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  • 15-073 Lower Granite open for vehicle crossings on Veterans Day; Travelers should plan alternate routes across river at ‘LoMo’ and Little Goose dams

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – If your upcoming Veterans Day weekend plans include a road trip to visit family and friends on the opposite side of the lower Snake River, you may want to keep in mind that most U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams are closed to cross-dam public vehicle traffic on federal holidays, unless otherwise announced.

  • 15-072 McNary navigation lock to temporarily close Nov. 3

    UMATILLA, Ore. – McNary Dam’s navigation lock will be temporarily out of service Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. to allow inspection and measurement of the lock’s downstream and upstream gates brake shoes for future replacement, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation officials at the Walla Walla District.

  • 15-071 Corps hosts ‘Industry Day’ in Walla Walla

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Walla Walla District hosted more than 100 business owners here for the Corps’ “Industry Day” on Friday, Oct. 23. The event was open to those interested in learning about tools needed to do business with the Corps, upcoming contract opportunities, competing for contracts, or showcasing capabilities to Corps personnel.

  • 15-070 Dworshak Dam discharge flows to fluctuate Thursday, Oct. 22

    AHSAHKA, Idaho – Water discharge from Dworshak Dam near Orofino, Idaho, will temporarily fluctuate on Thursday, Oct. 22, from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff performs a Unit 2 test. Dworshak flows will increase and decrease between 1,500 cfs (cubic feet per second) and 2,800 cfs, causing the elevation stage in the Clearwater River to fluctuate no more than 1-foot per hour. Minimum operation discharge of 1,500 cfs will resume at about 5 p.m. Corps officials advise boaters, anglers and other people using waterways both in Dworshak Reservoir and below the dam on the Clearwater River to be alert to changes in water elevation and volume of flow.

  • 15-069 Snake River Dams provide outstanding value to the Nation

    Statement by Lt. Col. Tim Vail, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District WALLA WALLA Washington – We’ve heard a lot of discussion about the Corps’ four dams on the lower Snake River. I’d like to take a few minutes and tell you why they provide outstanding value to the Nation. The four lower Snake River dams provide a great return on investment. These dams cost $62 million per year to operate, an investment that generates more than $200 million per year of clean, renewable electricity, enough to power 675,000 residences. This investment also provides a marine transportation corridor that helps move 3.5 million tons of cargo, worth $1.5 billion a year, to regional markets, which improves the region's economic competitiveness. And this investment provides recreation facilities that host 2.8 million visitors per year. These four dams also benefit the environment by allowing us to avoid the 7,300 kilotons of carbon dioxide pollution that a coal-fired power plant would emit to generate the same amount of electrical power.

  • 15-068 Levee maintenance to require temporary trail closures

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The gravel trail on the south side of the federally managed section of the Mill Creek Levee System will be temporarily closed to all visitors starting Monday, Oct. 5, to accommodate levee-maintenance activities, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials announced today.

  • 15-067 Corps seeks public comments on Mill Creek Project draft Master Plan update

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District (Corps) invites public comments on the draft Mill Creek Project Master Plan (MP), draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment (EA). Comments are due no later than Oct. 25.

  • 15-066 Construction work to temporarily close McNary Dam’s Oregon Boat Ramp Sept. 28-29

    UMATILLA, Ore. – Public access to the Oregon Boat Ramp will be closed Sept. 28-29 to accommodate construction activities in the parking lot, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at McNary Lock and Dam.

  • 15-065 ‘On-request’ lockage service begins Sept. 16 for boaters on Snake, Columbia rivers

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 16, recreational boaters can lock past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers almost any time during daylight hours, navigation officials with the Corps’ Walla Walla District announced.

  • 15-064 Corps revises Mill Creek levee maintenance FONSI to add responses to public comments

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The Walla Walla District today revised the Mill Creek levee maintenance plan’s final Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to address a late-Wednesday discovery of an email containing a comment letter.