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  • September

    Water flows out of a dam with a concrete structure and blue sky in the background.

    Sustainable rivers program (SRP)

    The Sustainable Rivers Program improves the health and life of rivers by changing dam operations to restore and protect ecosystems, while maintaining or enhancing other project benefits. The SRP was first considered in 1998 when the Nature Conservancy approached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about improved operations of the Green River Dam in Kentucky. SRP began in fiscal year 2002 with funding of $50,000 for environmental flows on the Green River.

  • August

    Dam at Truman Lake shown with stoplog being lowered by crane on right hand end. Taken on June 21, 2023.

    Truman and Stockton Dams produce hydropower for region: Celebrate National Hydropower Day

    With the National Hydropower Association declaring August 24, 2023, as National Hydropower Day, the Kansas City District wants to celebrate our hydropower plants at Harry S. Truman Lake and Stockton Lake in central Missouri. The NHA theme for this year: hydropower is the key. What does that mean? Well, hydropower is key to cleaner communities. Hydropower production does not add to greenhouse gasses that contribute to higher temperatures on earth. Water runs through turbines in the dam and produces energy by turning the turbines with assistance from gravity.
  • A park ranger in uniform hands out materials to two children and a man.

    USACE National Water Safety Program: Promoting Safety in Style

    June, July and August are usually looked upon as some of the most fun months, but these can also be the deadliest. Most drownings at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ lake projects occur in the summer months. The need to inform the public on how to safely recreate on USACE waters led to the formation of the National Water Safety Program. After World War II, USACE became the powerhouse for not only military construction but also civil works construction, including the construction, operation and maintenance of multi-purpose reservoirs, also referred to as lakes. One of a reservoir’s authorized purposes is recreation, especially water recreation.

  • July

    A red and grey brick building is in the background with a red brick sign in the foreground. Grass is in the foreground and blue sky in the background.

    No Fail Mission: Military Corrections Complex undergoes renovations at Fort Leavenworth

    There is only one maximum security prison in the U.S. that houses male U.S. military members that have been convicted of crimes or violations under the Uniform Code of Justice. That prison is located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and is known as the United States Disciplinary Barracks. The United States Disciplinary Barracks is part of a larger Military Corrections Complex located at Fort Leavenworth, which is comprised of the Joint Regional Correctional Facility and several support and administrative buildings. The United States Disciplinary Barracks is the facility which houses individuals sentenced to more than 10 years in prison, and the Joint Regional Correctional Facility is the facility which houses individuals sentenced to less than 10 years in prison.
  • A tan building with cars parked in front, grass on all sides, and trees in the background.

    Agricultural Research Services Works with USACE for New Research Facilities

    American farmers face many challenges in an often unpredictable economic and ecological climate. But perhaps they can rest a little easier knowing that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Agricultural Research Service, or ARS, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, are working together on a project to support the nation’s agricultural sector. This project will ultimately help to improve conditions for America’s farmers when 21 new ARS research facilities are constructed across the nation.
  • Five members of the U.S. Air Force stand in front of their unit insignia outside of a building in uniform.

    For Those Who “Lead the Way”: Kansas City District Designs New Military Working Dog Facility at McConnell Air Force Base

    Military working dogs might look like your average pet, but they are highly trained animals used for security on military installations and in deployed environments. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is currently working on the planning, design and construction of a new kennel facility for the working dogs of the 22nd Security Forces Squadron located at McConnell Air Force Base, or MAFB, in Wichita, Kansas. The current kennels were constructed several decades ago and require much-needed updates.
  • A cow looks to the right with grass and the sky in the background.

    Holy Cow! Kansas City District’s Agricultural Leasing Program Provides Benefits Far Beyond Land Management

    It’s not uncommon to see cattle grazing in open pastures when driving through the Midwest. In fact, in Kansas, cows outnumber humans two to one. So, while it’s not surprising to see cattle in the Kansas City District’s area of responsibility, it might be surprising to know that some of these herds are grazing on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’-owned land. This is possible through the Kansas City District’s agricultural leasing program. The district is responsible for managing the lands at its projects, which span four states, primarily Kansas and Missouri, but also include parts of Iowa and Nebraska. The district’s agricultural leasing program is a natural resource management tool and a component of the district’s integrated pest management program to control invasive weeds on lands at civil works projects, lake projects and military installations.
  • Several uniformed park rangers stand and pose for a photo in front Smithville Lake with trees and the lake in the background.

    Training for Success and Safety

    The U.S. Army is known for the rigorous basic combat training its military members go through, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also has training for its civilian men and women in uniform, park rangers. This weeklong training, Visitor Assistance Training, commonly known as VA Training, is conducted in Huntsville, Alabama for all permanent rangers to receive indefinite citation authority. Each district also provides VA Training to seasonal rangers, ranger trainees and permanent rangers who were unable to attend the training in Huntsville as the classes fill up quickly. These permanent rangers then receive temporary citation authority until they can attend the training in Huntsville. This June, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District held its VA Training at Smithville Lake, in Smithville, Missouri. USACE employees from the Kansas City District, Tulsa District and Omaha District attended the training.
  • Eleven people stand in front of a large archeological plaque in the foyer of a museum.

    The first of its kind: Kansas City District partners with USNORTHCOM and Mexican government to build disaster response training facility in Mexico City

    Mexico is located along a hot spot of seismic activity known as “the Ring of Fire,” which makes the country uniquely prone to certain natural disasters, like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The last major earthquake in Mexico was documented near Mexico City in September 2017. Mexico’s National Center for Disaster Prevention is in Mexico City and is always on alert and prepared to respond to the next disaster. To continue evolving their disaster response program, the Mexican government has partnered with the U.S. government to build Mexico’s new National School for Civil Protection.

  • June

    A barge is on the river with a crane placing rock on the river bank. Trees are in the background.

    River training structure repairs progressing on Missouri River: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law pivotal

    The flood of 2019 made apparent the need for extensive repairs on the Missouri River training devices – dikes and revetments – that direct the downstream flow into the navigation channel to keep it deep enough for boat traffic and generally clear of debris. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $248 million to repair those devices that are on the lower stretch of the Missouri River.