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  • October

    Camping, shelter reservations suspended for 2025 season at Thurmond Lake

    CLARKS HILL S.C. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has suspended all camping and shelter reservations at J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake for the 2025 summer season from March 28 through Sept. 7, 2025, due to the severe impacts sustained from Hurricane Helene, causing the parks to be unsafe for use.

  • Thurmond Lake Visitor Center Closed on Weekends during winter season

    CLARKS HILL, S.C. –  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake Visitor Center will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal Holidays through Feb. 23, 2025.
  • Bay West, LLC., the contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, excavate the beach in search of petroleum-contaminated soil Oct. 15, 2024, at the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina. Approximately 37,000 pounds of concrete, 400 feet of pipes, 50 feet of cable/wire, 75 feet of ‘listening cable’ and 45.5 cubic yards of petroleum-soil has been removed from the construction site. (Photo by Terry Brooks, USACE)

    Buxton FUDS public meeting date set – cleanup continues at site

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has set the date, time, and location for a public meeting about the Buxton Naval Facility Formerly Used Defense Sites property as its response action continues at the beachfront property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina.
  • A single buck stands by trees looking at the camera

    Bussey Point 2024 Deer Hunts canceled due to storm damage at Thurmond Lake

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, J. Strom Thurmond, Forest, Fish, and Wildlife Section is cancelling the Bussey Point Corps Management Unit 2024 deer hunts due to the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
  • photo of contractors excavating petroleum-impacted soil at Buxton Beach.

    Response action progressing at Buxton FUDS property in Dare County N.C.

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Excavation of petroleum-impacted soil continues as part of an ongoing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District phased response action at the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore of North Carolina.

  • Thurmond Lake Update Following Hurricane Helene Impacts to Area

    Clarks Hill, SC. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, J. Strom Thurmond Lake has experienced significant impacts, damage, and property loss in the area due to Hurricane Helene. The Corps currently has minimal staffing due to the storm, but available project staff are currently assessing all parks/project areas and prioritizing tree removal/cleanup.

  • September

    Contractor arrives, continues response action at Buxton FUDS property

    BUXTON, N.C. – The company contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, arrived today at the former Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property, located within the Cape Hatteras Seashore in Dare County North Carolina, to do a site survey and to continue the response actions the District team initiated Sept. 11, 2024.

  • USACE deploys response team, awards contract to address conditions at Buxton Formerly Used Defense Site

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed a team earlier this week to the Former Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Sites property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Dare County, North Carolina. The team is on-site and responding to recent reports of fuel sheen and odors along the beach.

  • Upper Savannah River Reservoirs Enter Drought Level 2

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The three reservoirs on the upper Savannah River Basin operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, declared the second flow reduction in two months in response to the pool elevation at Lake Thurmond dipping below Drought Trigger Level 2, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024.

  • USACE to perform response action at Buxton FUDS

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will deploy a team this week to the Former Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Site property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Dare County, North Carolina. This team is being sent in response to recent reports of additional fuel sheen and odors in the area and will monitor the site and take limited response actions if a petroleum release is observed.

  • Commander gives latest Buxton FUDS property update at Dare County Meeting

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – During the Dare County Board of Commissioners monthly meeting, Sept. 3, 2024, Col. Ron Sturgeon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District commander, talked about the latest updates concerning the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Site property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.
  • Man and child stand in field with hunting gear.

    Richard B. Russell Lake officials schedule annual youth, public dove hunts

    ELBERTON, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Richard B. Russell Project, will host dove hunts for youth and the general public on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, 2024, at two fields in Elbert County, Georgia, and one field in Abbeville County, South Carolina.

  • Hunting Safety top priority at Hartwell, Russell, Thurmond Lakes

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – As hunting season approaches, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, is emphasizing the importance of safe hunting practices to prevent accidents and ensure a positive experience for all visitors on public lands surrounding the three major reservoirs: Hartwell Lake, Richard B. Russell Lake, and J. Strom Thurmond Lake, in Georgia and South Carolina

  • J. Strom Thurmond Lake Recreation Area Seasonal Closures

    AUGUSTA, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, will begin closing or partially closing certain recreation sites for the season at the J. Strom Thurmond Lake beginning Sept. 3, 2024.

  • August

    Volunteers needed for National Public Lands Day Cleanup at Russell Lake

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, is looking for volunteers to help clean up Richard B. Russell Lake during the annual National Public Lands Day event Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

  • Hartwell Lake recreation areas open for hunting during 2024-2025 season

    HARTWELL, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Hartwell Lake Project Office will open three of its larger recreation areas for hunting during the regular hunting season for 2024-2025 in Georgia, in addition to the seven areas within Fant’s Grove Wildlife Management Area in South Carolina

  • Thurmond Lake Seeks Volunteers for Annual National Public Lands Cleanup

    AUGUSTA, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake, is seeking individual and group volunteers for the annual cleanup campaign for National Public Lands Day, Sept. 28, 2024.

  • Hartwell Lake Seeks Volunteers for Annual National Public Lands Cleanup

    HARTWELL, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Hartwell Dam and Lake Project Office is seeking volunteers for the fall “Splash Away the Trash” event on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in support of National Public Lands Day. Families, friends, scout groups, civic organizations, church groups, schools, sport clubs, and businesses, can volunteer to help keep the lake clean by gathering litter and other non-natural debris along the shoreline and islands in and around Hartwell Lake.

  • Upper Savannah River Reservoirs Enter Drought Level 1

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – In response to the pool elevation at Hartwell and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes dropping, the three reservoirs on the Upper Savannah River operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, have triggered the first drought trigger level Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, and will transition to drought releases at Thurmond over the weekend.

  • Savannah District Commander to provide Buxton FUDS update

    MANTEO, N.C. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District Commander, Col. Ron Sturgeon, is set to provide an update about the Buxton Naval Facility, a Formerly Used Defense Site property located within Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, during the Dare County Board of Commissioners monthly meeting in Manteo, Sept. 3, 2024, at 9 a.m.