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  • January

    Coast Guard Sector Commmander Capt. Jennifer Williams (2nd from right)hosts (from left) South Pacific Division Commander Brig. Gen. Mark Toy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commanding General Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick and Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kimberly Colloton for a waterborne tour of the Port of Long Beach and an inspection of repair work on its middle breakwater during the general's Jan. 15 visit to the port.

    Chief visits Port of Long Beach

    Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, visited the Port of Long Beach Jan. 15 to discuss interagency relationships and coordination with the port and the city

  • December

    Brig. Gen Mark Toy (4th from left) and Col. Kim Colloton (far right) join elected officials and agency representatives for the ceremonial ground breaking of Phase Two of the Murrieta Creek Flood Protection and Environmental Restoration Project Dec. 15 at the Temecula Community Center.

    Murrieta Creek flood reduction project moves to next phase

    Elected officials and agency representatives gathered Dec. 15 at the Temecula Community Center for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the next phase of the Murrieta Creek Flood Protection and Environmental Restoration Project.
  • David Van Dorpe, (right) deputy district engineer for programs and project management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, joins elected official and agency representatives for the ceremonial ribbon cutting marking the completion of the project to relocate the Santa Ana River Interceptor Line from below the river to higher ground outside the river's path.

    SARI Line dedication moves Prado Dam closer to completion

    CORONA, Calif. – More than 100 elected officials and agency representatives gathered here Dec. 11 at
  • The LA River flows rapidly after passing under the 6th Street bridge at 1 p.m. Dec. 2, 2014. Other areas of the river are narrower and a lot deeper.

    Every drop of water diverted helps Southern California

    Last week’s rain storm dumped a 24-hour period record accumulation here and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Los Angeles District helped the local counties capitalize on capturing some much needed water.
  • Soldiers from the Corps' Los Angeles District assist Habitat for Humanity of Orange County construct townhomes in Cypress during a community outreach activity coordinated by District Commander Col. Kim Colloton. The activity conducted just prior to Veterans Day will provide homes for 15 families, including two units dedicated for military veterans.

    Helping, habitat and humanity

    LOS ANGELES – Year’s end is often a time to reflect on events of the preceding year, spend time with

  • November

    A Connolly Pacific crane operator moves a 9-ton rock into position along the Port of Long Beach Middle Breakwater. Repair work on the breakwater is being accomplished under a Corps of Engineers contract to repair damage suffered in late August during heavy seas from Hurricane Marie.

    Port breakwater repairs underway

    Repair work has begun on the three Port of Long Beach/Los Angeles breakwaters that were damaged by heavy seas from Hurricane Marie in late August.

  • October

    Construction begins Oct. 8 in front of the unaccompanied housing office to improve facilities, thus improving the quality of life for Airmen living in the dorms.

    Fiscal year 2014 committed by USACE Los Angeles reach almost $200M; improve quality of life

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District was a busy place at the end of the fiscal year bringing total committed dollars to nearly $200 million for military real property sustainment, restoration, and modernization in the Southwest, according to the Military Programs Branch.
  • This segment of the San Luis Rey River immediately downstream from the Douglas Drive bridge shows the variety of vegetative management necessary to meet the Corps' requirement to reduce the risk of flooding while continuing to provide habitat for protected species.

    San Luis Rey River mowing reduces flood risk, protects habitat

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers concluded seasonal mowing along the lower stretches of the San Luis Rey River here on Oct. 24. The work will increase the flow conveyance in the river for the winter season should the area experience unanticipated rainfall, as well as conserve needed habitat for the federal and state listed endangered least Bell’s vireo.
  • Water flows into a wash which is part of the Arroyo Chico Drainage Area/Arroyo Chico Multi-Use Project built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District during a Sept. 8 rain event in Tucson. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry sent the L.A. District leadership a letter of appreciation thanking the District for the project because it kept the rain from flooding the downtown Tucson area.

    Pima County thanks LA District for their work in Tucson

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District received a letter of appreciation from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry following a Sept. 8 rain event in Tucson. Tropical Storm Norbert brought significant rainfall to Tucson and the Phoenix metropolitan area. The letter thanked the District for its work on the Tucson Drainage Area/Arroyo Chico Multi-use Project.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District recognized Carlos Gomez, an administrative assistant who works in the Programs and Project Management Division, during this month’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month observance. Although Gomez sustained life-changing injuries resulting in his disability, he continues to exceed his personal expectations and physical limitations. “I drive still, I cross country ski, I’m certified as an advanced underwater scuba diver. Rock climbing, mountain biking, zip lining; you name it, I will do it,” Gomez said. “There is nothing I can’t do and I will continue to push harder with a prosthetic leg.”

    District recognizes National Disability Employment Awareness Month

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District recognized one of its own employees during this month’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month observance with a special video presentation.
  • The participants of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division fiscal year 2014 Regional Leadership Development Program; Ondrea Hummel, Hunter Merritt, Derek Morley, Beth Salyers, Jacob Hensel, Rueben Saski and Jim Mazza, gather for a photo after their graduation ceremony at Fort MacArthur Oct. 21.

    Division graduates more leaders

    The Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division doesn’t wait for leaders to show up, it grows and mentors people to fill leadership roles. Seven new leaders are emerging from a graduation of the Regional Leadership Development Program - Tier III for Fiscal Year 2014 at a ceremony held at Fort MacArthur Oct. 21.
  • "With a clean slate, we intend to seek public input on a replacement mural, so expect to hear about those future opportunities over the next several months," said Col. Kim Colloton, commander of the Corps' Los Angeles District "We won’t wait for the spillway to be raised."

    Santa Ana River conference addresses future challenges, spillway mural

    Nearly 200 members of the scientific and environmental communities gathered at the sixth annual Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority conference held here Oct. 14 to discuss the future of the Santa Ana River and how public agencies and private enterprise can work together to meet the challenges a changing environment and growing population will present to those who rely on the river for its precious water.
  • The hydraulic cutter-head suction dredge H.R. Morris digs up sediment from the Channel Islands Harbor entrance Oct. 14. Seattle-based Manson Construction, the Corps' contractor for the $4.3 million project, will pipe the material to nearby Hueneme Beach to replenish sand lost to erosion.

    Channel Islands dredging begins

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Deputy Engineer David Van Dorpe joined Rep. Julia Brownley and local officials here Oct. 14 to celebrate the start of maintenance dredging at Channel Islands Harbor that will replenish sand at nearby Silver Strand and Hueneme beaches.

  • September

    Capt. Adam Z. McGinnis, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s deputy area engineer for the Arizona-Nevada Area Office, speaks with a group of students from Phoenix area schools during a Science Technology Education and Math event held Sept. 25 at the Phoenix Convention Center by Ten80 Education. The event was one of ten expositions Ten80 held across the country in 2014 where students actively engage in workshops, demonstrations and a one-day points race for pride and prizes and both students and teachers could evaluate the National STEM League curriculum, collaborative network and optional competition league.

    USACE participates in Phoenix STEM event

    Capt. Adam Z. McGinnis, the deputy area engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District's Arizona-Nevada Area Office, and 1st Lt. Luke Ritz, a project engineer at the District’s Fort Huachuca Resident Office, participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math event held Sept. 25 at the Phoenix Convention Center by Ten80 Education, a national program aimed at cultivating STEM skills in youth.
  • Fran Firouzi, a project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, discusses the next phase of cleaning up properties which were formerly part of the Kingman Ground-to-Ground Gunnery Range at a Sept. 9 public meeting in Kingman, Ariz. The District is planning to conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the areas surrounding the properties which were cleaned up during the previous remediation phase to determine if any FUDS-related contaminants are present at those properties.

    Corps holds meeting in Kingman on FUDS project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District held a public meeting Sept. 9 in Kingman to discuss the next phase of cleaning up properties which were formerly part of the Kingman Ground-to-Ground Gunnery Range. Firouzi and other District representatives present at the public meeting said the work should be completed within the next two years.
  • Workers with West Point Construction move material into place Sept. 18 as they continue emergency operations on the levee in Duncan, Ariz. The company was the contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s response team in response to a request from the State of Arizona’s Division of Emergency Management for assistance to help prevent a levee from breaching during a severe rainstorm which came as a result of Tropical Storm Odile.

    Corps aids Duncan flood fight

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District dispatched personnel Sept. 17 to assist the town in southeast Arizona with its flood fighting efforts during a rain event there.
  • The Middle Breakwater is an 18,500 foot long, detached breakwater functioning as a major structure that protects the Port of Long Beach. Hurricane Marie caused eleven major damage areas (breaches or near-breaches) and 39 other areas of significant or moderate damage. In total, repairs are needed for 1,550 feet of major damage areas, 850 feet of significantly damaged areas and 1,725 feet of moderately damaged areas.

    Breakwater protects harbor from hurricane surf

    In late August, Hurricane Marie spent nearly a week churning off the coast of Mexico and Southern California. While it did not directly impact land in either country, the effects of the Category 5 hurricane were significant and costly. Los Angeles-Long Beach Harbor, located approximately 25 miles south of downtown Los Angeles in San Pedro Bay, is home to two high-use ports: the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. The ports are protected by three breakwaters: San Pedro Breakwater, Middle Breakwater, and Long Beach Breakwater.

  • Corps holds public meeting on Mount Charleston temporary flood structure

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District held a public meeting with officials from the USDA Forest Service, the State of Nevada and other local agencies at the Mount Charleston Volunteer Fire Department Engine Station #81 Sept. 12 to discuss the upcoming berm and diversion channel the District will be constructing.
  • Program leaders for California’s new Silver Jackets team Terri Wegener (left), with the California Department of Water Resources, and Judy Soutiere (right), with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, pose with DWR Deputy Director of Integrated Water Management Gary Bardini and Sacramento District Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Braden LeMaster after a ceremony celebrating the new team in Sacramento, California, Nov. 4, 2013. The Silver Jackets program is designed to improve coordination, collaboration and communication among disaster-response agencies at all levels of government before a disaster strikes to hasten recovery. California is the 40th state to establish a Silver Jackets team.

    USACE California Districts help earn Silver Jackets award

    Two members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District are part of a team which won the National Silver Jackets Team of the Year award. The California team received the award at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Senior Leader Conference in August “for overcoming challenges of initiating a Silver Jackets team in the most populous state in the U.S.”

  • August

    Sandra Willis (left), the USACE 2014 Landscape Architect of the Year, inspects the stone seat wall and grading for pond and landscape berms at the Tujunga Wash Ecocycstem Restoration Porject.

    Willis named Corps' 2014 Landscape Architect of the Year

    Sandra Willis, a registered landscape architect for the Los Angeles District’s Civil Design Branch, has been honored as the 2014 USACE Landscape Architect of the Year. The Corps’ Architecture,