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Archive: 2014
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  • December

    Members of the 542nd FEST-A use a laser finder to obtain measurements of a bridge located during a bridge reconnaissance exercise on Hunter Army Airfield Sept. 18. The team gathered Sept. 15-25 to conduct two weeks of FEST-A training exercises.

    Clock winds down as elite engineering team readies for deployment

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – As 2014 departs, so will 12 members of the 542nd Forward Engineering Support Team – Advanced (FEST-A), who deploy to Kuwait in January for more than six months to provide specialized technical engineering support for the Central Command area of responsibility.

  • Private reservoirs support Corps public ones

    Editor’s note: This installment of a continuing series of articles explaining the operations of the Savannah River basin, looks at the support upstream, privately-owned reservoirs contribute to keeping the basin in balance. Savannah District officials often get asked why Lake Keowee, owned by Duke Energy, seems to remain full while the Corps’ reservoirs, particularly Hartwell Lake seems to drop. Read below on how the far-upper basin supports the central basin.
  • Lt. Col. Tom Woodie, Savannah District deputy commander, presents Paula Hanna, Family Readiness Network coordinator, a certificate of achievement in May for her accomplishments as the district's principal support liaison for deployed members and their families.

    Award-winning Family Readiness coordinator promotes resiliency, awareness

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The overflow of scattered folders revealed not only routine administrative paperwork, but awards and certificates of recognition uncovering a vast set of accomplishments for her work as coordinator of the Savannah District’s Family Readiness Network.

  • November

    On Nov. 21, approximately 30 home-schoolers and their parents journeyed through J.F. Gregory Park in Richmond Hill, Georgia, on a free wetlands tour jointly sponsored by the Independent Learning Network, based in Savannah, and Savannah District’s Regulatory Division. The scenic tour offered a glimpse into the Corps’ regulatory practices which include preserving and protecting Georgia’s wetlands.

    Corps sponsors wetlands tour for Coastal Georgia home-schoolers

    RICHMOND HILL, Ga. – Discovering frontiers outside of the classroom – or the home – can reconcile traditional learning methods and enrich the educational experience for students inundated with an array of new concepts.

  • Updates on the Savannah River Basin Comprehensive and Flood Storage studies

    In October 2013 we announced an initiative to assess our flood storage capacity to test the possibility of reducing our current flood storage allotment. More specifically, the study will provide information that will better define the present need for flood storage in the basin. In the announcement we estimated the study would take approximately 12 months. Based on recent updates from the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC), the organization conducting most of the study, the results will be delayed about six more months.
  • A Phinizy Center scientist collecting an integrated water sample on the Savannah River.

    Sound science is critical for balancing ecological, economic needs of the basin

    Editor’s Note: This article is authored by Oscar P. Flite III, Ph.D. CEO and Senior Scientist at Phinizy Center for Water Sciences. Dr. Flite and his organization are involved in scientific research on the Savannah River that provides critical information needed to make informed decisions about the basin’s natural resources.
  • Hundreds gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 7 in the atrium of the newly-constructed Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia. The ceremony culminated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ $390-million construction project and signified Fort Benning’s commitment to provide quality healthcare to its wide-spread community of soldiers, families and local veterans.

    New Fort Benning hospital set to open for business

    FORT BENNING, Ga. – Hundreds gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony held Nov. 7 in the atrium of the newly-constructed Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia.

  • 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.