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  • April

    In the wild, fertilized eggs would lay in rocky streambeds until they hatched. At the hatchery, eggs and milt are collected from returning adult salmonids and the fertilized eggs are placed in incubation trays and kept in water from the Dworshak reservoir. The hatchery regulates the temperature and flow of water in the trays to keep the eggs healthy and growing at an appropriate rate.

    4 million mouths to feed

    Just below Dworshak Dam, on the shore of the Clearwater River, lies the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery (DNFH). The DNFH raises millions of salmon and steelhead smolts every year to be released into the river and make their way down to the ocean.
  • Burbank, WA. Ice Harbor Dam personnel installed an advanced technology turbine, the first of its kind, on June 8, 2018. This fixed blade turbine runner was designed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel and Voith for power efficiency and to optimize the safety of fish navigating through Snake River dams.

    Modernizing hydropower on the Snake River

    Hydropower, a clean, renewable and reliable energy source, just became safer for fish and more efficient at generating electricity, thanks to the new turbines at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Snake River in southeast Washington.

  • February

    This edition highlights fostering sustainability as a way of life, in support of Environmental Operating Principle #1.

    The Corps Environment – February 2022 issue now available

    The February 2022 edition of The Corps Environment is now available! This edition highlights fostering sustainability as a way of life, in support of Environmental Operating Principle #1and features initiatives from across the Army environmental community that are helping to shape a sustainable environment for current and future generations.
  • NOAA employees at the adult fish facility at Lower Granite, processing adult salmon who are on their way up river.

    There and Back Again: A Salmon’s Tale in the Pacific Northwest

    Some fish live in freshwater streams and lakes. Other fish live in the ocean, in saltwater. Then there are salmon who do both. Salmon are anadromous, meaning they live part of their lives in freshwater and part in saltwater.

  • January

    Levee repair work after the February 2020 flood event.

    Walla Walla County and Corps partner to increase Mill Creek Channel’s safety

    In October 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, in partnership with the non-federal sponsor, Walla Walla County, began a General Investigation (GI) study on the Mill Creek Flood Control Project.

  • June

    Shirley and John Houser, former camp host volunteers at Swallows Park in Clarkston, sitting in a utility vehicle.

    Essential to the Mission

    Volunteers are an invaluable part of the Corps of Engineers team. The Walla Walla District Corps of Engineers is responsible for thousands of acres of land in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Proper management of those lands would not be possible without the volunteers who lend their time and abilities to the mission.
  • Two men, one with clipboard, one with rope tied around a pole.

    Keeping water safety a high priority

    Boating season is upon us, and more people are taking the opportunity for fun and leisure out on the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District knows that the need for vigilance and safety on the water is imperative.

  • May

    For Jake Cordtz, it was never a question. The best place to work was the outside, and it was only a matter of time before he became a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    From Park Aide to Park Ranger

    For Jake Cordtz, it was never a question. The best place to work was the outside, and it was only a matter of time before he became a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • This edition highlights protecting and preserving the environment, in support of Environmental Operating Principle #4.

    The Corps Environment - May 2021 issue now available

    The May 2021 edition of The Corps Environment is now available! This edition highlights protecting and preserving the environment, in support of Environmental Operating Principle #4. Content includes commentary from Col. Alicia Masson, Commander of U.S. Army Environmental Command, and highlights initiatives across the Army environmental community.
  • As part of an U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)-University project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District Biologist Damian Walter is netting flowering rush plants for a feeding study at the ERDC Environmental Laboratory’s greenhouse on the Vicksburg, Mississippi, installation. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Dr. Nathan Harms)

    Aquatic Botany journal features biologist Damian Walter’s ERDC-U project

    U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory Research Biologist Dr. Nathan Harms co-authored a journal article as one of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District Wildlife Biologist Damien Walter’s 2019 ERDC University mentors.

  • March

    Two US Army Corps of Engineers employees inspect a flowering rush infestation from a boat.

    Corps of Engineers partners with states in fight against invasive aquatic plants

    Butomus umbellatus may conjure up images of a hippopotamus belly, but in reality, it is flowering rush, an aquatic invasive plant species that poses a grave threat to the Columbia River Basin’s aquatic ecosystems.
  • Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger, commander of the Corps’ Northwestern Division, and Lt. Col. Richard Childers, commander of the Walla Walla District, toured the Lucky Peak Dam Project, in Boise, Idaho, Thursday March 4.The tour was a way for district staff to discuss seasonal operating procedures during the pandemic.

    Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger speaks to Northwestern Division priorities during trip to Lucky Peak

    Brig. Gen. D. Peter Helmlinger, commander of the Corps’ Northwestern Division, came to Boise recently, to meet with Congressional staff, public officials and stakeholders.
  • Operations Project Manager Jeannette Wilson speaking at the 50th anniversary ceremony for Lower Monumental Lock and Dam in 2019.

    Finding a place at the Corps

    Finding the perfect career isn’t easy, but for Jeannette Wilson, becoming the operations project manager (OPM) at Lower Monumental Lock and Dam was like finding gold at the end of the rainbow.

  • February

    Summer Dellamater -- Power Plant Operator at Lower Monumental Lock and Dam

    Defining Hydropower: a glimpse into the world of a power plant operator

    Power plant operators are an integral to running a dam. But what does it mean to be an operator? To gain a better understanding of the job, we interviewed three power plant operators who work at dams in the Walla Walla District: Telzey Bartley, Billie Guille and Summer Dellamater.
  • diver submerged

    Divers perform inspection of Ice Harbor’s Removable Spillway Weir

    For the Corps of Engineers, the onset of colder weather signals the beginning of dive season. While perhaps not an official season, most dive work is scheduled between November and March, when salmon runs are at their lowest. On November 17, a team of divers suited up at Ice Harbor Dam to perform the required 3-year inspection of the Removable Spillway Weir.
  • Emily Klinefelter, Park Ranger with Lower Granite Natural Resource Office and Duke the German Shepherd.

    ‘He is focus and he’s freedom;’

    “I am 10th generation to serve,” Emily Klinefelter, Park Ranger with Lower Granite Natural Resource Office, said. “My grandmother filled my head with dreams about being a sailor. She served in WWII teaching young Americans and Russians how to use the anti-aircraft guns.”
  • Hurricane Maria devasted the agriculture and livestock industry on the island making it one of the costliest storms to hit the islandof Puerto Rico. An arial shot of the island taken on Oct. 5, 2017.

    Walla Walla District cost engineers provide expertise and support to FEMA and other federal agencies

    Natural disasters like floods and hurricanes can severely damage homes, businesses and infrastructure. Those who suffer damages in natural disasters can apply to FEMA for financial assistance. When this happens, a cost estimate is needed to determine how much money it would take to either repair or replace the structure in question.

  • January

    Caldwell Idaho 2017 flood model. Terrain Background

    Corps partners with Flood Control District 10 to create predictive model to manage the Boise River

    The Corps is using the latest technology to develop tools that communities in Idaho can use to predict flooding. The technology: Two-dimensional modelling.

  • November

    shrub-steppe habitat

    Improving Biodiversity in the Habitat Management Units

    Habitat Management Units, or HMUs, are different from other parks. While parks are maintained to provide recreational opportunities, HMUs are areas of land dedicated to environmental stewardship.

  • October

    Brad Trumbo, fish and wildlife biologist for the Walla Walla District, trimming coyote willow whips in the stilling basin of the Mill Creek Diversion Dam in Walla Walla.

    Corps repurposes native willow for habitat improvement

    In an effort to stabilize shorelines, protect cultural sites and improve habitat for fish and wildlife, Corps engineers, biologists and environmental scientists have repurposed native coyote willow found below the Mill Creek Diversion Dam at Rooks Park in Walla Walla.