Omaha District History
The following are excerpts from the history book prepared in 2009 celebrating the District's 75th anniversary.
Much of the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District has been set forth in various historical documents as well as through oral renditions by long-time employees; the facts as represented here are accurate to the best of the agency's knowledge.
Civil Works (Chapter One)
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had an early introduction to the need for a Civil Works program along the Missouri River. In 1867, Captain Charles W. Howell of the Corps boarded a steamboat at Sioux City, Iowa, bound for Fort Benton, Mont. on a government survey of the river.
Preceded by a long line of explorers, Howell's mission differed in that he was sent to investigate improved navigation along the Missouri. With miners having discovered gold in Montana and military operations growing along the river, the government was ready to facilitate transportation on the upper Missouri.
With Howell's work, the Corps began efforts that led to the formation of the Omaha District
in 1934. Today, the District's Civil Works program is the largest in the continental United
States and second only to the Alaska District in area.
Between 1932 and 1957, the District built six main stem dams and many smaller dams along
Missouri River tributaries. These, along with a system of federal and private levees, protect urban and agricultural property and lives from the ravages of floods. The Omaha District estimates that this system has prevented an estimated
billions in damages in today's dollars.
Having begun with the mission of flood risk management, the Omaha District has shifted
the focus of its Civil Works program to address watershed and ecosystems for threatened and endangered species. The Missouri River Ecosystem Program is central to these efforts. One of the largest, most comprehensive studies in the nation, it examines the Missouri River basin in its entirety and what is needed to restore the ecosystem.
As part of this, the District is working with 13 agencies and more than 50 Tribes, all of whom have diverse interests in the area. Called the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee, the group evaluates how well river management efforts reflect the original intent of the Flood Control Act of 1944 and provides an
opportunity for stakeholders to share input on what remains an immensely complex river.
Military Projects (Chapter Two)
With World War II came the advent of the Omaha District's military group. Previously
under the Army's Quartermaster Corps, the mission was transferred to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Teams came together and ramped up to bolster the war effort by building bases that provided support for training programs and building airplanes.
Today, the Corps is the design and construction agent for the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.
The Omaha District's key military focus is the design, construction and revitalization of facilities essential to our nation's defense and the overseas contingency operations.
Over the past 75 years, Omaha District crews have been responsible for the design, construction, and operations and maintenance of facilities that prepare and care for the military personnel that keep our country safe. From Strategic Air Command Headquarters in Bellevue, Neb., to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., the District has proven itself capable of delivering the expertise necessary to produce the complex facilities that make protecting our nation possible.
Across the country and throughout the decades,
other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Districts
and branches of the military have repeatedly turned to the Omaha District for its unparalleled expertise in building structures, roads, runways and railroads that meet the needs of the changing dynamics of protecting our people and our
property at home and abroad.
Environmental (Chapter Three)
Post War Awareness
The signing of the peace treaties that ended World War II prompted a different direction in
the American economy. The nation no longer needed to place urgent demands on its natural resources in support of the war effort. As the country further developed its infrastructure, a new movement began to take hold – conserving, protecting and thoughtfully using our land, water and air.
Environmental Legislation
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 created the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Both of these led to an expanded mission for the Corps, particularly the Omaha District.
The Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 – or the "Superfund" Act – pumped $1.8 billion into toxic and hazardous waste cleanup within just five years. This put the spotlight on the Omaha District as it shared responsibility with the Kansas City District as the Corps' Mandatory Center of Expertise for Hazardous and Toxic Waste (HTW). Crews began cleanup work across the country at military installations, and current and former Department of Defense sites.
Innovative Talents, Innovative Processes
The growing expertise of the Omaha District proved itself time and again. Teams created
new, efficient and cost-effective ways to address the environmental challenges they faced.
The District formed its own Hazardous Toxic and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) group; a Rapid Response team that could react and be on site immediately to evaluate and contain a chemical rupture or spill; and development of Total Environmental Remediation Contracts (TERC), which significantly changed the way all Corps districts approached contracts for environmental remediation work.
On-going Expertise
Today, the Omaha District is a recognized expert and leader in environmental stewardship. The Corps has cleaned up millions of acres of land on hundreds of sites, improving the land, water and air quality along the way. And in the end, the District continues to make the country a safer, healthier place to live. |
