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PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

Welcome to the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public Affairs Homepage.  We hope the information that you find here about us and what we are doing throughout our district is interesting and informative.  If you have questions or comments, please let us know.

The Public Affairs mission is to inform the public, as well as Corps of Engineers employees, contractors, family members and retirees. The Public Affairs staff serves as liaison between the public and subject matter experts in the Corps of Engineers. We answer general public and media inquiries, arrange speaking engagements and exhibits, dispatch news releases and produce a number of publications. Technical questions relating to engineering, construction, permit or environmental restoration specifications are best directed to the technical office of primary responsibility.

The Kansas City District offers a host of professionals who are prepared to speak to the public on numerous topics, including many of the engineering disciplines, archeology, architecture, biology, human resources, forestry, hydrology, law, natural resource management, water resources development and others. We can make speakers available to civilian and government agencies and organizations, schools, professional clubs and interest groups.

 

CONTACT US

816-389-3486

CENWK-PA@usace.army.mil 

 

 

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CORPS CHRONICLES: STORIES FROM THE HEARTLAND

Check out our podcast below! Check back for more episodes.

 

LATEST VIDEOS

 

 

NEWS STORIES

Telling the story of the Kansas City District.

  • May

    A group of about 200 people stand on steps with tall city buildings in the background and a cloudy sky above.

    Growing the next generation: Safety and occupational health professionals gather for annual conference

    Springtime in the Midwest can be volatile as temperatures fluctuate and severe weather is common. This time of year often prompts safety drills across the region. Perhaps it was not a coincidence then that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Safety and Occupational Health Program’s community of practice gathered in the heartland — Kansas City, Missouri — for their annual community of practice meeting. The theme of this year’s meeting was “growing the next generation.” Safety and occupational health professionals from across the USACE enterprise came to Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss all things safety and occupational health. The five-day community of practice meeting was a chance for staff from all districts, divisions and headquarters to convene in one location and discuss current operations and the future of the program in USACE.
  • Five men stand side by side and the man on the second from the left holds a glass award.

    ‘Rooted in trust and respect’: Kansas Citys Levees team continues to deliver on commitment to Kansas City metro area

    Engineering, construction, planning, design — these are hard sciences, which require a systemic, methodical approach. While these sciences are by no means easy, they are easy to quantify. More challenging to quantify are the soft sciences — communication, trust, respect, partnership. Building structures is a science; building partnerships is an art. It might not always be obvious, but both are often required for a successful construction project. For the Kansas Citys Levees project team at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the art of building and maintaining a culture of partnership and collaboration has proved to be just as critical for success as the design and construction of the project have been. The $529 million project, which aims to improve the reliability and resiliency of 17 miles of existing levees in the Kansas City metro area, is unlike any other in the heartland.
  • A woman in a grey jacket and red shirt stands with her arms crossed in front of a brown wall with silver writing on it.

    Full transparency: National Inventory of Dams a ‘powerful tool’ in emergency planning

    No news is good news. This common phrase can apply to countless scenarios but when it comes to dam safety, no news really is good news. Dam safety is something that most people probably don’t think about daily. The reality is most people probably don’t stop to consider the safety of a dam unless there has been an emergency or other type of incident. Thankfully, there are a number of individuals who work day-in and day-out to ensure the safety of the more than 700 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-owned and operated dams across the nation. The USACE Dam Safety Program uses a risk-informed approach to managing its dams, with life safety being the number one priority.

  • April

    A brown concrete structure with rock on either side and a cloudy sky in the background.

    ‘What we do here matters’: Smithville Lake conducts vital periodic inspection of dam to ensure safety

    It’s not every day that the stilling basin at Smithville Dam sits empty. However, before an inspection of the structure can be completed, it must be emptied so that staff from the lake and the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can enter and perform their inspection. Periodic inspections occur every five years to ensure the safety and integrity of the dam. Staff from the Kansas City District emptied Smithville Dam’s stilling basin and performed a thorough inspection over the course of several days in April.
  • A brown brick building with a brown awning.

    Improving quality of life at Whiteman Air Force Base

    Everyone knows home is where the heart is. The Whiteman Air Force Base Resident Office with the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers understands this. That’s why they put their heart into making sure the Airmen at Whiteman Air Force Base have the best home possible. Recently, the team finished work on Discovery Hall, now the most updated dorm on base. This dorm was a team effort between USACE and the 509th Civil Engineer Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base.

 

NEWS RELEASES

The Kansas City District in the news. 

  • Smithville Lake conducts vital periodic inspection of dam to ensure safety

    Officials conducted a periodic inspection of Smithville Dam on April 23 and 24, 2024, in Smithville, Missouri. Periodic inspections occur every five years to ensure the safety and integrity of the dam. Staff from the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers emptied the stilling basin and performed a thorough inspection of Smithville Dam over the course of several days.

  • Revised Master Plan for Harry S. Truman Lake now available

    Officials have finalized the Master Plan revision for Harry S. Truman Lake and the report is now available to the public. A Master Plan is the guidance document that describes how the resources of the lake will be managed in the future and provides the vision for how the lake should look in the future. The Master Plan does not address the details of operational plans such as specific recreational features, but it does set the stage for the classification of the land and its future use.

  • Team holds meetings across the region for Lower Missouri River system plan

    Officials will hold a series of public meeting for the Lower Missouri Flood Risk and Resiliency Study, also known as the system plan, throughout the region in April. The meetings, which will be held by the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will provide an overview of the study, a status update, input on reach measures, flow and stage frequency analysis update and an open discussion. This is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide input regarding the Lower Missouri Flood Risk and Resiliency Study.

  • Public invited to attend meeting for Lower Missouri Jefferson City spin-off study

    Officials will hold a public meeting for the Lower Missouri Jefferson City spin-off study on April 25, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri. The meeting, which will be held by the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, will provide an overview of the study, a status update and an open discussion. This is an opportunity for the public to ask questions and provide input regarding the Lower Missouri Jefferson City spin-off study.

  • Aquatic restoration project at Harlan County Lake making progress

    Construction of the $9.25 million aquatic ecosystem restoration project continues to make progress at Harlan County Lake, Nebraska. The project is a partnership between the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and will help restore the Harlan County Lake aquatic ecosystem. Authorized under Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, USACE awarded the construction contract on September 28, 2023. Majority of the federal funding for the project has been provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the 25% cost share is provided by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions Aquatic Habitat Fund.