Walla Walla District News

Electrical system upgrades at Dworshak hatchery bolster fish survival

Elijah Wittum — Wed, 27 May 2026 20:03:00 GMT

AHSAHKA, Idaho – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District is completing significant upgrades to the electrical distribution system at Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, addressing aging infrastructure and enhancing safety and operational reliability.

Walla Walla District Engineers among those recognized for innovative digital design of major navigation system

Elijah Wittum — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 18:57:00 GMT

When a barge passes through a navigation lock along the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, few people think about the massive steel gates that quietly make the process possible. Behind those gates is a team of engineers and technical specialists from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including experts from the Walla Walla District, using advanced digital modeling tools to design the next generation of infrastructure that keeps commerce moving along the nation’s inland waterways. Recently, the team’s work was recognized in the agency’s 2025 national awards program. Engineers and technicians supporting the project received the Computer-Aided Design/ Building Information Modeling Team Award of Excellence for their innovative design work supporting the navigation system. Personnel from the Walla Walla, Philadelphia, Mobile, Louisville, Little Rock, Tulsa and Rock Island districts collaborated to design replacement miter gates for 18 locks and dams on the navigation system.

Remote regulatory team provides local answers for rural Idaho

Marcy Sanchez — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 23:16:00 GMT

In a corner of the Idaho Department of Water Resources office at Idaho Falls, a remote regulatory team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, guide Idahoans through the complexities of land management on waterways.

USACE, Teton County partnership shields $1 billion in property from floods

Marcy Sanchez — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:46:00 GMT

Along the Snake River, the sound of heavy equipment echoes off the Teton and the Gros Ventre mountains as crews place fresh riprap along the Jackson Levees. For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District, it is the latest effort in more than a decade-long undertaking to protect lives and property in Wyoming, part of USACE’s broader national mission to safeguard communities against flooding.

Walla Walla District-led health initiative scales across USACE to strengthen Workforce readiness

Glenn Joshua — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 18:32:11 GMT

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District is emphasizing a proactive approach toward workforce readiness by making medical surveillance a key component of its occupational health strategy.

Dworshak’s “Skeleton Bay” flooded in key step toward regional energy growth

Marcy Sanchez — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 20:44:00 GMT

On the banks of the North Fork Clearwater River, a new chapter is being written for one of the Pacific Northwest’s most important hydropower resources. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District, in partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has taken a key step toward expanding the Dworshak Dam powerhouse with a fourth generating unit.

Lower Granite Lock and Dam marks 50 years on the Snake River

Marcy Sanchez — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 18:03:00 GMT

On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, celebrated the 3,200-feet-long Lower Granite Lock and Dam’s 50 years of service to the Pacific Northwest along with the generations of people who made it possible. Lower Granite Lock and Dam, located on the Snake River in southeastern Washington, includes a dam, navigation lock, powerhouse, fish ladder, and associated facilities. The project provides hydropower, navigation, flood risk management, fish and wildlife habitat, recreation, and incidental irrigation. The dam spans approximately 3,200 feet and has an effective height of 100 feet. It is a concrete gravity structure with an earthfill right abutment embankment.

Washington native finds calling as USACE park ranger

Glenn M. Joshua — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 21:56:00 GMT

Kye Carpenter’s love for the outdoors began on the quiet banks of Washington’s rivers, fishing alongside his grandparents near Pasco. This year, as the nation celebrates National Park and Recreation Month, Carpenter is also being recognized on World Ranger Day, June 31, for his exemplary service as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Park Ranger with the Walla Walla District.

USACE crew acts fast aiding visitor during April rollover

Marcy Sanchez — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:15:00 GMT

On April 23, a serious vehicle rollover near Lucky Peak Dam, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District, tested the resolve and readiness of project staff, also revealing a team united by training, trust, and the will to help.

Quick actions by USACE staff help prevent tragedy

Marcy Sanchez — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 19:58:00 GMT

A potentially tragic situation at Lucky Peak Dam was narrowly avoided thanks to the swift actions, situational awareness, and deep commitment of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District staff and Ada County law enforcement.

Strengthening community resilience through engineering

Marcy Sanchez — Mon, 05 May 2025 20:04:00 GMT

In spring 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District Water Management team conducted its annual snow flight across southeastern Washington, Oregon, and Idaho—using aerial surveys and ground sampling to assess mountain snowpack’s depth, density, and melt stage. These measurements underpin precise runoff forecasts months in advance, guiding reservoir refill schedules, flood risk mitigation, hydropower release timing, and environmental flow requirements for the Columbia River Basin. The resultant forecasts support farmers’ irrigation planning, municipal and industrial water supply management, endangered fish flow scheduling, and recreational water‑level stability—strengthening regional resilience and community well‑being.

New innovation earns Ice Harbor Lock and Dam recognition

Matthew R. Cole — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:26:00 GMT

Ice Harbor Lock and Dam has been honored as the Infrastructure Project of the Year by the American Shotcrete Association, due to a groundbreaking initiative to enhance hydroelectric efficiency and improve fish survival.

Don’t bet on the weather: The role hydropower plays in balancing the grid during extreme circumstances

Hannah Mitchell — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:10:34 GMT

The power grid produces as it is consumed. Energy production rises and falls in tandem with human activity, allowing electricity to flow continuously into homes and businesses . However, this flow can be interrupted.

Reviving Boise’s Barber Pool

Marcy Sanchez — Tue, 10 Dec 2024 22:33:35 GMT

Efforts to restore the Barber Pool Conservation Area in Boise, Idaho, are discussed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District personnel during a public scoping meeting held at Boise, Nov. 20, 2024. The initiative aims to rejuvenate the area’s ecosystems while enhancing public awareness and education. The meeting invited the public to hear more about the scope of the feasibility study and proposed efforts for restoration of the BPCA under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP).

Reinventing the Ladder: How a local engineer is making waves throughout the Division

Joshua Glenn — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 20:31:00 GMT

Born and raised only 30 miles away from the Walla Walla District headquarters, a young Dayton native never knew much about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It wasn’t until after college that Ryan Laughery, hydraulics engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, would come to realize the world of opportunities awaiting him one town over.

USACE Walla Walla District celebrates Veterans Day

Joshua Glenn — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:00:00 GMT

World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, outside the town of Versailles, France. Seven months prior, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, went into effect between the Allied nations and Germany on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Today, and every Nov. 11, we celebrate this armistice, the end of World War I and all the brave men and women who vowed to protect our country.

“I’ll keep trying;" A journey from Mexico to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Noe Gonzalez — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 20:31:00 GMT

It started in 1979 on the dirt streets of Zacatecas, Mexico, where a young boy named Juan Gaytan dreamed of a better life in the United States.

McNary turns 70!

Joshua Glenn — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 22:11:27 GMT

As the population grew in the Pacific Northwest, communities formed around the Columbia and Snake rivers. Back then, the currents were temperamental and hard to navigate. However, there was a vision to create a highway, one that would allow barges to carry cargo from the Pacific Ocean to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, 465 miles inland.

Chasing the storm: Working with FEMA during Hurricane Beryl

Hannah Mitchell — Fri, 13 Sep 2024 18:37:12 GMT

This summer, the record-breaking Hurricane Beryl entered the Caribbean Sea as a Category 5 hurricane before weakening to a Category 1 hurricane and hitting the Texas coast, July 8. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District Temporary Emergency Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) was on the ground supporting efforts to get the lights back on for over 2.7 million who lost power in the Houston area.

Sharing the load: Partnering to keep people safe

Hannah Mitchell — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 20:44:33 GMT

To prevent flooding in a desert, sometimes you must build a dam without a river.