20 Mar 2024

Military night operations training to be held at McNary Lock and Dam March 25 through 27

UMATILLA, OR. -  Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord will conduct military night operations training at McNary Lock and Dam from Monday, March 25 through Wednesday, March 27. The training employs the use of helicopters and simulated munitions to make the exercise as realistic as possible. The training will primarily occur after sunset.

6 Jul 2023

23-039 Corps seeks public input for McNary Master Plan revision

UMATILLA, Ore.– The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District has prepared a draft McNary Master Plan with an accompanying draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment (EA) to revise the outdated 1982 McNary Master Plan. The Walla Walla District will be accepting public comments from July 10 through Aug. 10.

20 Mar 2023

A step towards navigable waters: A history of McNary Lock and Dam

As people moved into the Pacific Northwest, communities grew around the rivers, especially the Columbia and Snake. Back then, the rivers were temperamental and hard to navigate. However, there was a vision to create a river highway, one that would allow barges to carry cargo from the Pacific Ocean to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, 465 miles inland.

31 Mar 2021

21-015 McNary Lock and Dam to resume use of laser, test acoustic device to deter birds and protect salmon

UMATILLA, Ore. – The US Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District will resume use of bird deterring lasers, and will be testing a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to prevent birds from preying on endangered juvenile salmon passing through McNary Dam.

4 Jun 2020

20-029 Summer recreational vessel lockage schedule has begun

COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS, Ore. & Wash. – For the Walla Walla District, Corps of Engineers, May 15 marked the start of the summer schedule for recreational boaters using navigation locks to travel past U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, according to Corps navigation planners.

15 Nov 2019

New laser at McNary Dam is the latest technology for deterring birds

In an effort to discourage birds from snatching up juvenile salmon below McNary Dam, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District has bought a laser.

7 Nov 2019

Remote Operated Vehicle sent from Portland to do inspection at McNary

The Columbia River was a deep shade of ocean blue, and the sky was surprisingly clear and sunny for a November afternoon. A perfect day for a dive. On top of McNary dam, on November 4, two men unloaded a large, green remote operated vehicle (ROV) from the back of their trailer. The task for the day was to send the ROV down on the upstream side of the dam to conduct an inspection.

22 Mar 2018

18-026 Corps of Engineers awards $321 million modernization contract to design, manufacture and install 14 Turbines at McNary Dam; Contract to upgrade its powerhouse is largest-ever awarded by the Walla Walla District

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District on Wednesday awarded a $321.3 million contract to Alstom Renewable US LLC to design, manufacture and install 14 turbines at the McNary Lock and Dam, near Umatilla, Oregon.

24 Aug 2017

17-094 McNary navigation lock to temporarily close for inspections Aug. 30

UMATILLA, Ore. – McNary Dam’s navigation lock will be out of service for recreational vessels on Wednesday, Aug. 30. The outage is necessary for critical inspections of the downstream gate that require the lock to remain at its lowest water level, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at the dam.

3 Apr 2014

Corps begins spring fish operations

Portland, Ore. — Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) began implementing its 2014 Spring