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Military working dogs to get new woof over their heads thanks to Omaha District
8/15/2019 UPDATED
If you were asked where the US Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District was building a new kennel for military working dogs, what would your guess be?Newfoundland? Barksdale Air Force Base?The answer is...
Managing Army Corps Water Resource Projects
6/26/2019 UPDATED
Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages thousands of water resource projects across the country. The Corps generates hydropower, supplies water to cities and industry, regulates development...
Getting to Know the Omaha District: Chuck McWilliams
6/20/2019
With more 700,000 square miles within its area of responsibility, the Omaha District’s 1,200+ employees bring very unique skillsets and experiences to the District’s broad mission set. Positions...
Corps of Engineers leveraging drone technology to capture imagery after flooding in Midwest
5/10/2019 UPDATED
In mid-to-late March, flood water covered much of eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and northern Missouri. Due to the extreme amount of water in the area, members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,...
Omaha District System Restoration Team in full swing bringing levee system back up
5/1/2019
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District responded to the devastating unregulated runoff event of 2019 by activating the Omaha Systems Restoration Team, whose mission is to provide regional,...
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  • September

    In 2010, high Elkhorn River flows caused extensive bank erosion and tree damage just upstream of County Road F and the Elkhorn River Bridge east of Scribner, Neb.

    Corps Section 14 project facilitates Scribner’s promising future

    In the spring of 2010, a major flood from the Elkhorn River caused the left river bank just upstream from County Road F and the Elkhorn River Bridge near Scribner, Neb. to erode back 200 feet and decimated an entire tree line several hundred feet long. The Corps' Section 14 Emergency Streambank and Shoreline Protection project will consist of a series of five spur dikes at various locations along the eroded bank. A construction contract was awarded in August 2014 to Iowa-based Niewohner Construction, Inc. for approximately $289,000. Once notice to proceed is given, the project is expected to take no more than six months to complete.

  • August

    Using the metal detectors of the day, USACE contractors in 2005, look for munitions at the former Lowry Bombing and Gunnery range near Denver, Colo.

    FUDS: Then to now... still charging ahead

    In 1982 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency made the clean-up of Baird McGuire the one of its top priorities. Who did they call? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Omaha District and its Environmental Branch, which took the “Superfund” assignment, hit the ground running, and more than 30 years later is renowned for its comprehensive expertise and clean up capabilities relative to hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste sites.
  • Homeowners Erich and Arlene Schwartz stand among just a couple dozen of the more than 67 volunteers from within the Omaha District Corps of Engineers, along with their family members, who donated their time, talents, and giving generosity to this year’s Paint-A-Thon 2014.

    Omaha District employees volunteer for a better community

    Twenty-six years ago, Brush Up Nebraska came to life as a community-based volunteer program that paints homes of qualified low-income elderly and low-income permanently disabled homeowners, in the Omaha Metropolitan Area. The upgrades to the home helps homeowners maintain their property, and beautify the community.
  • A statue in Vail, Colo., honors the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, that trained at Camp Hale, Colo., near the resort town. Pete Seibert, who helped to start the ski resort served with the 10th Mountain Division during World War II.

    Military Munitions Remediation at Camp Hale: the project, the history, the public

    Through the Department of Defense’s Formerly Used Defense Sites mission and under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is cleaning up contamination, addressing military munitions, and removing safety hazards caused by past activities near Camp Hale, Colo., where the Army trained for winter warfare from 1942 to 1965.
  • Raquel Santos, a librarian with the Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity Library, uses CONTENTdm® and follows a set of guidelines that establish what content qualifies for the library. Santos works with public affairs offices and district librarians to collect and catalog publications into the library.

    USACE publications begin moving to digital environment

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Digital Library is giving a permanent home to a large collection of publications, reports and documents prepared by districts across USACE. The materials within the collection include information by and about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. All content is contributed by offices throughout USACE and is enriched with metadata designated by its contributors and librarians. The digitized materials are uploaded into the CONTENTdm® Digital Collection Management System which allows for greater search and retrieval of items. The digital library is managed and maintained by the USACE Library Program.
  • The Vogele Super 1900-2 tracked paver being used by the Minot Air Force Base runway replacement asphalt subcontractor, Lagan, is a piece of equipment not commonly used in the central United States. The paver can set the base course, bring it to elevation, achieve up to 94 percent compaction and be used the next day to place asphalt. It is also capable of roller compacted concrete placement.

    Runway replacement project nearing completion

    The final phase of a three-phase $67 million program to completely replace the Minot Air Force Base, N.D., runway begain in April 2014. The $32.8 million construction contract is scheduled for completion in early October.

  • June

    Schuyler officials, Lower Platte North NRD members, USACE, and TJC Engineering break ground on the Schuyler flood risk management project. U.S. Army photo by Jennifer Salak, USACE, Omaha District, Outreach Specialist.

    Collaboration leads to flood risk solutions in Schuyler

    The first half of the month of June brought heavy rainfall to northeastern Nebraska including the community of Schuyler. Heavy storms the weekend of June 20 caused lowland flooding along Shell Creek reminding residents of Schuyler of the importance of constructing a new levee. The Shell Creek Levee project experienced work delays during the week of June 23 because of the increased precipitation and runoff. Ceremonial shovels broke ground in Schuyler March 27 and despite rain and chilly temperatures, warmth from smiles radiated from the project team.
  • Map of Uganda and the areas where the EWB-NE team constructed rainwater harvesting systems. Uganda’s population is 34.8 million people and it is located in east Africa north of Lake Victoria, one of the sources of the headwaters of the Nile River and the second-largest freshwater lake in the world. Kampala is Uganda’s capitol city and has a population of 1.5 million people.

    Engineering, more than a full-time job

    Engineers are needed around-the-world for their knowledge and expertise. Their skills and talents are honed through formal education and job experiences and many choose to share their talents through volunteering. Jennifer Davis, a hydrological engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is a volunteer with the Nebraska Chapter of Engineers without Borders (EWB-NE). In June 2013, a team from the EWB-NE spent two weeks in Uganda working on rain harvesting projects. Traveling to Uganda were eight representatives of the Nebraska chapter: two students, a student chapter advisor from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and five members of the Nebraska professional chapter, including Davis.

  • April

    Physical Anthropologist, Cathy Van Arsdale from the Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections in the St. Louis District, documents the condition of the arm bone and upper jawbone of the Wankel T.rex. She notes the condition of each element, which will be rechecked upon the collection's arrival in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History

    Delicate dance with a dinosaur

    There are dozens of elements within the collection including pieces that are at least 5 feet long and take up the length of an entire crate and pieces that are smaller than 5 centimeters, wrapped in foil and paper and stored in sealed plastic bags. Following a checklist that identifies the crate, the box, the body part, and the bone piece; the team photographs and inspects the condition of each fossilized bone.

  • March

    An ice jam pushes water levels close to the top of the levee in Greybull, Wyo. Sandbagging crews from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming National Guard had placed sandbags in low or threatened areas along the Greybull levee at the instruction of John Bartel who was providing technical assistance from the Omaha District. National Weather Service Photo

    Greybull Levee performs as designed reducing risks from ice jam flooding

    While snowmelt and ice jam flooding can occur at any time, they typically occur during early spring thaw. Any ice jam can cause flooding or rapid increases in water levels within a short time period. Residents living near these rivers are reminded to monitor reports closely for ice jam flooding and be prepared to relocate to higher ground if flooding occurs. The levee in Greybull, Wyo., reduced risks to the town during recent ice jam flooding.