Corps of Engineers to close Devils Lake, N.D., office

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is closing its doors at its Devils Lake, N.D., field office Sept. 30.

The Corps expects to complete the Devils Lake, N.D., flood mitigation project soon and the office is no longer needed to support the construction effort. St. Paul District staff established the local office in 1996 to oversee more than $200 million in construction efforts. At the height of construction, more than 25 Corps employees worked out of the office.

Projects supported from the office included the city of Devils Lake embankment project; emergency levees in Churches Ferry, N.D.; Minnewaukan, N.D.; and Spirit Lake Indian Reservation and the Tolna Coulee Control Structure, near Tolna, N.D. Other projects outside the Devils Lake area included the Minot, N.D., flood repairs and assistance for border patrol stations. 

“It is rare to be a part of such a challenging project that also gives the satisfaction of knowing you are contributing directly to the good of the community,” said Jim Peak, St. Paul District construction branch chief.  “The project was a true team effort. Our Corps staff worked seamlessly with the construction contractors, designers, city leaders and others to combat the rising waters of Devils Lake."  

The district will continue supporting the region from its Western Area Office in Fargo, N.D.

The nearly 650 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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