Eagan, Minnesota, resident receives national Army Corps of Engineers award

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters selected Alex Webb, an attorney with the Corps of Engineers’ St. Paul District and Eagan, Minnesota, resident, as its 2024 recipient of the E. Manning Seltzer Award for his work on the Upper Mississippi River Dredged Material Management Program.

The E. Manning Award is a national award named after the chief legal advisor to the Chief of Engineers and General Counsel of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1956 to 1977. The award recognizes an attorney who has made one or more special contributions to the Corps’ legal services mission through the development of a legal theory, a legal management innovation or practice or outstanding performance in solving a legal or management problem.

Webb was honored for helping solve a dredged material management issue on the Upper Mississippi River. His work resulted in a Section 217(d) agreement between the city of Wabasha, Minnesota, and the Corps of Engineers, the first of its kind for inland waters within the United States. The agreement allowed the Corps of Engineers to partner with the city of Wabasha to help manage the river sand removed from the 9-foot navigation channel within the greater Wabasha area.

“Alex demonstrates on a daily basis that he is a phenomenal attorney,” said John P. Carrell, district counsel for the St. Paul District, and Webb’s supervisor. “His innovative thinking and identification of a legal authority for the Corps to partner with the city of Wabasha to remove sand from the Mississippi River successfully helped resolve a complex situation for the district and will pay dividends for many years in the future. This is a very well-deserved award for Alex, and I could not be any prouder of his exceptional work on this project.” 

Webb is the deputy district counsel and has been with the St. Paul District since 2014. In addition to working in the St. Paul District, he has successfully completed temporary details with the Seattle District Office of Counsel and with the Legislative, Fiscal and General Law practice group in the Corps of Engineers’ Office of the Chief Counsel. Webb is a member of the Illinois Bar and has received numerous awards during his federal career, including the Corps’ 2018 Joseph W. Kimbel award for highest potential for legal achievement. Webb holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Louis University and a law degree from Vanderbilt Law School. 

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