LOS ANGELES — An Army senior leader joined a group of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leaders and subject-matter experts to tour two dams March 4 in USACE Los Angeles District’s area of operations.
Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, joined fellow USACE representatives with both the Los Angeles and Tulsa districts, as well as the South Pacific and Southwestern divisions, during his tours of Whittier Narrows Dam in Montebello, California, and Prado Dam in Corona, California, while receiving project updates.
Particularly relevant was the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification Project, which is intended to increase the dam’s capacity to more safely handle extreme storms. The USACE team made the best of their time to strengthen Kelly’s understanding of the project and the resources they need to deliver it.
The three-mile-long earthen-embankment dam is about 12 miles from downtown LA and protects about 1.25 million people in 25 municipalities who live and work between the dam and the Pacific Ocean.
PRADO DAM
Following his tour at Whittier Narrows, Kelly met with leaders from both districts and divisions for an updated overview of the completed and ongoing work at Prado Dam and the surrounding basin in Corona, California.
The project leadership team updated Kelly and other key leaders about the Santa Ana River Mainstem and Prado Dam Spillway Replacement projects, and associated environmental actions, explaining why performing the Prado Spillway/Dam Safety Habitat Mitigation is essential for implementation in 2025.
Following the brief, the team traveled to the top of the dam and spillway to provide Kelly with an up-close view of the projects.
For the Prado Dam Spillway Modification project, USACE plans to replace the existing spillway with a labyrinth weir design, as well as the spillway chute and walls; raise the spillway elevation from 543 feet to 563 feet and extend the auxiliary embankment and Prado Dam to the new spillway. The team plans to award a base integrated design and construction preconstruction services contract in April. This type of contract is a firm-fixed price agreement that outlines the services provided during the pre-construction phase of a project, including consultation, and may include an option for the construction phase at a firm-fixed-price with a maximum ceiling price.
The team also plans to award an environmental habitat mitigation contract in fiscal year 2025.
Projects in active construction under the Santa Ana River Mainstem project include the Lower Norco Bluffs Toe Protection, and work on the Alcoa and River Road dikes.
For the Lower Norco Bluffs, the contractor is completing the final punch-list items under quality assurance supervision. Both the Alcoa and River Road Dike projects are complete and in the12-month landscape maintenance period. All Operations and Maintenance manuals and real estate actions are in progress, supporting the project turnovers in 2025 and 2026.
Following his tour of both Whittier Narrows and Prado dams, Kelly said he was impressed by the work that had been done and was looking forward to seeing the projects completed.
“It is very clear these are two important projects for Los Angeles, USACE and the people that we serve,” Kelly said. “The importance was absolutely conveyed to me. It’s clear to me that there’s a lot of really good work that is taking place. It’s clear to me that there’s some innovation underway to make sure that we deliver. It’s clear to me that we’ve been thoughtful about getting the engineering right. It’s clear to me that we have been thoughtful about how we manage the schedules to get the project management right. It is clear to me we have been thoughtful about our acquisition strategies, and it’s clear to me that we’ve got the right team to deliver.
“I’m leaving impressed,” Kelly said. “I’m leaving with a clarity that I didn’t have when I arrived. … And now that I’m on the ground, I have met those who are going to deliver. I’m impressed, and I look forward to coming back and seeing the construction and seeing us deliver for the people.”
Learn more about the Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Modification Project by visiting https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Dam-Safety-Program/Whittier-Narrows-Dam-Safety-Modification-Project/. Learn more about Prado Dam at https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Asset-Management/Prado-Dam/.