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  • September

    Jose Rocha (right), the Corps' lead engineer on the Murrieta Creek project, describes its current status to Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kirk Gibbs, during a Sept. 23 visit to the project. The visit included discussions with Dusty Williams, the general manager and chief engineer of the Riverside County Flood Control & Water Conservation District, about the ongoing work in the channel and the goals and obstacles to providing long-term flood risk reduction for the area’s residents and businesses.

    Work on Murrieta Creek project begins

    Col. Kirk Gibbs, commander of the Corps’ Los Angeles District, met with local representatives in Temecula on Sept. 23 to discuss upcoming work on the Murrieta Creek flood risk reduction project.
  • Col. Kirk Gibbs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District commander,John Keever, USACE Los Angeles District chief of construction, and Capt. Evan Nelson, project engineer discuss design features at the Weed Army Hospital replacement project site. Gibbs, toured several District projects at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, during a visit to the fort Sept. 9-10.

    District commander tours Fort Irwin construction projects

    Col. Kirk Gibbs, the commander of the Los Angeles District, toured several District projects at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, during a visit to the fort Sept. 9-10
  • Col. Kirk Gibbs, Los Angeles District commander, presents the Joseph W. Kimbel Award to Lillian Dampios Sept. 8 in Los Angeles. The award recognizes the lawyer who demonstrates the highest potential for future legal achievement within the Corps.

    District lawyer earns national recognition

    The Joseph W. Kimbel Award recognizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers attorney who demonstrates the highest professional potential for future legal achievement.

  • August

    Veronica Li (foreground) and Sophia Ma (background) take California Rapid Assessment Method measurements in San Diego Creek in Orange County for the Orange County Transit Authority Measure M2 Freeway Program. (Photo courtesy of Sarvy Mahdavi, US EPA)

    Veronica Li honored as top Corps regulator

    Veronica Li, a senior project manager in the Los Angeles District’s Regulatory Division, received the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Don Lawyer Regulator of the Year Award during a ceremony held Aug. 6 in Washington D.C.

  • District employee receives top honor

    Chief of the Construction Division for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District is the 2015 Lt. Gen. John W. Morris Civilian of the Year winner.
  • Mike Ternak of the Los Angeles District is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 2015 Sustainability Hero Award winner in the GreenGov Presidential Awards Program.

    District home to Sustainability Hero Award winner

    PHOENIX – Mike Ternak of the Los Angeles District is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 2015

  • July

    Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, commander of the Corps’ South Pacific Division, placed the Corps of Engineers flag into Gibb’s hands at the ceremony. In military tradition, passing the flag represents the transfer of command. The change of command ceremony today was held at the Community Center, Fort MacArthur, in San Pedro, California. Col. Kim Colloton relinquished command to Col. Kirk Gibbs during this traditional Army ceremony. Gibbs took command following an assignment as assistant deputy operations director within the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon. He is the 61st commander of the District. "To the employees of the District...," said Gibbs, " I will give you nothing less than my very best for the next three years, that is my commitment to you."

    61st LA District commander takes the reins at a Fort MacArthur ceremony

    Col. Kirk Gibbs assumed responsibilities as the 61st Commander and District Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District during a formal change of command ceremony held July 31 at the Community Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California.
  • The Kirtland Demolition Bombing Range is extremely difficult to access. It is only accessible by foot via an approximate 4 hour one-way hike suitable for advanced hikers only.

    What do FUDS look like?

    Roughly 9-square miles of present day El Malpais National Monument are considered a Formerly Used Defense Site, because of the land's use as the Kirtland Demolition Bombing Range during WW II.
  • This is a view of the Sepulveda Dam from inside the basin where water collects during rain storms. The left side of the dam shows the spillways where the gates will be tested and the right side shows the outlet passages into the Los Angeles River.

    Corps of Engineers tests Sepulveda Dam crest gates Monday

    On Monday, July 27 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., USACE will perform operational testing on the Sepulveda Dam spillway crest gates. The crest gates block off the spillway to provide additional, temporary storage during an extreme storm event.
  • The mitigaton project next to Whelan Lake in Oceanside will provide seasonal flooding to reestablish a wetland environment. This section of one of the completed ribbon channels adjacent to the San Luis Rey River will allow water during rain events to flow around several islands that were left in place to provide habitat for endangered species.

    Workshop improves mitigation process knowledge

    Because the nation’s environmental rules and regulations are frequently revised, it is often difficult for permit applicants to incorporate the most recent guidelines into their work. To help improve this process, members of the Los Angeles District’s Regulatory Division conducted a compensatory mitigation workshop July 16 at the District’s headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.

  • District completes Mount Charleston Storm Water Diversion Project

    The project is designed to help divert rain flows and debris running off the side of the mountain and away from communities to mitigate damage to neighborhoods and critical infrastructure until native vegetation can reestablish itself.

  • May

    Members of the Los Angeles District participate in the 56th Annual Torrance Armed Forces Day parade May 17.

    LA District shows off in Torrance

    Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District participated in the 56th Torrance Armed Forces Day Parade with the Emergency Command and Control Vehicle, Bobber, the District leaders and the safety vehicle wrapped in Bobber colors!
  • Fire and rescue vehicles from the Nogales Suburban Fire District cross the newly opened Nogales Wash Bridge April 17 in Nogales, Arizona. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District constructed the $4 million bridge after the original structure was removed in 2008 as part of a flood control construction project.

    Bridge connects community, historic thoroughfare

    The new Nogales Wash Bridge is a two-span, I-girder concrete construction with grouted riprap both upstream and downstream to enhance durability of the structure and flood handling capacity of the channel.

  • April

    Officials cut the ribbon ceremonially marking the completion of the final phase of the Tucson Drainage Area/Arroyo Chico Multi-use Project at Tucson High School April 16. The $5 million segment was completed in 11 months and will greatly reduce flood risk for more than 1,000 residential, commercial and industrial structures with an assessed value of over $300 million.

    Corps completes High School Wash Box Culvert

    The High School Wash Box Culvert is the latest phase of the Tucson Drainage Area/Arroyo Chico Multi-use Project completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. This milestone was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the campus of Tucson High School April 16.
  • TEMPE, Ariz. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division Commander Brig. Gen. Mark Toy speaks with students and faculty members from the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment and the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University here April 15. The day featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SPD, LA District and ASU that emphasizes the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

    Corps signs MOU with ASU

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division Commander Brig. Gen. Mark Toy and Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kimberly Colloton signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the School of Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment and the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University here April 15.
  • A jagged crack near the base of a bluff at Encinitas, Calif., is an early indication that the bluff will fail. A Corps study for Encinitas and nearby Solana Beach proposes restoration efforts to protect the shoreline, making circumstances such as this less likely.

    Civil Works Review Board Approves Encinitas-Solana Beach Project

    Following an April 21 presentation in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board approved the release of the final integrated report and environmental impact statement for the Encinitas-Solana Beach Coastal Storm Damage Protection Project.
  • Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, commanding general of the USACE South Pacific Division and Don Knabe, Los Angeles County supervisor, presented a scroll to Ron Weiss, a former USACE employee who worked on the marina since its beginning in the 1950s at a ceremony April 10. USACE workers were recognized at Marina del Rey's 50th Birthday Bash for the design and work efforts in taking and keeping Marina del Rey from the duck hunting marsh it was into the marina it is today.

    USACE South Pacific Division helps Marina del Rey celebrate 50 years

    Amidst the tall ships’ cannon battle and sword fights at Marina del Rey April 10, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped celebrate a 50th Birthday Bash.
  • Attendees at the Prado Dam mural public meeting held April 9 at the Corona High School Performing Arts Center talk about the the Bicentennial mural, its significance to the local area and the nation at large, and their desire to it replicated.

    Prado Dam mural meeting draws community interest

    A public meeting held here Thursday evening to discuss the future of the Bicentennial mural on the Prado Dam spillway attracted more than 200 attendees, many of whom made impassioned statements about their desire to see the original mural restored.
  • Crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Operations and Maintenance branch began their annual clean-up and maintenance of the Mojave Dam in San Bernardino, California, March 24. The crews removed trash and debris from the dam and surrounding access roads.

    District begins Mojave Dam annual maintenance

    Crews from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Operations and Maintenance branch began their annual clean-up and maintenance of the Mojave Dam in San Bernardino, California, March 24. The crews removed trash and debris from the dam and surrounding access roads

  • March

    Temporary Housing Planning and Response Teams from across the U.S. inspect a site in Los Angeles for a possible temporary housing site if needed for an emergency. The District’s Emergency Management office here hosted the biannual training for six USACE Temporary Housing Planning and Response Teams from March 8 to March 12. The teams that shared in the training came from Huntsville, Saint Paul, Huntington, Jacksonville, New York and the Los Angeles Districts.

    USACE housing teams visit LA District, prepare for deployment

    During times of disasters, many families, emergency responders and offices find themselves displaced with no place to hang their hats and the Federal Emergency Management Agency works with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers housing teams to shelter them.