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  • August

    Command Sgt. Maj. Zachary Plummer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Pacific Ocean Division assists the street team of the City and Borough of Juneau to repair a temporary flood protection barrier along the Mendenhall River

    Temporary flood barriers prove effective during flood event in Juneau

    During the week of August 11, the Mendenhall Glacier released its yearly glacier lake outburst flood, also known as a jökulhlaup (Yah-cuh-laup). In preparation for the potential threat to infrastructure and public safety, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided temporary flood mitigation barriers to the City and Borough of Juneau last winter. While USACE continues to prepare a technical study that will help to define the parameters of an enduring flood risk mitigation solution, these barriers provided vital short-term protection to the community along the river this week by holding back the glacial water released from Suicide Basin and performing well during the peak of the floodwaters.
  • The group observes the transition between the granite and basalt at the Pfaffensprung sediment bypass tunnel. Researchers at the Swiss research university used test sections to observe different materials in the same environment and compare their performance in a real-world setting. (Photo by Carly Lynch, USACE – Alaska District)

    USACE staff observe dam infrastructure in Switzerland in preparation for tunnel project in Alaska

    Staff from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District toured dam infrastructure in the heart of the rugged Swiss Alps as part of a temporary duty trip. After cataloguing their findings abroad, the team returned to Alaska with a renewed perspective for the improvement of the Lowell Creek Flood Diversion project set in similar mountains near Seward.

  • July

    From the crystalline glacial streams of the Kenai Peninsula to the remote lakes of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District’s Regulatory Division is tasked with protecting aquatic resources while balancing reasonable development through the issuing of permits. Encapsulating docks, mines, house pads, and many other man-made structures, the district’s regulatory obligations are an important function in ensuring public compliance with federal law.

    USACE regulatory program celebrates rollout of new online permitting system to augment critical mission

    From the crystalline glacial streams of the Kenai Peninsula to the remote lakes of the Interior, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District’s Regulatory Division is tasked with protecting aquatic resources while balancing reasonable development through the issuing of permits. With an added emphasis on high-quality customer service, USACE recently unveiled the new Regulatory Request System as an important new development for the regulatory mission and for permittees to engage with the program.

  • May

    Glenn Sacro, construction control representative, fills a cylinder mold with concrete in the practical portion of the ACI Level One Concrete Certification Exam.

    Concrete is hard: Materials workshop keeps technical staff skills sharp

    Recently, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District’s Construction Division, Civil and Sanitary Section and Geotechnical and Materials Section participated in a field concrete and materials workshop at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The event included classroom instruction, applied training and a written exam for attendees to obtain the American Concrete Institute’s foundational Level One Field Concrete Certification, which acts as the industry standard for engineers and construction workers around the world.

  • April

    Headquartered at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District and staffed with engineering professionals from throughout USACE, the 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advanced, or FEST-A, is one of eight expeditionary teams that provides rapidly deployable engineering capabilities throughout the world.

    USACE engineer support team provides expertise, broadens professional experience on European deployment

    Headquartered at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Alaska District and staffed with engineering professionals from throughout USACE, the 62nd Forward Engineer Support Team – Advanced, or FEST-A, is one of eight expeditionary teams that provides rapidly deployable engineering capabilities throughout the world. Primarily composed of civilian employees, these critical personnel groups perform infrastructure damage assessments, environmental surveys and building plans in support of the Army’s mission abroad.

  • February

    A clamshell dredge hoists shoal from the bottom of Petersburg Borough’s harbor system in southeast Alaska.

    Infrastructure law helps to dredge Petersburg Harbor for first time in 42 years

    Located in Southeast Alaska between Juneau and Ketchikan, the Petersburg Navigation Improvements project restored the Petersburg Borough’s South Harbor to original design depths ranging from minus 9 to 19 feet and improved general navigation features to allow for safe passage of vessels. The first ever dredging operation within the basin since it was built in 1982 removed about 57,000 cubic yards of material.

  • November

    The northern lights dance in the night sky above the Moose Creek Dam Safety Modification Project in October at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project near North Pole, Alaska.

    Innovation leads to productive season for safety upgrade at Moose Creek Dam

    With the onset of winter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District capped off a successful summer by doubling its progress from last year to build a cement barrier wall in the center of the dam. The safety improvement project is now about halfway complete as the team works to reinforce 4.7 miles of the 8-mile-long earthen structure.

  • December

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District transferred a National Guard armory to the community of Scammon Bay on Dec. 21, 2022. This real estate transaction marks the first divestiture of military property within the state under the Bob Stump Act during Fiscal Year 2023. Eight more facilities are scheduled for turnover in the coming years.

    Army engineers transfer ownership of remote armory to support Alaska community

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District transferred ownership of an Army National Guard armory to the community of Scammon Bay on Dec. 21, 2022. This real estate transaction marks the first divestiture of military property within the state under the Bob Stump Act. Eight more facilities are scheduled for turnover in the coming years.

  • August

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Alaska District and Range Support Center collaborated to remove unexploded ordnance from 337 acres of land in 2020 and 2021 at the Fort Glenn Formerly Used Defense Site on Umnak Island in Alaska. The environmental restoration project is the first in the state to be funded by the DoD Military Munitions Response Program. (U.S. Army Photo)

    Army engineers remove World War II-era explosives from national historic landmark on a remote Alaskan island

    Boom! Another explosion went off as a field crew for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District worked to safely clear and detonate munitions remaining from the World War II-era Fort Glenn, an abandoned military installation in the Aleutian Islands 850 miles from Anchorage.
  • A recently hatched common goldeneye duck rests in a researcher’s hand in North Pole, Alaska. Nest boxes installed at the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project are a key component of a scientific study of these birds conducted through a cooperative program between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region. For 25 years, field researchers have monitored the ducks’ use of the boxes, creating a long-term dataset for scientists. (Courtesy photo provided by Riley Porter)

    Army engineers partner for 25 years with federal biologists to study duck nesting ecology in Alaska

    The whistling sound of beating wings moves through the forest as a common goldeneye duck lands in a nest box mounted to the side of a tree near the Moose Creek Dam in North Pole, Alaska. Focused on laying its eggs within the cozy confines of this manmade wooden structure, the bird is unaware of its vital role in a unique scientific study.