MEDIA ADVISORY
PHOENIX — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District will present the Chief of Engineers Award of Excellence for Environmental Design to the City of Phoenix and representatives from the District’s Arizona-Nevada Area Office, Archer-Western Contractors, Ltd., and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., for work done at the Tres Rios Environmental Restoration Project, Phase II Flow Regulating and Overbank Wetlands, during a ceremony Nov. 1 at 9:30 a.m. in the Mayor's office, 11th Floor at Phoenix City Hall.
Rep. Ed Pastor and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton will give remarks during the ceremony. Col. Mark Toy, the Los Angeles District commander, will present the awards following the remarks. Toy will be available after the ceremony for media wishing to ask questions about the project.
The Tres Rios Environmental Restoration Project evolved from an early proposal for advanced nitrogen removal of effluent discharged from the 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant into a large scale habitat restoration, environmental education, flood control, and public recreation project. The project took shape in the early 1990’s as a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders including the Corps, City of Phoenix, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Department of Game & Fish, City of Avondale, Gila River Indian Community, the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Chief of Engineers Awards of Excellence program dates to 1965 when it was first held as the Chief of Engineers Distinguished Architectural Achievement Awards with ten entries, for which two awards were given. Since that time, it has evolved to include landscape design, the environment and sustainability initiatives. The combination of disciplines supports the Corps’ commitment to implementation of Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environment, Energy, and Economic Performance.
There will be an opportunity for members of the media who wish to visit the Tres Rios site for supporting imagery Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to noon. Media wishing to visit the site should contact Daniel J. Calderón, Los Angeles District Public Affairs Officer, at 602-230-6990 or via e-mail at daniel.j.calderon@usace.army.mil no later than Oct. 29 to schedule a time within the window of availability. Media wishing to cover the awards presentation should contact the USACE PAO no later than Oct. 30.
Release no. 12-017