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  • October

    Commander: An open letter on Savannah River Basin drought management

    Since entering drought level 1 some stakeholders in the upper basin have written urging Savannah District leaders should take immediate and dramatic actions to preserve reservoir levels. Col. Thomas Tickner, the District Commander addresses these emails in this open-letter posting.
  • A similar structure of a water storage impoundment located in North Carolina.

    Freshwater storage impoundment mitigates increased chlorides in Abercorn Creek

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Understanding the reverberating environmental impacts of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project has been a sizable undertaking for the Corps’ and its partners. Preserving high water quality standards is at the forefront of the Corps’ efforts to minimize adverse environmental effects that may result from the expansive project.
  • Four of the water quality monitoring stations feature a raised platform to protect the equipment from high waters.

    Sophisticated network monitors Savannah River estuary

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Ensuring healthy water quality is an essential part of environmental monitoring for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is partnering with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to monitor water quality in the estuary using a sophisticated network of continuous monitoring stations.
  • Castle Toastmasters officers and guests gather at the open house event held Oct. 2. Pictured (left to right) are Al Stiles, area 81 governor, Luis Villavicencio, sergeant at arms, Gwendolyn Myers, treasurer, Sonny Dixon, guest speaker, Lt. Col. Tom Woodie, Savannah Corps deputy district commander, Vicki Gatling, president, James Gatling, vice president of public relations, Renee Atkins, vice president of education, and Marie Simpson, district H governor.

    Castle Toastmasters club opens its doors to new members

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – In bold letters, a placemat with the verb “Immix,” meaning to mix in or mingle, is placed on every table at the Castle Toastmaster’s open house held Oct. 2.
  • Piper Bazemore, Sgt. Maj. Mark Andrews, Sue Wilcox and Command Sgt. Maj. Antonio Jones (left to right) conduct an airfield assessment during training exercises on Hunter Army Airfield held Sept. 22. During the last week of training, members split into two teams to conduct collective training exercise which included airfield assessments and bridge reconnaissance. The 542nd Engineer Detachment Forward Engineering Support Team - Advanced is ensuring deployment readiness by January 2015 (USACE photo by Chelsea Smith).

    FEST-A gears up for future deployment, seeks new talent

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain spread itself out before Piper Bazemore, recently strapped into a MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter as part of an engineering mission in the region.

  • September

    Experts gather water quality data before beginning harbor deepening

    SAVANNAH, Ga. -- Scientists and technicians recently completed intensive water quality monitoring in the Savannah harbor and estuary in preparation for the upcoming deepening of the harbor and shipping channel.
  • Jamie Duberstein, Clemson research assistant professor, records data at a marsh site in the Savannah River estuary, April 2, 2014.

    Corps partners with Clemson University to monitor marshes for harbor deepening

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Thanks to a partnership with Clemson University and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, scientists are collecting valuable data in the Savannah River estuary for the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP).

  • August

    MARIETTA, Ga. – Using a computerized "consolidometer," Mike Wielputz, regional technical specialist, initiates a test that will determine soil properties of a sample at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District Environmental and Materials Unit.

    Savannah Corps lab a worldwide leader in materials testing

    MARIETTA, Ga. – On the outside, it's a modest brick building in an office park; but on the inside, the technical experts and specialized equipment make this place a global leader in materials testing.
  • Jeremy Grigsby, a biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR), tags a shortnose sturgeon in the Savannah River, Nov. 11, 2013 (ESA permit #15677). Photo courtesy of SC DNR.

    Corps, South Carolina biologists track sturgeon in Savannah River

    Thanks to a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR), researchers are safely catching sturgeon, inserting sonic transmitters inside them, and releasing them back into the river.

  • July

    Environmental monitoring underway for Savannah harbor deepening

    With the signing of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 earlier this year, many people expected construction of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) to start immediately. However, several actions need to take place before construction can occur.
  • Black-necked stilts gather near the water's edge at the newly-constructed bird island, located at the Savannah Harbor Dredged Material Containment Area 12A, May 30, 2014.

    New Savannah bird island home to hundreds of nests this season

    To some people, a dredge disposal area might not seem very exciting—but to thousands of shorebirds it’s a safe haven, providing beneficial habitat and protected nesting sites.

  • May

    Real Property Exchange manager Stephen Bruce (left) and Real Estate Division Chief Ralph Werthmann review project drawings for Army Reserve property in Orland Park, Illinois.

    Bartering for Better Buildings: Corps aids Army Reserve upgrades through private sector development

    In a time of shrinking federal budgets for military construction, how does the Army Reserve gain new facilities to train and equip their Soldiers? One solution gaining popularity is a Real Property Exchange (RPX)—and the benefits extend far beyond the Army.

  • April

    The new Murray Elementary School includes 456 solar photovoltaic panels and 10 solar water heating panels on the roof. These panels will augment the facility's total electrical usage and heat about 40 percent of the building's hot water.

    Solar-powered school nears completion at Fort Stewart

    Construction nears completion on a $20.5 million environmentally-friendly elementary school at Fort Stewart. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District and prime contractor Sauer, Inc., the new Murray Elementary School is equipped with over 450 solar panels, a wind turbine, and other sustainable design features.
  • FORT STEWART, Ga. – Mechanical Engineer Matt Kilmer (left) and Civil Engineer Craig Walters with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, Fort Stewart Resident Office, talk to students at Diamond Elementary School about engineering careers with the Corps during a school-wide "STEMposium" April 4, 2014. The event focused on getting children interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) career fields.

    More than MILCON: Corps promotes STEM at Fort Stewart schools

    Many people associate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with building facilities on post; but what they may not know is that the Corps' involvement with a project doesn't stop when the building is complete.

  • March

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia Department of Transportation the Federal Highway Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service discussed preliminary environmental mitigation plans for a proposed bridge replacement project on the Islands Expressway, Feb. 28, 2014. The proposed project would build a new, larger bridge to replace the existing bridge that crosses the Wilmington River on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It would require permits from multiple state and federal agencies, including the Corps' Savannah District Regulatory Division. Since the project is still in the very preliminary design phase, the meeting brought together regulators from multiple agencies to discuss potential environmental mitigation issues early on in the process. The Corps' Regulatory Division evaluates permit applications from developers, communities and private citizens who plan construction or excavation near streams and wetlands in the state of Georgia. With any permitting project, the Corps first aims to avoid, then minimize, and lastly, compensate for environmental impacts to aquatic resources. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Corps, GDOT partnership balances environment with development

    Did you know that every roadway and bridge in the state of Georgia is linked to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? That's because of a partnership between the Corps and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)—the lead state agency for constructing road projects.
  • Josh Brown, an electrical trainee in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydropower Training Program, works on electrical equipment at the Richard B. Russell Dam.

    A lot of dam training

    What does it take to operate and maintain a dam? Technical aptitude, well-honed skills, teamwork—and a lot of dam training.

  • February

    Mike Ansley, a member of the survey team for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, explains how the Corps uses computer equipment to survey land during a visit to Jenkins High School, Feb. 13, 2014. The visit aimed to recruit students to pursue science and engineering related career paths as part of National Engineers Week.

    Why students should care about engineering

    Why should American students care about pursuing engineering careers? Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are communicating the answer to students throughout the year—and especially during National Engineers Week, which runs this year from Feb. 16 through Feb. 22.
  • Beth Williams, dam and levee safety program manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, uses a floodplain model to demonstrate the functions of levees at Girls Engineer It Day, Feb. 1. The event reached 350 middle and high-school age females and their parents to promote engineering career fields. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Engineering: It's not just for the boys

    About 350 middle and high school-age girls and their parents explored career paths in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) during the 3rd Annual Girls Engineer It Day, Feb. 1, 2014 at Woodville Tomkins High School.

  • January

    A worker piles debris from Dredge Material Containment Area 1N into a pit of fire. The 130-acre dredge disposal area, located on Onslow Island in Georgia, is being reactivated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District through a process called air curtain burning.

    Smokeless fire assists in reactivation of retired disposal area

    Air may not seem like an effective barrier for some things, but when coupled with a trailer-mounted blower and heat, it provides a very efficient barrier and environmentally friendly way of clearing land with little smoke. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District is using this method also known as “air curtain burning” as part of the reactivation process for one of its dredge disposal sites in Georgia.
  • SAVANNAH, Ga. – An estimated 7,000 students and their families explored potential career paths in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)—including careers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—during the 5th Annual Student Success Expo and STEM Festival, Jan. 11 at the Savannah Mall. The county-wide event, hosted by the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, provided student competitions, interactive displays, and opportunities for students to learn about career paths in both the private and public sectors. Among the multitude of booths that lined the entire bottom floor of the mall, members of the Corps' Regulatory Division (David Lekson, Sarah Wise, Stan Knight, and Donald Hendrix) talked to kids about career paths with the Corps of Engineers. USACE photo by Tracy Robillard.

    Corps reaches out to 7,000 Savannah-area students at STEM festival

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – An estimated 7,000 students and their families explored potential career paths in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)—including careers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—during the 5th Annual Student Success Expo and STEM Festival, Jan. 11 at the Savannah Mall.