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Archive: February, 2012
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  • February

    Members of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers look at aerial maps of the Mississippi River while conducting a tour to see the island creation process in action.

    Evolution of a new approach on how engineers design

    A temporary end to design and construction activities in Pool 8 will occur this summer as the Corps focuses on other areas of the Upper Mississippi River, including Pool 9, said Novak. The success of the Pool 8 project and other EMP projects have paved the way for new designs and construction techniques.
  • WABASHA, Minn. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District employees Al VanGuilder, left, survey technician, and Bill Chelmowski, marine machinery mechanic, use an airboat to measure ice on Lake Pepin, near Wabasha, Minn., Feb. 13, during the first Mississippi River ice surveys of the year. The district conducts the annual ice surveys to help the navigation industry determine when it is safe to break through the ice. Lake Pepin, located on the Mississippi River between Red Wing and Wabasha, Minn., is used as the benchmark because the ice melts slower in this area due to the lake width and the slower current.

    Old techniques record annual ice measurement changes in Lake Pepin

    In preparation for the navigation season, the district’s Fountain City, Wis., survey crew began annual Lake Pepin ice measurements Feb. 15.
  • Maj. Gen. John Peabody, Mississippi Valley Division commander, left, and Bill Csajko, project management, discuss the ongoing construction efforts at Tolna Coulee, near Tolna, N.D., during a site visit January 30, 2015. The Corps plans to complete the construction within the next six weeks.

    Despite winter conditions, the district continues Tolna Coulee outlet construction

    Amid rolling hills and a lake that continues invading communities in central North Dakota, lies a control structure here that the district is building to prevent catastrophic erosion.
  • Walking on water? Not quite. One aspect of the Corps of Engineers not often seen is our Environmental Management Program. Here, a bulldozer moves dredge material to create islands in the Mississippi River. Specifically, the Capoli Slough Habitat Restoration project is located in Pool 9, downstream of Lansing, Iowa, on the Wisconsin side of the river, where erosion from wave action and main channel flows is reducing the size of wetland areas. This has resulted in the loss of aquatic vegetation and the shallow habitats important for the survival of many species of fish and wildlife. The project is broken down into two stages, and consists of creating 12 islands, improving backwater habitat, bank stabilization and other measures to improve the habitability. Once completed, the project will be turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service for day-to-day management.

    Environmental Management Program reaches 25 years

    The Pool 8 Islands construction project on the Upper Mississippi River near Brownsville, Minn., is scheduled for completion this summer and the first stage of construction at Capoli Slough, downstream of Lansing, Iowa, is scheduled to start this spring. Both projects are part of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program, known as the EMP.

  • Gull Lake park rangers use teamwork to prepare for summer

    The Gull Lake Recreation Area, just north of Brainerd, Minn., has served as a district flood control project for the past 100 years. While the dam regulates the water levels on the chain of lakes, the park rangers that oversee the dam’s operations and maintenance take care of more than just the gate adjustments.