Home / Media / News Stories
Results:
Author: Hannah Mitchell
Clear

  • April

    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

    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.

  • 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.

  • March

    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.

  • August

    Constructing Habitat for an Industrious Owl

    For most bird species, the concept of living underground would be considered strange. For the burrowing owl, living anywhere else would be unthinkable.

  • June

    2 men stand in long corridor with strange device, overlooking third man in a rectangular hole in the floor

    Corps employees develop debris removal device for safer fish passage at Little Goose Dam

    WALLA WALLA, WA – Two Corps employees at Little Goose Lock and Dam created a device that removed debris blockages within the dam.

  • November

    Photo of green laser shining at night

    New laser at McNary Dam is the latest technology for deterring birds

    In an effort to discourage birds from snatching up juvenile salmon below McNary Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District has bought a laser.
  • Joel Raplee, of McNary's rigging team and Jared Butler from Portland District USACE.

    Remote Operated Vehicle sent from Portland to do inspection at McNary

    The Columbia River was a deep shade of ocean blue, and the sky was surprisingly clear and sunny for a November afternoon. A perfect day for a dive. On top of McNary dam, on November 4, two men unloaded a large, green remote operated vehicle (ROV) from the back of their trailer. The task for the day was to send the ROV down on the upstream side of the dam to conduct an inspection.