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Author: Marcy Sanchez
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  • September

    Cabel Patterson, environmental resource specialist with the Idaho Falls Regulatory Division Field Office, Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducts a compliance inspection during a site visit of a completed Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) restoration project at Spring Creek, a direct tributary of the South Fork Snake River, in Bonneville County, Sept. 3. The District’s Regulatory program covers the entire state, operating field offices in Boise, Coeur d’Alene, and Idaho Falls, along with support from headquarters in Walla Walla, Washington. Each year, specialists review about 2,000 permit-related actions, issue or verify more than 600 permits, and complete around 350 jurisdictional determinations. (U.S. Army photo courtesy of Brendan Jones)

    Remote regulatory team provides local answers for rural Idaho

    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.
  • The Jackson Levees are shown, Aug. 21, 2025, just below the Teton Range where more than 10,000 residents, along with homes, businesses, emergency facilities and farmland, are protected annually due to ongoing efforts from the Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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

    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.

  • August

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessing the draft tube bulkheads and potential of an empty turbine bay at Dworshak Dam by flooding the space. This is part of design work for adding a fourth hydropower unit.

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

    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.
  • Charles Barnes, a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District, speaks with members of the Family Farm Alliance during a tour of the Lower Granite Lock and Dam, July 17, 2025. 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.

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

    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.

  • June

    A USACE park ranger truck is parked alongside a road near Lucky Peak Dam.

    USACE crew acts fast aiding visitor during April rollover

    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.
  • A USACE Park Ranger in uniform sits at desk.

    Quick actions by USACE staff help prevent tragedy

    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.

  • May

    Willow Walker, a reservoir regulator, Water Management Section, Walla Walla District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, looks across the landscape above Saint Louis Gulch, a valley, 3,215 feet above sea level, in Clearwater County Idaho, during the Walla Walla District's annual snow flight, April 10. Conducted in collaboration with the Idaho Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, this mission helps engineers with the Water Management Team of the Walla Walla District, assess mountain snowpack—nature’s high-altitude water reserve—crucial for forecasting regional water flow that sustains rivers, farms, and communities.

    Strengthening community resilience through engineering

    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.

  • December

    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).

  • July

    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.