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  • December

    McNary powerhouse

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

    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

    Reviving Boise’s Barber Pool

    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).

  • November

    Ryan Laughery stands in front of the Walla Walla District sign at the District Headquarters building. He is wearing a hard hat.

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

    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.
  • people marching in parade

    USACE Walla Walla District celebrates Veterans Day

    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.

  • October

    Juan Gaytan, Electrical Engineer for the Walla Walla District, stands outside the Walla Walla District building in Walla Walla, Washington, on Oct. 15, 2024. Gaytan is actively engaged in seven civil work projects for the district, serving as the lead electrical designer for two of them.

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

    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.
  • A man in a button-up shirt gives a speech to a small crowd from behind a podium at a local museum.

    McNary turns 70!

    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.

  • September

    team members gathered around a table. One man pointing decisively.

    Chasing the storm: Working with FEMA during Hurricane Beryl

    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.
  • collage of photos of projects made by the walla walla district while partnering with other entities.

    Sharing the load: Partnering to keep people safe

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

  • July

    Eric Hedine looking at electrical panels

    Finding the spark: One Walla Walla native’s drive to become an electrical engineer

    Growing up, Eric Hedine loved science and pictured himself becoming a biologist. However, his plans shifted when he discovered electrical engineering.
  • Walla Walla District Welcomes New Commander

    Walla Walla District Welcomes New Commander

    The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) held a change of command ceremony where Lt. Col. ShaiLin KingSlack relinquished command to Lt. Col. Katie Werback at the Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla, July 12.

  • April

    four people sitting at a table, signing documents

    USACE collaborates with City of Gooding to reduce flood risk, improve safety

    Approximately 40 years ago, when Diane Houser first moved to the City of Gooding, Idaho, she noted deteriorating channel walls along the Little Wood River, a tributary of the Big Wood River in Idaho’s Magic Valley, which cuts through the small city.

  • March

    Gabrielle Marucci at her desk, where she serves the Walla Walla District remotely from Florida.

    Serving the Northwest from afar

    Every day, Gabrielle Marucci sits down at her desk and logs into her computer, checking her email and meeting schedule. Her desk sits next to a window and, outside, one might expect to see scenery indicative of the Pacific Northwest. Marucci, after all, works for the Walla Walla District, located in the state of Washington.
  • Lt. Col. KingSlack speaking at Sunridge Middle School.

    What a leader looks like

    “What does being a leader mean to you?” This was a question posed by Lt. Col. ShaiLin KingSlack, Commander of the Walla Walla District, when she spoke to tribal students at schools in Pendleton, Oregon.

  • August

    photos of lower granite during construction and present day overlaid with eachother

    The end of a long journey: a history of Lower Granite Lock and Dam

    It was early in the morning and a steam-powered paddleboat made its way up the lower Snake River, trimmed with colored flags. The date was June 19, 1975, and the mood was festive. The vessel was heading for Lower Granite Lock and Dam, whose pool had been raised just four months prior.
  • These staircases allow access to Lucky Peak’s piezometers, an essential component to dam safety at Lucky Peak Dam. A piezometer is a geotechnical instrument that measures changes of water level or water pressure beneath the surface. There are 25 piezometers specifically arranged at Lucky Peak Dam to gather risk assessment data for engineers. The piezometers extend to different lengths beneath the surface to measure water depth at specific locations.

    Piezometers: An essential component to dam safety

    Congress has invested $665,000 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to install new prefabricated staircases for the safety of maintenance workers who use the staircases to inspect the condition of Luck Peak Dam.

  • July

    Inside Ice Harbor Lock and Dam's Powerhouse in which Units 1-3 will be replaced with improved fish passaged turbines.

    USACE Plans Fish Survival Testing this Fall on the Second Improved Fish Passage Turbine

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has started the installation process in Unit 1 for another adjustable blade turbine designed for improved fish passage. The Corps has been working diligently to decrease fish injury and improve survival rates through turbines designed for improved fish passage at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam.
  • Dworshak Dam changed many times during its design. The original plans in 1948 described that it would be 370 feet tall. Later plans increased the height to 570 feet, then 630 feet. When Dworshak Dam was constructed, its final height was 717 feet tall.

    Larger than life: A history of Dworshak Dam

    In May 1948, floodwaters on the Columbia River overtopped the cofferdam where construction was underway on McNary Lock and Dam. This flood, one of the largest on record, was one of many documented in the region since the mid-1880s. The propensity for flooding in the Northwest sparked much discussion about regional flood control.

  • June

    Little Goose was completed in 1970, though additional work would be done over the next several years. The most notable of these additions was the placement of three more turbine units, filling out the powerhouse. These units were completed in 1978. Little Goose is now 53 years old.

    Waiting in the wings: A history of Little Goose Lock and Dam

    By 1962, Ice Harbor Lock and Dam had been built and construction of the second lower Snake River dam, Lower Monumental, was being passed to the US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District. The third dam in the queue was right on the heels of Lower Monumental, but construction could not begin until the details of its downstream neighbor were determined.

  • May

    The construction of Lower Monumental Lock and Dam allowed for the development of an isolated region. Today, Lower Monumental allows convenient river crossing, as well as shoreline recreational opportunities. Boating is one of the primary activities enjoyed by visitors to the Lower Monumental Project. USACE parks along Lake West include six boat ramps, as well as multiple sites for picnicking and hiking. More than 6,900 acres of the project lands are open to public hunting.

    'We’ll cross that bridge…': A history of Lower Monumental Lock and Dam

    Lower Monumental Lock and Dam sits on a remote stretch of the Snake River, in a landscape of wheat fields and rolling hills. The only town within a 20-minute drive is Kahlotus, Washington, six miles north, with a population of less than 200. The only major road is State Highway 261, which crosses the river at Lyons Ferry, 18 miles upriver.

  • April

    computer-generated imagery of the river bottom. first image shows riverbed before dredging. Second image shows riverbed after dredging.

    First Bipartisan Infrastructure Law project is a story of success for the Walla Walla District

    The Walla Walla District recently completed dredging work at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers near Lewiston, Idaho and downstream of Ice Harbor Dam. This is the first project the district has completed using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.