U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its Upper Mississippi River Restoration ( ) Program partners are in the early stages of planning for a habitat rehabilitation project on the Mississippi River in Pool 18 and are seeking public input through Oct. 9.

The Pool 18 Forestry project is being constructed in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project area includes mature forested wetlands, floodplain habitat, sloughs, and backwater wetlands in Pool 18 of the Upper Mississippi River between river miles 434.8 and 420.2.

A short video about the project and its objectives is available here: https://dvidshub.net/r/7yezep

Public comments are being accepted through Oct. 9 via the website here: https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Stewardship/Upper-Mississippi-River-Restoration/Habitat-Restoration/Rock-Island-District/Pool-18-Forestry/

Twenty-three years ago terrorists unleashed an attack on the United States. Hundreds of USACE employees volunteered to help our nation recover from those attacks. These are just a handful of the stories from some of those that answered the call.

USACE Employees Recall Response Efforts to 9-11 Twenty years ago terrorists unleashed an attack on the United States. Hundreds of USACE employees volunteered to help our nation recover from those attacks. ...

Twenty-three years ago terrorists unleashed an attack on the United States. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mobilized in the aftermath of the attack and, under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and New York City, helped respond, recover and rebuild. At the Pentagon, active-duty Army Engineers helped stabilize the building and search for survivors and victims. Hundreds of USACE employees volunteered to help our nation recover from those attacks.

As we observe the 23rd anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we honor the memories of those we lost. To all who supported the response effort, in ways large and small, we are grateful for your service. We will never forget.

With a new school year upon us, do you now have a 4th grader in your family or are you a 4th grade teacher?! If so, make sure they get their Every Kid Outdoors pass which grants the entire family free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters across the country for an entire year!

Just click here to get the process started: https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm

Today the Rock Island District hosted a visit from the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement) Ms. Megan Dake and her team. The visit allowed the DASA(P) leadership team to learn about several projects the District is involved in including the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, the Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, the Southwest Coastal Louisiana Non-Structural Solutions Program and Advanced Contracting Initiative Debris Management Services.

Ms. Dake and her team also had a chance to tour Locks and Dam 15 and get a close up view of the inland navigation system at work!

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students - be on the lookout for our recruitment team as they will be on campus this week! Check with your career center for more information on the upcoming career fair.

For anyone else interested in joining our team at the Rock Island District, check out our careers page here: https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Careers/

When out on the water, it's important to remember lockage priority when it comes to our lock system. Here are the priorities on the Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway within the Rock Island District:

1. U.S. Government vessels
2. Commercial passenger vessels
3. Commercial tows
4. Recreational craft

It's time for another edition of 'Then & Now'! Today we take a look back at Starved Rock Lock and Dam on the Illinois Waterway. The original photo takes us back to construction of the structure in May of 1930, with the present day photo taken earlier this year.

Recently, Rock Island District's heavy lift crane Quad Cities and crew assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District with miter gate replacement at Lock and Dam 10, near Guttenberg, Iowa. All four miter gates were nearly 90 years old and replacements like this ensure the life of the lock and dam system for years to come.

Labor Day may mark the "unofficial end of summer", but that doesn't mean that camping season is over!

Most of the campgrounds within the Rock Island District are open at least until the end of September with several open deep into October!

Visit https://www.recreation.gov/ to make your fall reservations now!

Today, we honor millions of hard working Americans.

Happy Labor Day!

Thanks to all of our USACE professionals who support our mission to deliver vital Engineering solutions for our Nation’s toughest challenges. ESSAYONS!

A great piece of history brought to you by our friends at the Rock Island Arsenal Museum!! Thanks for sharing!

in 1863 excavation began on Storehouse A, the first permanent Arsenal building. It was designed by the first commander of Rock Island Arsenal, LTC Charles Kingsbury.

Today we known Storehouse A as the Clocktower and it is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District.



[Pictured: Black and white sketch of Storehouse A, ca. 1868. The Ft. Armstrong headquarters building is pictured in the foreground]

If you plan to be out and about on the water this weekend, please remember to avoid the Restricted Areas above and below all dams. Restricted areas are 600' above and 150' below the dam on the Mississippi River and at LaGrange and Peoria on the Illinois Waterway. All other dams on the Illinois Waterway have restricted areas of 600' above and 400' below the dams.

Dam safety is a shared responsibility. You are encouraged to know your risk, know your role and be prepared to take action.

Fish monitoring continues at Lock and Dam 22 as part of the Navigation and Ecosystem Restoration Program (NESP) fish passage project. Over 1,000 fish have been tagged since May 2023 with monitoring taking place both above and below LD22 in the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers. Fish monitoring for this project is critical to inform and improve the design and effectiveness of the project and future fish passage projects.

Check out some of the fish movements here: https://usace.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getfile/collection/p16021coll3/id/1294

It's Welcome Wednesday and today we welcome Sydney Jones! Sydney is a Structural Engineer that will be joining our Design Branch. Welcome to the team Sydney, and best of luck in your new position!

Did you know that there are all kinds of uses of our recreation areas? One of our lesser-known projects is the Farmdale Reservoir, part of the Farm Creek Flood Control Project. Farmdale is a dry reservoir, meaning that there is only water in the area when Farm Creek exceeds the capacity of the culvert in the dam.

As this area is usually dry, there are several recreational activities available, including mountain biking! In association with the Peoria Area Mountain Biking Association (PAMBA), several events are hosted on the bike trails throughout the year, but when not in use for an event, these trails are open to the public! Check out PAMBA's website for trail maps and more information: https://www.pambamtb.org/farmdale-reservoir

Farmdale XC Race 2024 Musicbed SyncID:MB01XDC2YUELIOB

Recently, Rock Island District Emergency Management Chief Sarah Jones officially received her award for being named the 2023 USACE Emergency Manager of the Year!

Jones received this award for her prodigious response and recovery accomplishments during the year, including response to the 2023 Upper Mississippi River flood event, leading rehab efforts of nine flood damaged levees, and deploying to the Maui Wildfire Recovery Field Office (RFO) multiple times including twice as the Operations Chief and once as the RFO Deputy.

Today our nation celebrates Women's Equality Day! Women's Equality Day is observed on the 26th of August and commemorates the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.

Women comprise almost 18% of the total Army and 36% of the USACE civilian workforce. Our nation wouldn't be the land of opportunity without the immeasurable impact and historic achievements of women Soldiers and Civilians.

Today is a day to give gratitude to those influential women in your life and those who excel as leaders in our society. We thank all of the outstanding women working for the Rock Island District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers!

Today, the Rock Island Arsenal announced that the Government Bridge, which passes over the Mississippi River and Locks and Dam 15, will be reopen for normal operations beginning Thursday, Aug. 29.

Earlier this week, the Rock Island District hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Starved Rock Breakwater Project, part of the Navigation and Ecosytem Sustainability Program. Rock Island District Commander Col. Aaron Williams, Project Manager Colin Ewan and Illinois Department of Natural Resources Assistant Director Todd Strole all addressed the crowd and were joined at the event by representives from the offices of Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17).

The goal of this project is to support a resurgence of aquatic vegetation, increase the quantity and quality of resting and feeding habitats for migratory waterfowl and improve spawning and nursery habitats for native fish species.

Be sure to check our post from earlier this week to see a flyover of the completed project!

August is Antiterrorism Awareness Month throughout the Army. Know your surroundings, stay alert and when in doubt - Report. Always Ready - Always Alert!

On Saturday, Locks and Dam 15 in Rock Island, Illinois, once again welcomed hundreds of paddlers as part of the "Floatzilla" event held annually in the area. With the help of the lock employees, rangers, and the Rock Island Arsenal Fire & Emergency Service, made it into and out of the lock chamber with no issues and continued on their way during this incredibly unique event!

The Rock Island District would like to extend a well deserved congratulations to Mississippi Valley Division (US Army Corps of Engineers) Commanding General Kimberly Peeples on her promotion to Major General! We thank Maj. Gen. Peeples for her dedication to leadership and we are honored to serve with you! ESSAYONS!

For today's Welcome Wednesday, we welcome Matthew Fox to the District! Matthew is a Process Improvement Specialist and will be working out of the Executive Office. We wish you the best in your new position!

The Rock Island District invites the public to the Mississippi River Visitor Center at Locks and Dam 15 in Rock Island, Illinois, to view hundreds of paddlers locking through during the annual "Floatzilla" paddle event, August 17. The Visitor Center will open at 9 a.m. and paddlers will be passing though the locks throughout the morning and early afternoon hours.

First time visiting the Arsenal? Click here for information on how to gain access and get your visitor pass: https://home.army.mil/ria/about/visitor-information

Today we shine a spotlight on the Master of the Motor Vessel Quincy, Randy Kirschbaum! Kirschbaum brought a wealth of marine experience with him when he started working for the Rock Island District in 2020. He currently holds a unique position as Master of the M/V Quincy, the vessel that is mainly used to move the Quad Cities Heavy Lift Crane to job sites in and around the District.

Read more about Randy and his experience working for the Rock Island District in the July/August issue of the Tower Times here: https://www.dvidshub.net/publication/issues/71640

Over the past year, 1,300 volunteers from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers enterprise have deployed to support the Aug. 8, 2023 , including 76 of our own employees from the Rock Island District!

Check out the post below to see all the work that has been done over the last year.

Over the past year, 1,300 volunteers from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers enterprise have deployed to support the Aug. 8, 2023 wildires.

We have removed debris from 98% of residential properties and nearly 50% of commercial properties across Lahaina. We've built a 38-building, 30-classroom school campus in 95 days. And we're on track to complete site preparation for a 169-unit temporary housing site. We've awarded $408 million to local and Native-Hawiian owned businesses. We've done this all side-by-side with our federal, state, and local partners and with our contractors.

Check out where all our USACE volunteers have come from!

A big thank you to everyone who has volunteered, and to all their organizations and families, for supporting and enabling them to! We are honored to be one piece of the larger federal, state, and local team that is supporting Maui to recover.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District Huntington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District U.S. Army Pacific U.S. Indo-Pacific Command FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency County of Maui Maui County Emergency Management Agency |

Recently, Rock Island District employee Eduardo Santiago was recognized for his contributions in supporting the wildfire recovery efforts in Hawai'i. He was presented with a certificate of appreciation by Col. Eric Swenson, Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Field Office commander, for his support while deployed.

USACE continues to actively support the Federal Emergency Management Agency, state of Hawai'i and the county of Maui in impacted areas of Kula and Lahaina.