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  • March

    LA District Biologist Jon Rishi and LA District Park Rangers Connie Chan Le and Mai Linh Lawrence Skropanic take in the view across the Mojave River Dam basin in San Bernardino, California.

    Corps’ park rangers, engineers begin initial planning for security, restoration barrier at Mojave River Dam

    Set against the backdrop of the San Bernardino Mountains, the Mojave River Dam and its surrounding area is known for many things – its beautiful landscape filled with Joshua trees, desert flora and fauna, and the national scenic Pacific Crest Trail, an area frequented by hikers and equestrian riders. It also has become an area recreated illegally by off-road vehicle enthusiasts, an activity prohibited in and around the dam because the area is designated as a critical habitat for endangered species.
  • Jenn Rivo, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Mega Projects Division, Department of Veterans Affairs Branch, talks to leaders from the Corps of Engineers and the Department of Veterans Affairs during a Feb. 23 site visit to construction areas at the VA San Diego Healthcare System in La Jolla, California.

    Corps’ Military Programs director for Interagency, International Services tours Southern California Veterans Affairs’ projects

    The director of Military Programs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Interagency and International Services traveled to Southern California Feb. 23 and 24 to meet with representatives working on three different Veterans Affairs projects. The projects are managed by the Corps’ Los Angeles District.

  • February

    Col. Antoinette R. Gant commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, South Pacific Division, right, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey M. Beeman, former commander of the South Pacific Border District, left, case the colors during the District’s inactivation ceremony Feb. 25 in Phoenix. Gant served as the third commander of the former District before assuming the role as division commander.

    District cases colors during inactivation ceremony

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Border District cased its colors Feb. 25 during an inactivation ceremony in Phoenix. Division leaders gathered virtually and in person to reflect on the District’s historic accomplishments. “Today is about celebrating this incredible team and acknowledging the District’s contributions to the history of the nation,” said Col. Antoinette R. Gant, South Pacific Division commander and one of the former commanders of the District. “When the need was there, we rose to the occasion – and now it’s time to apply what we have learned to other missions.”
  • A contractor surveys the area before dredging operations start Feb. 17 in Ventura Harbor. Though parts of the beach adjacent to the project are available for recreation -- such as surfing visible in this photo -- large sections of the beach are strictly off-limits to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.

    Annual dredging of Ventura Harbor starts, with completion slated for mid-March

    Annual dredging commenced Feb. 14 in Ventura Harbor to deepen the federal navigation channel and sand traps to their authorized levels, with a scheduled completion timeframe of mid-March.

  • January

    Pictured is Whittier Narrows Dam, a flood-risk management and water-conservation project that serves as a central element of the Los Angeles County Drainage Area flood control system. With the help this dam and three others in the Los Angeles District’s inventory, stakeholders in Southern California captured approximately 30,000-acre feet of stormwater runoff valued at $25 million for local groundwater replenishment during heavy rainfall in December 2021.

    Corps dams help LA, Orange counties capture $25M in December stormwater runoff

    With the help of the Los Angeles District, stakeholders in Southern California captured approximately 30,000-acre feet of stormwater runoff valued at $25 million for local groundwater replenishment during December’s heavy rainfall.

  • October

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District project manager Trevor Snyder, foreground, briefs an early morning assembly of law enforcement, social services and community partners before the start of the two-week project, Sept. 27, in Whittier, California. The Corps cleared about 120 acres of riverbank.

    Corps river and creek cleanup project removes 575 tons of debris

    Work began daybreak on Sept. 27 in San Jose Creek. Contractors hauled trash, shopping carts, bundles of Arundo donax reeds used to build campsites, abandoned vehicles, propane tanks and gasoline cans from abandoned illegal campsites. Scores of big dumpsters were filled and refilled until the last semi pulled away.
  • Lesley Hill, Project Manager, Environmental Mitigation Program, OCTA, points out flora and fauna Sept. 16 at Trabuco Rose Preserve, a 396-acre parcel located in Trabuco Canyon. northwest of Rancho Santa Margarita, California It’s bordered by the Cleveland National Forest to the north and Trabuco Creek to the south, while Hickey Creek drains the western side.

    Corps partners with OCTA mitigation program to preserve Orange County natural habitats

    The case study, involving the Orange County Transportation Authority’s M2 Highway/Freeway Program, is a 30-year conservation planning and permitting program that began in 2005 and brought multiple local, state and federal agencies together.
  • Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general and 55th chief of engineers, center, signed a chief’s report Oct. 14 recommending the Port of Long Beach Deep Draft Navigation Plan to Congress at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C. The plan could be included in the next Water Resources Development Act. A separate bill to appropriate funding to the plan would also have to be passed by Congress for the plan to move forward to construction.

    Corps’ chief signs report to move Port of Long Beach deep-draft navigation project forward

    Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and the Port of Long Beach are one step closer to improving navigation efficiencies and safety for existing and prospective commerce within the port with the signing of a chief’s report for the project. The Port of Long Beach Deep-Draft Navigation Feasibility Report – which aims to improve and modify existing channels in the port by deepening them to accommodate larger cargo ships – was signed Oct. 14 by Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, the Corps’ commanding general and 55th U.S. Army chief of engineers, at the Corps’ headquarters in Washington, D.C.
  • Col. Julie Balten, right, Los Angeles District commander, joins David Van Dorpe, LA District’s deputy district engineer, in leading the district’s virtual town hall and end-of-year celebration Oct. 5, 2021, from the district’s headquarters building.

    LA District command team recognizes people, highlights accomplishments at end-of-year celebration

    The Los Angeles District command team took time out Oct. 5 to recognize district employees and highlight their countless accomplishments throughout the fiscal year during a virtual town hall and end-of-year celebration that was broadcast from the district’s headquarters building.

  • September

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District is working with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Arizona, to repair five levee systems using the Public Law 84-99 Rehabilitation and Inspection Program. Work is currently underway in the New River Dam outlet channel in Peoria. Here, Jim Terstriep (right), an LA District construction representative and Victoria Jurado, a district geologist, discuss the channel subgrade Sept. 28.

    New River Dam outlet channel repair benefits from emergency funding

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District is working with the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, Arizona, to repair five levee systems using the Public Law 84-99 Rehabilitation and Inspection Program.
  • Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard Maj. Gen. Kerry Muehlenbeck, center, discusses the importance of emergency response preparedness during a joint flood response exercise at the Arizona Emergency Operations Center Sept. 9 in Phoenix. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, and the Flood Control District of Maricopa County staff conducted a joint exercise to evaluate flood response preparedness. The training featured various flooding scenarios at the Painted Rock Dam located 120 miles southwest of Phoenix.

    Joint exercise based on historic Arizona flood

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and Flood Control District of Maricopa County staff joined forces Sept. 9 to host an emergency exercise based on historic flooding in the state.

  • August

    The Army continues to actively promote the iWATCH campaign with a simple theme, "SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING." This program provides our Soldiers, civilians, contractors and the military community the opportunity to report suspicious activity based on observed behaviors and activities.

    Antiterrorism Awareness Month: Corps leaders remind force to keep resources handy, stay vigilant

    It’s been nearly 20 years since this country’s deadliest terrorist attack on 9/11; however, Army leaders at all levels are highlighting Antiterrorism Awareness Month to remind all members of the force that’s no reason to reduce vigilance or become complacent.

  • July

    Richard Rivera, visual information specialist with the Los Angeles District, records Col. Julie Balten, LA District commander, and David Van Dorpe, district deputy engineer, as they host the 246th Engineer Day virtual observance from the district headquarters July 29, 2021.

    LA District leadership recognizes employees during virtual Engineer Day event

    For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s 246th Engineer Day observance, the commander joined the district deputy engineer in a virtual format July 29 via YouTube Live to recognize employees’ accomplishments and provide updates about the District and its projects.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Supervisory Civil Engineer Steve Dwyer and commander Col. Julie Balten discuss projects, June 29, 2021, at Ventura Beach, California. Ventura Harbor District is partnered with the Corps to maintain the busy harbor.

    LA District engineers visit projects in 3 California central coast counties

    Over the course of four long days on the road – June 28 to July 1 – senior leaders with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District met with city and county government representatives of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties during visits to multiple job sites.
  • City and port officials with the Port of Hueneme, along with representatives with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, begin loading onto a tugboat in the Port of Hueneme – in the shadow of a large cargo vessel – to take a tour of the harbor following a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the deepening of Port Hueneme Harbor June 28 at Port Hueneme, California.

    Corps, Port of Hueneme celebrate completion of harbor-deepening project

    Representatives with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, Port of Hueneme and the U.S. Navy, among other agencies, celebrated June 28 as officials cut the ribbon signifying the completion of the Port of Hueneme’s port-deepening project.

  • June

    Representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and contractors gather June 16, 2021, at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus to break ground on the new Spinal Cord Injury/Community Living Center.

    Corps of Engineers helps break ground on new Spinal Cord Injury/Community Living Center

    Representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and contractors gathered June 16 at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center campus to break ground on the new Spinal Cord Injury/Community Living Center.
  • Partners of the Lake Elsinore Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Study meet virtually June 7, 2021, to commemorate the signing of a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement, which kicked off the project. Pictured (left top to right bottom): Top row: Jason Uhley, general manager and chief engineer for the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District; Col. Julie Balten, LA District commander; Daria Mazey, project manager and lead planner with the Regional Continuing Authorities Program Production Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Lake Elsinore Mayor Bob Magee. Middle Row: Darrell Buxton, chief of the Civil Works Branch for the LA District; (together) General Manager Greg Thomas, Director Phil Williams, and Government Relations Officer Greg Morrison of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District; Elizabeth Fiocchi, chief of Programs and Project Controls with the LA District; and Jason Simpson, Lake Elsinore city manager. Bottom row: Rep. Ken Calvert of the 42nd Congressional District; Michael Luecker, planner with the LA District; and Nicole Dailey, assistant to the city manager of Lake Elsinore.

    Corps partners with multiple agencies to improve long-term health of Lake Elsinore

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, City of Lake Elsinore, and Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District partner to identify restoration projects for Southern California’s largest natural freshwater lake.

  • May

    Representatives of local, county, state and federal agencies gather near the Santa Ana River in Corona, California, May 27, 2021, to mark the official completion of the BSNF Railroad Bridge Pier Protection Project in Corona, California. The purpose of the project is to minimize risk to the bridge in flood conditions and during increased water releases from Prado Dam resulting from periods of heavy rainfall.

    Corps marks completion of $100-million bridge pier protection project near Prado Dam

    Representatives of local, county, state and federal agencies gathered May 27 to celebrate the official completion of the BSNF Railroad Bridge Pier Protection Project in on the Santa Ana River in Corona, California.
  • Staff Sgt. Jacob Wratchford (left) and Sgt. Eduardo Delacruz, Alpha Company, 249th Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are testing a San Carlos Irrigation Project's substation grounding May 19 by testing soil conductivity. The 249th is charged with the rapid deployment of U. S. Army generators to support worldwide requirements.

    Prime Power Soldiers assist San Carlos Irrigation Project

    Soldiers with Alpha Company, 249th Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, known as Prime Power, have deployed for a unique training mission with the Los Angeles District in Arizona.
  • Park Ranger Annel Monsalvo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, investigates one of dozens of abandoned campsites below the Santa Fe Dam, May 10, before crews arrive to clear out the debris.

    Corps removes about 250 tons of debris at Santa Fe Dam

    Amid dense vegetation and boulders at the foot of the Santa Fe Dam Spillway, the Operations Division with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District is clearing tons of litter and debris from a homeless encampment in Irwindale, California.