Home / Media / News Stories

  • July

    Thurmond Lake remains open and safe after sewage spill; only small area impacted

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Swim beaches, boat ramps, campgrounds and other recreation areas at Thurmond Lake remain open and safe today after a sewage spill in McCormick County contaminated a small area of water and shoreline Monday.

  • Thurmond Lake officials seek volunteers for National Public Lands Day 2018

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeks individual and group volunteers for the annual Thurmond Lake cleanup campaign on National Public Lands Day, Sept. 29, 2018.

  • June

    Corps of Engineers to test spillway gates at Richard B. Russell Dam

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – On June 26 the Corps of Engineers will conduct a required test of the spillway gates at Richard B. Russell Dam on the upper Savannah River. The test will ensure the gates work properly and can be activated in the event of an emergency to protect the dam plus people and property downstream.

  • Corps of Engineers to hold public info open house on fish passage at the lock & dam

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Local residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the status of the analysis of the fish passage construction at the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. The informational open house will be June 26, led by officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District.

  • Corps of Engineers to hold informational workshop on former Pontiac Bombing Range in Richland County, S.C.

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, will answer questions from residents living on the former Pontiac Bombing Range in eastern Richland County, during a public meeting June 26. The Corps will hold the meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Spring Valley High School Cafeteria, 120 Sparkleberry Lane, in Columbia.

  • Corps of Engineers to test spillway gates at Hartwell Dam

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – On June 19 the Corps of Engineers will conduct a required test of the spillway gates at Hartwell Dam on the upper Savannah River. The test will ensure the gates work properly and can be activated in the event of an emergency to protect the dam plus people and property downstream.

  • New commander set to take over Savannah District, Corps of Engineers

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Col. Daniel H. Hibner will take command of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, from Col. Marvin L. Griffin, in a formal ceremony at 10 a.m., June 8.

  • May

    Nick Ruff, a power plant electrician for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, assists in performing an inspection on one of the concrete piers of the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam on May 13, 2013. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Scott Hyatt)

    Corps launches lock and dam fish passage webpage

    The Corps of Engineers Savannah District launched a webpage today on the future of the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam, and the process to get there. The page includes information on the status of the old lock and dam, its connection to the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and its requirement to mitigate for endangered fish.

  • Thurmond Lake officials release new shoreline management plan

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Officials from the J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake Project at Clarks Hill recently released the latest Shoreline Management Plan for the reservoir. The plan went into effect May 1.

  • April

    Corps of Engineers to expand parking at Broyles Recreation Area on Lake Hartwell

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hartwell Lake Project Office will begin construction of an additional parking area at Broyles Recreation Area in Anderson County, South Carolina, beginning the week of April 30, with completion anticipated by July 1. The area will remain open for public use during the duration of the project.
  • Georgia Tech grad Tracy Hendren named to senior position with the Army Corps of Engineers in Savannah. Will oversee engineering of massive $973 million deepening of Savannah’s harbor.

    Georgia Tech grad heads Engineering Division of Corps of Engineers district

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – A Georgia Tech graduate has been named to lead the Engineering Division of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Tracy Hendren (BS 1994, MS 2006) assumed responsibility for planning, directing, coordinating and executing the engineering components of the Savannah District’s military construction, civil works, and hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste programs in March 2018.

  • Hartwell Lake officials announce recreation site openings for May

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hartwell Lake Office will open the following campgrounds and day-use areas for the 2018 recreation season on May 1:

  • March

    Corps announces Campground and Day Use Area openings at Hartwell

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hartwell Project Office, announces the opening of the following campgrounds and day use areas on April 1:

  • 30th annual Kids’ Fishing Derby kicks off April 21

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The ever-popular Kids’ Fishing Derby celebrates its 30th year April 21 at the Blue Hole Recreation Area on Russell Lake in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina. Participants must be 15 years old or younger to fish in the netted cove purposefully stocked with fish for the derby.

  • February

    The Dredge Padre Island discharges one of the last loads of material dredged from the outer Savannah harbor to mark the end of deepening for the oceanside of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). The Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the expansion of the Savannah harbor. The deepening of the outer channel marks another major milestone in the $973 million project to deepen the harbor from 42 feet to 47 feet. Approximately 12 million cubic yards of material were removed to make this portion of the shipping channel deeper. The outer channel deepening was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Billy Birdwell.

    Corps of Engineers completes deepening of Savannah harbor’s entrance channel

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, today marked the end of

  • Corps targeting applicants for spring turkey hunts at Thurmond

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host two turkey hunts in the Bussey Point Management Area in the spring of 2018. The management area will be opened to all hunters on Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31. On Saturday, April 7 the Corps will host a youth hunt. Hunts will be limited to 10 individuals daily. Hunters who are selected may bring a guide or guest. The guest will not be allowed to carry a weapon.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers publishes request for proposals for beneficial use of dredged materials

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today published in the Federal Register its request for proposals for beneficial use of dredged material pilot projects pursuant to Section 1122 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, Beneficial Use of Dredged Material.

  • CSS Georgia ironclad recovery to be featured at Gray’s Reef Film Festival 2018

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – A documentary on the recovery of the Civil War ironclad CSS Georgia by Savannah’s own Michael Jordan will make its debut as part of the three-day Gray’s Reef Film Festival. The festival, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, will feature several family-friendly films at Savannah-area venues.

  • Corps temporarily closes MaryAnn Branch Boat Ramp at Lake Hartwell

    SAVANNAH, GEORGIA – The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hartwell Project Office will temporarily close the MaryAnn Branch Boat Ramp in Hart Co., GA beginning 12 February 2018 to perform parking area and traffic flow improvements. The ramp is expected to be closed for approximately four weeks with an estimated re-opening date of 9 March 2018, weather permitting.

  • January

    Before: This 2016 file photo shows the Back River tide gates before removal. The removal of the tide returned the Back River to its natural width, removed an obstruction in the river and helped mitigate for the upcoming deepening of Savannah harbor. After: Tide gates between Hutchison Island in the Savannah River and the South Carolina shoreline have been removed as another mitigation step to allow for the deepening of the Savannah harbor. The gates also narrowed the channel. The Army Corps of Engineers removed the gates’ supporting structure under a $21.3 million contract that also created a sill along Hutchinson Island. The removal and the sill creation also enhanced fish habitat in this popular area. The photos depict the Back River before and after tide gate removal. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photos) Original high resolution photos (separated, without embedded titles) available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/savannahcorps/albums/72157676133450232.

    Removal of tide gate in back river moves SHEP closer to completion

    The removal of a 1970s-era structure from the Savannah River’s Back River marks another major milestone in the deepening of the nation’s fourth busiest container port. It also returns the Back River to its natural width to enhance the area for fish habitat.