• December

    Scraping Barnacles Gives Salmon A Fighting Chance

    Army Corps employees scrape barnacle buildup along the filling tunnels at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, fulfilling a federal law requirement to help improve endangered salmon’s chances of survival, by reducing their potential for injury or death.
  • September

    USACE Debris Recovery Vessel Crew Earns Army Risk Management Award

    U.S. Army Corps debris recovery vessel wins Army Risk Management Award for keeping team safety and risk management practices at the forefront of everything they do.
  • August

    Architect of the Year transforms District training and knowledge sharing

    For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 2023 Architect of the Year, the best part of the job is helping others reach their full potential. “It’s rewarding knowing that other people are benefiting from the services that I can provide,” said Breanna McBride, a senior architect at the Seattle District.
  • July

    Developing long-term mitigation climate change impacts secures Team Award

    The Northwestern Division Columbia River Treaty Vulnerability Assessment Team earned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering and Construction Climate Champion Team Award for its substantial contributions to district, regional, and national climate product development, to help advance understanding of and preparation for future climate change in the Pacific Northwest.
  • December

    Commitment to tribal partners restores Shoalwater Bay Dune, protects Shoalwater Bay Tribe

    A partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe restores the Shoalwater Bay Dune on the Tokeland Peninsula, Washington, in time before the first major storm of 2022.
  • Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility opens on JBLM

    The U.S. Army Correctional Activity and the 508th Military Police Detention Battalion hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony, Dec. 1, announcing the opening of the Northwestern Joint Regional Correctional Facility.
  • November

    Game-changing refueling operations for JBLM helicopters

    A new $25.1 million airfield refueling facility became operational on Gray Army Airfield at Joint Base Lewis-McChord following a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 17. The new facility can refuel Army helicopters on three, hot-fueling pads without the helicopters having to shut down.
  • Passion and Purpose Take Priority at USACE

    Design engineer changes focus, from building luxury condos and corporate skyscrapers, to building projects that serve the community and give her a sense of purpose.
  • July

    Opportunities and Support Abound at the Corps

    Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is like “getting into the gates of heaven.”
  • May

    Striking a work-life balance is possible at the Corps

    Working for USACE allows me the satisfaction of being a part of projects that affect the American public, all while still being able to pick my daughter up from school.
  • January

    Former Resource Management Chief Bids Farewell to Army Corps and Federal Service

    Robert Frazier, Seattle District’s former resource management division chief, officially retired from federal government service Dec. 31, 2021.
  • December

    Army Corps Architect Creates Space for Minority Youth; Earns Black Engineer of the Year Award

    Allison Pride, lead architect with USACE Seattle District’s design branch, will receive the 2022 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) in the Modern-Day Technology Leader category, for her commitment to the future of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by developing cutting-edge technology or doing research for leading industries.
  • Army Corps Completes JBLM Airfield Runway Repairs Ahead of Schedule

    The construction of a single-span concrete arch at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Airfield, Tacoma, Washington, was completed ahead of schedule in February 2021. The reinforced concrete structure can withstand a 100-year stormflow compared to the 1950s design that could withstand a 50-year stormflow, and replaces two steel pipe culverts that began eroding and thinning out, causing major structural issues and debris blockages to the runway and the Clover Creek stream that ran beneath it.
  • November

    Army Corps, Yakima conduct flood response training

    COVID-19 may have put a damper on how training and meetings are conducted, but Seattle District flood team managers learn to adapt, overcome and even improve on this year’s spring flood exercises.
  • October

    USACE Seattle District Honors Legacy of First Female Lockmaster

    On Oct. 12, 2021, USACE Seattle District and employees at the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks held a memorial in honor of Victoria "Vickie" Shepard's 23 years of federal government service and being the first female lockmaster at the Locks.
  • September

    USACE Seattle District Praises Community Partners as Ballard Locks Fish Ladder Viewing Room Re-opens

    To commemorate the recent renovation of its fish ladder viewing room, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Seattle District held a ribbon cutting ceremony, Aug. 16, 2021, at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, known locally as the ‘Ballard Locks’ or ‘Locks.’
  • December

    New bridge restores full McChord airfield capabilities

    A McChord C-17 Globemaster III took off Dec. 22 over the new underground bridge to commemorate the reopening of the McChord Field runway to its full, 10,100-foot operational length. This follows the 11-month closure of almost half of the runway due to two failing culverts under the runway, taxiway and infield.
  • October

    District participates in Northwest Oil Spill Control Course

    As part of an international cooperation to prepare for a hazardous spill response on Puget Sound, Seattle District participated in the Northwest Oil Spill Control Course hosted by the United States Coast Guard, District 13 August 26-30. Other participants included National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington Department of Ecology, BNSF, ExxonMobil and the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation.
  • Protecting cultural site, minimizing impacts

    When erosion threatened a National Register-eligible archaeological site on Idaho’s Pend Oreille River, a Seattle District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ team went the distance to stabilize the bank and minimize construction impacts to adjacent wetland habitat.
  • January

    District conducts bat surveys as white-nose syndrome moves westward

    Working against time and the inevitable spread of a disease threatening bat populations across the country, Seattle District personnel are conducting wildlife surveys to determine which species live on Corps lands and if they are healthy.