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Kansas City District News Stories

  • November

    Several people in hardhats and safety vests stand in front of a creek with trees and a blue sky in the background.

    Mill Creek restoration an example of interagency collaboration and innovation

    At approximately 9:30 p.m. on the evening of December 7, 2022, a pressure drop in the Keystone Pipeline system was reported by TC Energy Corporation. Not long after the reported pressure drop, a rupture was detected, and 588,000 gallons of oil spilled into Mill Creek. Located just a few miles northeast of the city of Washington, Kansas, the oil spill in Mill Creek was the largest in the history of the Keystone Pipeline and the largest onshore oil spill since 2014. This is a story that highlights the quick action of local emergency management, the vital cooperation between federal, state, local and Tribal partners, and the use of innovative bioengineering techniques resulting in a comprehensive restoration project. This is a story that also demonstrates how partners working toward a shared goal can accomplish the seemingly impossible.
  • Man stands at edge of boat while other man pilots boat with two swimmers in the water wearing inflatable life jackets.

    Wilson Lake park ranger provides extraordinary skillset

    Park rangers are valuable teammates of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, as they are at the front lines working at our lake projects to ensure the public can utilize and enjoy the projects year-round. One park ranger who has spent the last 22 years of dedicated service with the Kansas City District is Matt Beckman.

  • October

    A glass display case holds ammunition with a blue background.

    Shaping the future of the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant

    Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, located in Independence, Missouri, is the largest producer of small-arms munitions within the Department of Defense, turning out over a billion rounds of ammunition per year. This plant is a vital part of the past, present and future of the U.S. military. Production at the plant started in 1941, during World War II. Currently, it provides the majority of small-caliber ammunition for the U.S. military. It also performs ammunition development for the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons program. LCAAP is doing important work, and its partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District is a key part of this success.
  • A man in a black shirt and a white hardhat looks up at a utility pole.

    The 249th Engineer Battalion participates in the 2023 International Lineman's Rodeo

    On an overcast October morning, the 249th Engineer Battalion, Prime Power, came together with linemen from across the globe at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas, to showcase their unique skill set in the 39th Annual International Lineman's Rodeo. The event brought the U.S. Army’s power generation specialists to the forefront, emphasizing how their expertise goes far beyond the battlefield, proving essential to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A gathering of elite linemen from the United States, Brazil and Canada, this rodeo provided an excellent opportunity for the U.S. Army’s 249th Engineer Battalion to demonstrate its capabilities in full-spectrum operations.
  • The Osage River can be seen with rocks in the foreground and trees and a blue sky in the background.

    Peaks and valleys: Northwestern Division leverages regional project sharing to complete the mission

    Comprised of nearly 37,000 employees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is tasked with engineering solutions for the nation’s toughest challenges. Across the enterprise, many divisions and districts have seen a surge in workload over the last few years. While USACE has seen similar surges in the past, this increase in workload is larger than many can remember in recent history. The source of the current surge in workload is twofold. According to Col. Travis Rayfield, Kansas City District commander and district engineer, there has been an increase in funding from Congress through various infrastructure bills, which has resulted in more work across the enterprise. Additionally, The Economy Act allows federal agencies to enter into agreements to obtain supplies or services from another agency. This increase in funding for projects, coupled with an increase in resource sharing among agencies, has resulted in the surge in workload the enterprise is experiencing across the nation.
  • A man in a military uniform kneels while a woman and young girl pin a pin to his chest with the Korean and U.S. flags in the background.

    Proud to be Americano: Andy Guzman celebrates his Hispanic heritage

    In Spanish, America refers to the land that is both North and South America, not just the United States. In English, to say you are American means you are from the United States. But in Spanish, to say you are Americano means you could be from any of the 21 countries that span both continents. This distinction is important to Hispanic Americans, especially during National Hispanic Heritage Month. One of this year’s themes is “Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One,” which gets at the heart of the matter — Hispanic heritage is diverse but united. For Andy Guzman, public affairs specialist at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate all Hispanic cultures and the language that unites them.

  • September

    Many kayaks can be seen on the river with the Kansas City skyline in the background.

    Paddling the distance

    Each year, hundreds of adventurous paddlers brave 340 miles of the Lower Missouri River within a matter of 3 1/2 days as part of the annual Missouri American Water MR340 race hosted by Missouri River Relief. As the world’s longest non-stop river race, MR340 is a test of endurance. It is also an opportunity for people around the nation and world to learn more about the Missouri River and how the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the lower Missouri River Basin. Within the training all paddlers must do before the race, a warning is given to keep an eye out for the structures along the Missouri River including dikes, chutes and revetments. These structures are placed and maintained by the Kansas City District, so the Missouri River is able to self-maintain a navigation channel.
  • Four men sit at a round table with computers and notepads.

    Kansas City District, Missouri Silver Jackets host extreme-flood response tabletop exercise

    Be prepared—it’s the best way to handle an emergency when one occurs. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers knows this, and that’s why they partnered with the Missouri Silver Jackets team to host a tabletop exercise simulating an extreme flood event in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This exercise, the first of its kind in a decade, included participants from multiple levee and drainage districts, fire departments, public works, emergency management specialties, local, municipal, county and federal entities who support the levees during flood emergencies.
  • A building is seen at dusk with an American flag and a grey sky in the background.

    Kansas City District continues legacy of dedicated work on the Lewis and Clark Center at Fort Leavenworth

    The Lewis and Clark Center at Fort Leavenworth is a state-of-the-art building, boasting three floors full of custom stained-glass windows and military artifacts from many different countries and centuries. The building houses the Command and General Staff College, a joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational college and the U.S. military’s premier school of tactics. It is also one of the Kansas City District’s many projects at Fort Leavenworth from over the years. The district has a long and proud history of partnership with Fort Leavenworth. The Lewis and Clark Center is one of the largest projects the district has done for the installation. Completed in 2007, the building has since required repairs on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Now, the Kansas City District is continuing its commitment to this building and taking the lead on the repairs.
  • A man in a reflective jacket stands in front of downed tree trunks with a smoky sky in the background.

    Ready, willing and able: Kansas City District’s Debris Planning and Response Team ready to respond when disaster strikes

    September is National Preparedness month, which is intended to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies across the country. Although the month of September is dedicated to this important observance, at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Debris Planning and Response Team stands ready every day in case disaster strikes. When a disaster occurs, whether natural or manmade, and the state in which it occurred is not equipped to handle the response and cleanup afterwards, the governor may declare a State of Emergency, which is needed prior to a request for federal assistance. The president then may declare a federal disaster, which allows for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to access federal funding for the cleanup. FEMA contracts with USACE Planning and Response Teams to execute the cleanup mission after a disaster.