Home / Media / News Stories
Results:
Tag: Walla Walla District
Clear

  • March

    A 3D rendering of miter gates designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.

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

    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.

  • September

    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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • September

    CDT Marsh measures a Salmon in the Adult Fish Facility at Lower Granite Lock and Dam.

    Exploring the USACE Walla Walla District: An Engineering Student’s Journey

    “I’ve always thought that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was all about hydropower. I didn’t think there was too much to it.”

  • June

    Two men, one with clipboard, one with rope tied around a pole.

    Keeping water safety a high priority

    Boating season is upon us, and more people are taking the opportunity for fun and leisure out on the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District knows that the need for vigilance and safety on the water is imperative.

  • 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

    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.
  • 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.”

  • August

    Hololens 2: The future of Engineering and Design

    Virtual reality has become a very real tool in the field of engineering.

  • 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.

  • March

    phto of nav lock with text saying "temporarily closed for scheduled maintenance"

    20-010 Columbia and Snake river navigation locks will close March 7 for annual maintenance

    COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS, Ore. & Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland and Walla Walla districts will close all Corps navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers March 7 at 6 a. m. for regularly scheduled annual inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs.

  • 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.