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Kansas City District News Stories

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Author: Christine E. Paul, Public Affairs Specialist
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  • September

    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.

  • 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.
  • 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.

  • June

    The Missouri River can be seen flowing with trees on either side and a blue sky in the background.

    Untapped Possibilities: Could navigation on the “Big Muddy” provide clean solutions for a more sustainable future?

    The words “green” and “clean” are likely not the first that come to mind when thinking of ground transportation in the U.S. Trucks on the interstate and railroads are probably what come to mind first, but the greenest and cleanest form of ground transportation is one that often gets overlooked: waterway navigation. As the oldest form of transportation, navigation on U.S. waterways is not a new concept. At face value, navigation of the nation’s waterways and environmental sustainability may not seem to be related. Except they are, as navigation has very little negative impact to our environment.

  • May

    Shoreline can be seen of Harlan County Lake with trees in the left background and the lake in the right background.

    More than meets the eye: Harlan County Lake completes projects to protect cultural sites

    At first glance, the new rock, also called riprap, that has been placed along the banks of Harlan County Lake, Nebraska, might not look like much. However, this seemingly insignificant riprap plays a critical role not only in the mitigation of further shoreline erosion, but also in the protection and preservation of two cultural sites at the lake. Over 11,000 feet of riprap was placed along the shoreline of Harlan County Lake earlier this year. After the 2019 flood, areas of the lake’s shoreline had eroded 50 to 100 feet, with some areas having eroded as much as 400 feet since 1985. Even without experiencing flood conditions, the lake’s shoreline is susceptible to erosion.

  • April

    A woman sits on a bench in front of tree and smiles.

    Lasting Impressions: Kansas City District establishes district-wide Summer Student Intern Program

    As the school year winds down, many college students will be focused on finals and making plans for the summer. For those looking for professional experience in the form of a summer internship, there are seemingly endless options available. The difficult choice may not be if they should do a summer internship, but where and with whom. The Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to attract some of these students with its newly established Summer Student Intern Program. There are separate intern programs within the Kansas City District, and although there have been summer interns in the past, 2023 will be the first year the program is district-wide. Previously, each division or section in the district oversaw their own summer intern program. Now, the program will be standardized so that all student interns have a similar experience.

  • March

    A man stands in the foreground with a virtual reality set on his face and holds a controller while standing on a green screen. Several people are in the background watching.

    Technology Management Office: improving USACE partnerships through innovation

    Imagine if you were told that a new software platform could save you 40% of the time you currently spend on administrative tasks at work. What could you do with that extra time? That is the exciting question that many within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might be asking themselves when a new construction management platform is released to the enterprise. The Technology Management Office, or TMO, a branch of the Construction Management Innovation Office within USACE Headquarters, is working hard to develop and deliver a new construction management platform. The new platform will be designed to foster a more efficient, collaborative working environment by streamlining and modernizing current construction management processes.
  • A man stands behind a podium and presents a training which is displayed on a projector screen in the background.

    Setting the standard: Kansas City District recommits to delivering quality

    Since its inception, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, has worked hard to solidify itself as a trusted federal partner who engineers quality projects for the nation. Within the organization, a select few districts have taken the commitment to quality a step further. The Kansas City District is one district that puts quality above all else. One way the Kansas City District ensures quality remains at the forefront is by providing district-wide training. Leadership at the district required all Kansas City District employees to attend the Project Delivery Business Program, or PDBP, training during the first quarter of 2023.

  • February

    A portrait of a woman smiling from the shoulders up.

    Coming full circle: three Kansas City District employees awarded at 2023 BEYA Conference

    Every year the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Conference is held and honors professionals for their excellence in the STEM field. This year, the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers celebrated three employees who were awarded at the conference, held on Feb. 9 to Feb. 11, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The winners from the Kansas City District were Beatrice Nwafor, LyTreese Lee and Arthur Saulsberry. Although all three winners are at different stages in their careers, being recognized and awarded at the 2023 BEYA STEM Conference was a full circle experience for each of them.