News from Around the Northwestern Division

Missouri River Navigation Structure repairs continue with Cora Island flow control structures after severe damage from 2019 Flood

By Lawrence Brooks IV, Public Affairs Specialist Kansas City District Published Dec. 11, 2025
Missouri River navigation is a critical mission of the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support both the American public and regional commerce. That’s why a massive construction project on the Missouri River was recently completed to repair and improve navigation support, while protecting a valuable ecosystem managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
District employee charts final course toward master boat pilot license

By Delanie Stafford USACE OMAHA DISTRICT Published Dec. 8, 2025
Larry Morgan Jr. has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District since 2000. He has served at the Missouri River Project Office and on the Missouri River most of his career as a deckhand, equipment operator and maintenance supervisor. One title that has eluded him is master towboat pilot. Inspired by an early mentor, and with the help of an accomplished towboat pilot, that will soon change, as he nears completion of an unrestricted master of towing vessel license.
Ad astra per aspera: Kansas a global leader in solving sediment challenges

By Christine E. Reinhardt, Public Affairs Specialist Kansas City District Published Dec. 4, 2025
The year was 1952. The world’s first rock and roll concert was held in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on TV, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president and Elizabeth II was proclaimed Queen of England. Post-WWII America was rife with invention and innovation. New technologies and scientific advances included development of the Polio vaccine, the first commercial computer and the first airbag for cars. In the heart of America, however, communities were recovering from devastating flooding from the previous year. The Great Flood of 1951 destroyed thousands of homes, farms and businesses in the Kansas River Basin, causing over $725 million of damage. Despite the destruction it caused, the historic flood set in motion the final piece needed for the construction of one of Kansas’s most vital water resources – Tuttle Creek Dam and Reservoir.
Trot lines, and trammel nets and trawls, oh my! Trying to catch the elusive age-one pallid sturgeon

By Christine E. Reinhardt, Public Affairs Specialist Kansas City District Published Dec. 3, 2025
It’s said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To some, a long-snouted, murky white, boneless bottom feeder native to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers – known as the pallid sturgeon – might not sound very beautiful. To others, the endangered fish is an essential part of the river ecosystem – making it a beautiful creature worth saving. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, pallid sturgeon can live up to 40 years and weigh upwards of 100 pounds. Once harvested commercially, the pallid sturgeon is now listed as endangered, in part due to alterations to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. However, efforts aimed at restoring the population like captive breeding, juvenile stocking and habitat restoration, have made meaningful progress over the past few decades. Still, much remains to be learned, and continued research is essential to fully recover this ancient species.
Hydropower helps feed Thanksgiving feasts

By Tom Conning Northwestern Division Published Nov. 24, 2025
This Thursday, people across the Pacific Northwest will use ovens to bake turkeys, air fryers to crisp vegetables, mixers to fluff mashed potatoes and OLED televisions to gawk at parades and sportsball. Likely, many people are grateful for the conveniences that make Thanksgiving preparations and entertainment relatively easy and enjoyable. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers humbly recommends giving appreciation for consistent, affordable and easily dispatchable hydropower (of course, USACE would suggest that).
Conservation programs improve outlook of threatened piping plover

By Delanie Stafford USACE OMAHA DISTRICT Published Nov. 14, 2025
The Missouri River Recovery Program’s Emergent Sandbar Habitat Program and Tern and Plover Monitoring Program, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District’s Threatened and Endangered Species Section, continues to improve habitat and reproductive outcomes for the threatened Northern Great Plains piping plover and formerly endangered interior least tern.
Blue-sky day training helps responders prepare for future flood events

By Christine E. Reinhardt, Public Affairs Specialist Kansas City District Published Sept. 26, 2025
Natural disasters don’t care about chain of command or what roles and responsibilities lie with which local, state or federal government agency. The destruction caused by natural disasters can happen anytime and anywhere. So, having coordinated preparedness plans at all levels of government is vital for effective response when these events inevitably occur. On a sunny, temperate day in middle Missouri, dozens of emergency management personnel convened for a two-day event aimed at doing just this – discussing policy, operations, recovery and hands-on training for a variety of disaster scenarios. The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency hosted a regional coordinator meeting on Sept. 23 and 24 in Jefferson City, Missouri, during National Preparedness Month.
Mentorship made simple: New app helps connect employees across Kansas City District

By Lawrence Brooks IV Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Published Sept. 26, 2025
When thinking about professional development within the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Leadership Development Program is the gold standard. That’s why fiscal year 2024 LDP graduate, security specialist Jason Smith, took his year two LDP project to the next level — developing an internal mentorship application that focuses on leveraging the principles he and other district senior leadership learned in LDP and throughout their careers in federal service.
Construction on second project under Tribal Partnership Program has begun

By Delanie Stafford USACE OMAHA DISTRICT Published Sept. 23, 2025
Construction on a second U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District project under the Tribal Partnership Program has begun. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe North Ecosystem Restoration Project will help mitigate shoreline erosion along Lake Sharpe in Lower Brule, South Dakota. It is being funded through a cost-sharing agreement between USACE and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, or LBST, under program requirements.
Vietnam veterans of Bravo Company receive long-overdue Bronze Star Medals

By Andrew Nystrom USACE OMAHA DISTRICT Published Sept. 19, 2025
More than half a century after their service in the jungles of Vietnam, 14 veterans of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, were formally presented Bronze Star Medals during a ceremony Sept. 18, 2025, at American Legion Post 1 in Omaha.
USACE Omaha District continues modernization mission at U.S. Air Force Academy

By Lisa Crawford U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District Published Sept. 18, 2025
As the U.S. Air Force celebrates its 78th birthday this year on Sept. 18, 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, continues to play a pivotal role in supporting modernization efforts, including expanding facilities at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Latest News Releases

USACE is Working with King County Officials to Support HESCO Breach

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/16/2025

King County officials reported a HESCO breach in Pacific, Washington to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District at approximately 4 a.m. on Dec. 16...

USACE is working with King County officials to support Desimone Levee breach

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/15/2025

King County officials reported a breach at the Desimone Levee in Tukwila, Washington, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District at approximately noon Dec. 15...

Army Corps regulates water flows to protect downstream communities on the White and Green River Basins

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/14/2025

Army Corps' Water Management will reduce outflows from Howard A. Hanson Dam, before the next atmospheric river hits western Washington, Dec. 14-16. Mud Mountain Dam will also reduce outflows within...

Army Corps Regulates Peak Flow to Mitigate Extensive Flooding in Skagit County

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/13/2025

Army Corps is regulating peak flow in the Skagit Basin, to manage the impacts of heavy rainfall and mitigate potential flooding in the region...

Army Corps releases water from Howard A. Hanson Dam and Mud Mountain Dam Reservoirs, prepares for predicted rain events

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/13/2025

Peak rainfall from recent atmospheric rivers in the Green and White River basins has passed, however, high flow conditions will continue for many days...

Army Corps monitors conditions at Eastside operating projects

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/13/2025

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District, Water Management is monitoring conditions at its eastside operating projects, in response to multiple atmospheric rivers and heavy precipitation...

Public comment period extended, additional public info session added for Detroit Reservoir deep drawdown, potential end to Willamette Valley hydropower

Portland District

12/11/2025

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Portland District is extending the public comment period by 15 days and adding an in-person information session in Stayton, Ore., for a draft study that...

USACE battles historic flooding, manages five dams to protect communities

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/10/2025

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water managers are conducting 24-hour operations for five dams to reduce downstream flood risk as a series of powerful, back-to-back atmospheric rivers deliver...

UPDATE: Army Corps continues flood fight support in western Washington

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/10/2025

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues its flood fight support across western Washington, with teams deployed to the Skagit, Snohomish and White River basins, monitoring impacts from high flows, and...

Dworshak Dam announces seasonal recreation closures

US Army Corps Engineers, Walla Walla District

12/10/2025

AHSAHKA, Idaho – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Dworshak Dam announced seasonal closures of several recreation areas...

Feature Stories

Missouri River Navigation Structure repairs continue with Cora Island flow control structures after severe damage from 2019 Flood

Kansas City District

12/11/2025

Missouri River navigation is a critical mission of the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support both the American public and regional commerce. That’s why a massive construction...

District employee charts final course toward master boat pilot license

USACE OMAHA DISTRICT

12/8/2025

Larry Morgan Jr. has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District since 2000. He has served at the Missouri River Project Office and on the Missouri River most of his career as a...

Ad astra per aspera: Kansas a global leader in solving sediment challenges

Kansas City District

12/4/2025

The year was 1952. The world’s first rock and roll concert was held in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Potato Head was the first toy advertised on TV, Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected president and Elizabeth II...

Trot lines, and trammel nets and trawls, oh my! Trying to catch the elusive age-one pallid sturgeon

Kansas City District

12/3/2025

It’s said beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To some, a long-snouted, murky white, boneless bottom feeder native to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers – known as the pallid sturgeon – might not...

Hydropower helps feed Thanksgiving feasts

Northwestern Division

11/24/2025

This Thursday, people across the Pacific Northwest will use ovens to bake turkeys, air fryers to crisp vegetables, mixers to fluff mashed potatoes and OLED televisions to gawk at parades and...

Conservation programs improve outlook of threatened piping plover

USACE OMAHA DISTRICT

11/14/2025

The Missouri River Recovery Program’s Emergent Sandbar Habitat Program and Tern and Plover Monitoring Program, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District’s Threatened and Endangered...

News from Around the Northwestern Division

Missouri River Navigation Structure repairs continue with Cora Island flow control structures after severe damage from 2019 Flood

District employee charts final course toward master boat pilot license

Ad astra per aspera: Kansas a global leader in solving sediment challenges

Trot lines, and trammel nets and trawls, oh my! Trying to catch the elusive age-one pallid sturgeon

Hydropower helps feed Thanksgiving feasts

Conservation programs improve outlook of threatened piping plover

Blue-sky day training helps responders prepare for future flood events

Mentorship made simple: New app helps connect employees across Kansas City District

Construction on second project under Tribal Partnership Program has begun

Vietnam veterans of Bravo Company receive long-overdue Bronze Star Medals

USACE Omaha District continues modernization mission at U.S. Air Force Academy

Top Pages

Related External Links

Latest News Releases

USACE is Working with King County Officials to Support HESCO Breach

USACE is working with King County officials to support Desimone Levee breach

Army Corps regulates water flows to protect downstream communities on the White and Green River Basins

Army Corps Regulates Peak Flow to Mitigate Extensive Flooding in Skagit County

Army Corps releases water from Howard A. Hanson Dam and Mud Mountain Dam Reservoirs, prepares for predicted rain events

Army Corps monitors conditions at Eastside operating projects

Public comment period extended, additional public info session added for Detroit Reservoir deep drawdown, potential end to Willamette Valley hydropower

USACE battles historic flooding, manages five dams to protect communities

UPDATE: Army Corps continues flood fight support in western Washington

Dworshak Dam announces seasonal recreation closures

Feature Stories

Missouri River Navigation Structure repairs continue with Cora Island flow control structures after severe damage from 2019 Flood

District employee charts final course toward master boat pilot license

Ad astra per aspera: Kansas a global leader in solving sediment challenges

Trot lines, and trammel nets and trawls, oh my! Trying to catch the elusive age-one pallid sturgeon

Hydropower helps feed Thanksgiving feasts

Conservation programs improve outlook of threatened piping plover