helped high school senior Sally Sydnor maintain some sense of normalcy during a final year of high school that has been anything but. Sydnor was in the middle of an engineering internship with the district when schools closed for the year. With her senior year unexpectedly coming to an end, Sydnor decided to see if there was a way she could continue her engineering project.

  • Mississippi River: Lock and Dam 4 Winter Maintenance, Alma, Wisconsin

    Purpose of this project is to assure proper periodic maintenance and subsequent operation of the Lock and Dam 4 system. Lock and Dam 4 is located in Alma, Wisconsin. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the facility in 1935 as part of the overall 9-foot channel navigation project, and it began operation in the same year.
  • Hur, Myo Boon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Far East District architectural section chief, conducts work at her home during the district telework schedule in response to preventing the spread of COVID 19, Apr. 15.

    Far East District employees find innovative solutions to support mission while teleworking

    CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea –Due to the global pandemic, COVID 19, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Far East District (FED) has reduced its manpower to mission essential only reporting to the office daily. In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, many district employees have adopted a telework schedule.
  • The U.S. Army Engineer and Development Center’s Justin Wilkens, a research biologist with the Environmental Laboratory, checks the waypoints using the SubSeaSail’s G6 navigation software on his laptop. The unmanned surface vessel was taken to Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, for a demonstration by Wilkens and a team of ERDC-EL research biologists, including Dr. Guilherme Lotufo and Dr. Mark Ballentine. The USV gathered data indicating the presence of munitions constituents from unexploded underwater ordnance, a problem at sites around the world. Chris Todter, far left, a SubSeaSail partner, and Tom Goddard, far right, SubSeaSail Fabrication and Testing, are also visible in the photo.

    Team successfully tests new unmanned autonomous surface vessel

    Anxious at first about the specter of possible software glitches that would derail the project, the U.S. Army Engineer and Development Center’s Justin Wilkens, a research biologist with the Environmental Laboratory, soon confirmed that everything was functioning well. He and a team of other EL research biologists, including Dr. Guilherme Lotufo and Dr. Mark Ballentine, visited Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, for five days in February to demonstrate a new unmanned autonomous surface vessel, or USV.
  • .

    Social distancing, the MVM mission

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has several recommendations in place to try and stop the spread of this monstrous virus, to include such measures as wearing a face mask when out in public and practicing what has become mandated in many states: social distancing. While social distancing and other precautions are in place for the right reasons, they can unfortunately have a challenging impact on business operations. Especially difficult is when your employees cannot do their job behind a computer. So what do they do?

  • Fort Worth District’s employee USACE Dam Safety Professional of the Year award

    Sarwenaj Ashraf, or Sarvi Ashraf as she is known in the Fort Worth District, has won the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Dam Safety Professional of the year award. Although her home station is in the Fort Worth District, Ashraf is the USACE Dam Safety Program Manager. The Dam Safety Program ensures that the dams deliver their intended benefits while reducing risks to people, property and the environment through continuous assessment, communication and management. USACE dams and levees are a part of America’s landscape and provide critical benefits to the communities around them.
  • Zane Ecklund, a public affairs specialist with the Omaha District, recently graduated from the Defense Information School's public affairs qualification course. (embedded photo: U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Officer Kyle Niemi)

    USACE civilian graduates DINFOS: A peek into his experience there

    Q: Describe your public affairs experience? A: I started working for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a public affairs specialist in August 2018. Prior to working for the Corps, I was a photographer for the Army’s Multimedia Visual Information Directorate working at the Pentagon. Prior to federal service I spent five years as a mass communication specialist in the U.S. Navy. In addition, I have degrees in journalism and professional media. Q: What class did you attend? A: I attended the Department of Defense’s Public Affairs Qualification Course at the Defense Information School on Ft. Meade, Maryland.