The Willamette Valley project has a complicated mission balancing flood risk management needs as well as reservoir recreation expectations. We do this by following a “rule cure” (this generally tells us what the reservoir level should be at any given time of the year). Often, we field questions about if we’ll be able to have a full pool during any given season. Well, it’s complicated and we don’t control all of the factors.

OMAHA, Neb. – With the National Weather Service forecasting rain throughout the Memorial Day weekend, the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Omaha District, Col. John Hudson, spoke today with state leaders in the lower Missouri River Basin about possible impacts to the already damaged levee system. “It’s important to remember that a significant risk of flooding remains until the federal levee system is fully repaired,” Hudson said. “Significant rainfall will likely lead to higher river stages and increased flow through levee breaches.  This will result in flooding in areas where flood waters had receded.” The Corps of Engineers will continue to work closely with local, state, country and tribal emergency managers as we continue through this spring rain and runoff season.  The Corps’ focus is to protect the gains made in the recovery of the federal levee system since the March storms as well as proactively inform impacted communities of the threat, and efforts available to help mitigate the impacts of these rain storms. Life safety is the Corps of Engineers top priority. The public is urged to stay in close contact with local emergency management agencies for more information.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District's construction division held a Celebrate Safety site visit and conference recently at the Corps' project office at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla. The purpose of Celebrate Safety is to allow representatives from throughout the district's construction division and project sites to see what best safety practices are being implemented throughout the division and to nominate the best project site for that quarter.

The Motor Vessel Aaron F. Barrett, pushing 12 barges en route to St. Paul, Minnesota, was locked through Lock and Dam 2, near Hastings, Minnesota, April 24, 2019. The Corps considers the first tow to arrive at Lock and Dam 2 as the unofficial start of the navigation season, because it means all of its locks are accessible to commercial and recreational vessels. However, this spring’s high flows continue to force lock closures in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri and could lead to additional lock closures within the St. Paul District, leading to delays in other tows reaching St Paul.