Home / Media / News Stories

News Story Manager

  • September

    New Mound City south culvert.

    District Commander on the road (Part 4)

    This is the fourth installment of Col. Zachary Miller’s recent road trip around the district. Another culvert project was the impetus for this stop. Bobby Carlyle from our Caruthersville Area Office was also the USACE point man on this job. The Mound City to Cairo Levee is located along the Ohio River in the southern tip of Illinois and protects Mound City and Pulaski County, Ill. This project will replace an existing 30-inch diameter corrugated metal pipe with a 48-inch diameter reinforced concrete pipe. The culvert will also feature a flap gate to prevent backflow when water is high, and a sluice gate to prevent reverse flow.
  • Farrenburg levee project

    District Commander on the road (Part 3)

    This is the third installment of Col. Zachary Miller’s recent road trip around the district. This time he viewed work to replace a number of culverts under a levee and perform other work near New Madrid, Mo. The 15-mile long Farrenburg levee reduces the risk of backwater flooding along St. John’s Bayou. The project now underway will renovate and replace 18 culverts that cross under the levee. The purpose of the culverts are to keep flood waters out of the protected area, then allow any interior captured water to drain when water levels drop.
  • Danny Keating

    Keating, Taylor selected for MVD Emerging Leader Program

    Memphis District employees Danny Keating and Matthew Taylor received word earlier this month that they were selected to participate in the Mississippi Valley Division (MVD) Emerging Leader Program. A letter from Division Commander Maj. Gen. R. Mark Toy stated, “Your selection was based upon your demonstrated ability and potential in the areas of leadership, development, and management.”
  • Welcome to the District team

    Welcome to the District team

    Welcome to the District team Shanon Fortolis and Jeremy Ruffell
  • Marked Tree Siphons (or syphons)

    District Commander on the road (Part 2)

    This is the second installment of Col. Zachary Miller’s recent road trip around the district. At this stop he had opportunity to see and learn about Eastern Arkansas’ Marked Tree Siphons (or syphons) – a flood control facility the Memphis District built 80 years ago that is still in operation today!
  • Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller gets a firsthand look at how we use cutterhead dredges to keep river harbors open for business.

    District Commander on the road (Part I)

    Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller recently spent the better part of a week traveling through the district to view work in progress and meet with our many partners and stakeholders. We’ll follow along in this series of brief articles and photos.
  • Final inspection with the contractor

    Corps completes Randolph-Hatchie project

    The Memphis District completed final stone placement and final inspection for the Randolph-Hatchie Towhead Dike Construction project on Sep. 6. The project, located in Tipton County, Tennessee at Mississippi River mile 772, upstream of Richardson Landing Casting Field assists in maintaining a safe and reliable navigation channel for commercial towboats traveling on this particular area of the river. The District completed the $4.9 million Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Project funded work as part of its navigation channel improvement responsibilities.
  • Boyd takes ‘Taking Care of People’ to heart

    Boyd takes ‘Taking Care of People’ to heart

    We hear a lot these days about the importance of taking care of people. Revolving Fund Accountant Christopher Boyd recently translated this from mere words into valuable actions.
  • District employees receive stormwater training

    District employees receive stormwater training

    Forty-one employees from across the District participated in a class at Ensley Engineer Yard (EEY) Sept. 4 preparing them to receive stormwater certification. Memphis District Stormwater Coordinator Conrad Stacks organized the class taught by Tom Lawrence on behalf of Tennessee Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control.
  • Bailey Hunt receives Commander’s Award

    Bailey Hunt receives Commander’s Award

    Real Estate Review Appraiser Bailey Hunt received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service, Sept. 9, for work he performed for the Memphis District from May 2018 through September 2019. District Commander Col. Zachary Miller presented the award in his office, with Hunt’s Real Estate coworkers in attendance.
  • IN THE PHOTO, Memphis District Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Nathan Molica (left) and Jordan Bledsoe (right) greet Daniel Rocha upon his return home from a two year deployment with Task Force Essayons in Iraq. There he served as the Engineering Branch chief, a role for which he earned the Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

    Welcome Home Daniel Rocha

    Memphis District Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Nathan Molica (left) and Jordan Bledsoe (right) greet Daniel Rocha upon his return home from a two year deployment with Task Force Essayons in Iraq. There he served as the Engineering Branch chief, a role for which he earned the Department of the Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
  • Deputy District Commander Lt. Col. Nathan Molica presents Art Hamm with his Certificate of Retirement.

    Art Hamm retires after 63-year of combined federal service

    Memphis District employee Art Hamm retired on Friday, Aug. 30, capping an amazing 63 years of federal service. Before coming to work for the Memphis District in 1979, Hamm served for 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. He worked as an electronic technician at locations around the world including service in the Vietnam War. Following his retirement from the Air Force he completed another 40 years of service as an electronic industrial controls mechanic for the Memphis District.
  • Lauren Beasley, Action officer (left) and Alex Duckett, Mission Specialist (right), working at the South Carolina State Emergency Operations Center in Columbia making use of the front porch as they wait for an all-hands meeting to begin. Power Team members show great flexibility and patience as they prepare to help those affected by Hurricane Dorian.

    Memphis District Power Team deploys for Hurricane Dorian response

    Thirteen members of the Memphis District’s Power Planning and Response Team (PRT) deployed to South Carolina over the last few days to provide temporary emergency power in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.
  • Achievement Medal for Civilian Service

    Rowland earns Achievement Medal for Civilian Service

    Seth Rowland, a legal assistant summer hire, was awarded the Department of the Army Achievement Medal for Civilian Service just before returning to his studies at the University of Memphis School of Law. Rowland earned the medal for providing expert “legal computer engineering in supporting multiple takings lawsuits totaling over $1 billion in government exposure.”

  • August

    Memphis District Moving Dirt with its partners on the project.

    Trotters seepage remediation project underway

    Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller visited the Trotters Seepage Remediation Project on Aug. 26 to view work progress. The work site is located in Tunica County, Miss., near the community of Trotters. The project’s purpose is to reduce seepage under the Mississippi River levee to protected areas and prevent sand boil activity during periods of high water. The contractor, VuConn, LLC, is building a compacted earthen berm in an approximately 47-acre area in the bend of the levee. They are also installing six relief wells to relieve pressure in the aquifer during periods of high water. The existing drainage ditches will direct water to a pump station south of the project area where it can be transferred back into the river.
  • IN THE PHOTO, from left to right, are Cory Roberts (Electrician Leaderman), Joseph "Clay" Hurt (Carpenter), Mikel "Buck" Buchanan (Marine Mechanic), Kevin Woods (Chief of Plant Section), Chris Reger (Rock Island District Dredge Coordinator), and Marvin Roddy (Chief of Shops Unit).

    Survey Boat Clark repaired at Corps’ Ensley Engineer Yard

    A small army of skilled workers is completing work on the Rock Island District’s Survey Boat Clark after divers recovered it from a watery grave. Here’s what happened.
  • Daimon McNew (left) presents Ben Baddour with his Five Years Length of Service Certificate.

    Caruthersville Area Office team members recognized

    Area Engineer Daimon McNew recognized members of the Caruthersville Area Office team, Joanie Dodson, Michael Mann, and Ben Baddour, for their dedicated service during a Aug. 2 luncheon at Reelfoot Lake. McNew presented Joanie Dodson with the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award upon her retirement, culminating 37 years of service. McNew also presented Michael Mann with the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service. And, he presented Ben Baddour with his Five Years Length of Service Certificate.
  • Douglas earns Commander's Award for Civilian Service

    Douglas earns Commander’s Award for Civilian Service

    Workforce Development Specialist Wendy Douglas received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service during a Human Resources Forum Aug. 26. Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller presented the award that recognized her work from February 2018 through August 2019. The citation accompanying the award praises her “… persistent hard work, and technical expertise resulted in success of the District’s Workforce Management. She greatly improved the District’s hiring process, enabled the District to grow personnel end strength, and managed the training program for 100% of the District’s employees.” Douglas is leaving the Memphis District soon for a promotion with the Internal Revenue Service office in Memphis.
  • 1951 Dragline

    Memphis District awards contract for new dragline machine

    The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on July 10, 2019, awarded a $15 million contract to construct a new dragline machine to Seatrax, Inc., of Houston, Texas. Procurement of this new machine represents Phase I of a project to replace the current dragline machine. Workers will eventually mount the machine on a barge, allowing it to work from the river. A separate contract for the barge is set to open bids on Sept. 11, 2019.

  • June

    .

    MVM 2028 Initiatives: District team working to prevent electrical accidents

    With its 2028 Initiatives, the Memphis District is identifying and aggressively pursuing a range of innovative measures to equip it with the tools, training, and resources that enable it to deliver increasing value to the region and nation. One such initiative is its new Arc Flash Evaluation Project. The District has trained and resourced a team of arc flash analysis experts with the goal preventing electrical accidents at Corps facilities and sites.