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Around the Northwestern Division

News Stories and News Releases from the Northwestern Division and the NWD Districts including the Kansas City, Omaha, Portland, Seattle and Walla Walla Districts.

Division - News Releases

Federal water managers take precautions by adjusting water levels behind John Day dam as precipitation mounts

Northwestern Division

12/17/2025

Federal water managers at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will adjust water levels behind John Day Dam (Lake Umatilla), in north-central Oregon, this week to prepare for another round of...

Gavins Point Dam releases reduced to winter release rate

Missouri River Water Management Division

12/4/2025

Reduced releases from the Gavins Point Dam to the winter release rate on began Nov. 23 with the navigation flow support season ending on Dec. 1 at St. Louis. “Releases from Gavins Point Dam are being...

Gavins Point Dam releases to be reduced to winter release rate

Missouri River Water Management Division

11/6/2025

Releases from Gavins Point Dam will be reduced in late November as flow support to navigation ends. Releases are currently 25,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). “We will continue to make releases from...

Virtual Missouri River fall public meeting in-lieu of canceled meetings

Missouri River Water Management Division

10/22/2025

In-person public meetings on Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir system operations, which were scheduled for Monday, Oct. 27; Monday, Nov. 3; and Tuesday, Nov. 4 have been canceled. A virtual meeting...

September runoff above average; Fall public meetings set

Missouri River Water Management Division

10/6/2025

Although overall runoff for September 2025 in the upper Missouri River Basin was above average, runoff in the Fort Peck and Garrison reaches continues to be well-below average. “Beneficial rainfall...

District - News Releases

Corps of Engineers reimagines barracks construction with mass timber material

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

1/6/2026

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District, JBLM Army Garrison, and 1st Special Forces Group leadership joined together to celebrate the Department of War's largest-to-date construction...

Army Corps monitors widespread navigation hazards

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, SEATTLE DISTRICT

12/23/2025

Army Corps monitors widespread navigation hazards caused by the recent accumulation of large woody debris carried into the Puget Sound and along the Washington coast, due to multiple atmospheric...

Army Corps updates communities on record flood recovery, critical infrastructure status during state governor press conference

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/20/2025

Army Corps and Washington State leadership gave updates on their flood response efforts, during a joint press conference, Dec. 20. The press conference came on the heels of both entities' flood fight...

USACE uses strategic safe reservoir drawdowns to protect Green, White River valleys amid winter storm cycles

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Seattle District

12/19/2025

As Western Washington moves through the peak of flood season, Army Corps, Seattle District, water management team provides critical information on the process of "drawdowns" at Howard A. Hanson and...

USACE publishes ﬁnal Dakota Access Pipeline environmental impact statement

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

12/19/2025

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District has published the Final Environmental Impact Statement evaluating Dakota Access, LLC’s request for an easement under the Mineral Leasing Act for the...

USACE delivers materials, offers on-the-ground expertise to numerous threatened communities for flood-damaged levees

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/Seattle District

12/17/2025 UPDATED

Army Corps Emergency Management team continues its flood fight support, providing critical flood-fighting materials and on-the-ground expertise to local and county partners across western Washington,...

Army Corps monitors Lake Pend Oreille elevations for downstream communities

Seattle District

12/17/2025

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle District, Water Management team is monitoring rising Lake Pend Orielle elevations, as a result of the atmospheric river event that hit the region, Dec...

USACE increases flow from Howard A. Hanson Dam following Desimone Levee repairs

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

12/16/2025

Following an emergency repair to the breach at Desimone Levee on Dec. 15, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District (USACE) will resume normal flood water outflows from Howard A. Hanson Dam...

UPDATE: 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...

UPDATE: 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 regulates 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...

Bateman Island Causeway removal moves forward

US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District

12/9/2025

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Bateman Island Causeway removal project will begin Dec. 22, with Dec. 21 being the last day of public land access to the island...

Public crossing at Little Goose Dam closed Dec. 15 - 24

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District

12/9/2025 UPDATED

STARBUCK, Wash. – Public crossing at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Little Goose Lock and Dam will be closed from Dec. 15 - 24 for maintenance...

News Stories from across the Division

Rooted in strength: JBLM barracks tap into Pacific Northwest’s timber legacy for new military construction era

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

1/6/2026

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District, JBLM Army Garrison, and 1st Special Forces Group leadership joined together to celebrate the Department of War's largest-to-date construction...

USACE Managed Record Flood Response Operations Amid Severe Weather

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS/SEATTLE DISTRICT

1/6/2026

A series of powerful atmospheric river events struck western Washington in early December 2025, bringing over 10 inches of rainfall in some areas, leading to catastrophic flooding, landslides and...

Cold War-era rolling pin barracks undergo vital renovation

Kansas City District

12/29/2025

Soldiers marching in uniform, drill sergeants yelling, muddy obstacle courses – these are often the images the words “basic training” evoke. Hollywood and pop culture have helped ingrain the...

Walking the line: USACE team ensures safe terrain for future soldiers

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

12/29/2025

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Military Munition Response Program is working to clear a 416-acre swath of property for the Oregon National Guard at the former Umatilla Army Ammunition Depot that had...

Kanopolis Lake: Go for the water, stay for the land

Kansas City District

12/17/2025

This is a story about a lake. But before you read any further, you should know this won’t be a story about water. Sure, I could tell you Kanopolis Lake has a normal pool surface of 3,460 acres and has...

Omaha District towboats set to power up with new engines for 2026

USACE OMAHA DISTRICT

12/17/2025

Two Missouri River towboats operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, are undergoing major engine overhauls to ensure reliable navigation and river maintenance operations ahead of...

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...

Ellsworth runway reopens, strengthening U.S. long-range strike readiness

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

12/5/2025

Ellsworth Air Force Base marked a major milestone Dec. 3 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of its $129.5 million runway reconstruction project, a critical upgrade that...

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...

Scraping for Safe Passage: Inside the Chittenden Locks’ Annual Barnacle Scraping

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District

11/25/2025

For salmon, migration is already a dangerous, perilous journey. At the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, locally known in Seattle as the Ballard Locks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Seattle...

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...

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

Kansas City District

9/26/2025

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...

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

Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

9/26/2025 UPDATED

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...

Construction on second project under Tribal Partnership Program has begun

USACE OMAHA DISTRICT

9/23/2025

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...

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

USACE OMAHA DISTRICT

9/19/2025

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...

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

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

9/18/2025

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,...

Remote regulatory team provides local answers for rural Idaho

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District

9/16/2025 UPDATED

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...