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  • October

    Waterfield Building reopens Oct. 30

    The Norfolk District's Waterfield Building will open for normal operations Tuesday, Oct. 30. Liberal leave is authorized. High tide is expected at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning and may cause some localized flooding and travel concerns. Please time your commute appropriately.

  • Waterfield Building closed Oct. 29

    Due to local weather and travel conditions, the Waterfield building is closed Monday, Oct. 29. Administrative leave is authorized for employees who work in the Waterfield building. Employees who work at area military installations should follow the instructions of the garrison commander. Employees who work from field or home offices throughout the Commonwealth should work as conditions allow.

  • NAO 2007-04682

    The applicant proposes to impact 1.74 acres of Palustrine Forested wetlands and conversion of 0.18-acre of PFO and 509 linear feet of stream associated with commercial development of retail, restaurants, gas station, parking and infrastructure in Caroline County, Va.

  • Big plans await Virginia Beach’s Lynnhaven Inlet

    VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – In a continuing effort to reduce annual costs associated with maintaining federal navigation channels in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a federal interest determination study at the entrance of the Lynnhaven Inlet. The federal study will determine if jetties or a combination of coastal structures is cost-effective in reducing critical shoaling and annual costs of maintaining the navigation channel, as well as reducing damages incurred on structures in the channel due to continuous wave action.
  • CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- Norfolk District regulators Dave Knepper and Audrey Cotnoir compare notes during a wetland delineation, which is the process of determining the boundary between wetlands and uplands (or non-wetlands) through examination of vegetation, soils and hydrology. The District's 52-person regulatory staff processes more than 3,000 federal permit requests a year and covers all of the Com.onwealth's 42,767 square miles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program gets its federal permitting authority from three sources: the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899 (the oldest federal environmental law in the United States), the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (often referred to as the "Clean Water Act") and the 1972 Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act. U.S. Army photo/Mark W. Haviland.

    Regulators focused on mission as Clean Water Act turns 40

    The Clean Water Act turns 40 today and, though opponents and supporters still debate the scope and effectiveness of the landmark legislation, employees of the regulatory branch here have a clear understanding of their mission. “It’s about being consistent and operating within the scope of our authorities,” said Col. Paul Olsen, Norfolk District commander. “It’s about balancing the nation’s passion to build with the needs of the environment.”

  • NAO-2009-00949

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has amended an existing permanent danger zone in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Wallops Island and Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility flight range capabilities have been expanded to accommodate larger classes of orbital rockets. This amendment increases the permanent danger zone to a 30 nautical mile sector and is necessary to protect the public from hazards associated with rocket-launching operations.

  • 12-1169-09

    The applicant proposes to replace and upgrade the four-lane Route 60 “Lesner Bridge”, along Shore Drive over the Lynnhaven Inlet. The existing bridges will be removed, and each new bridge section will have two 12-foot-wide travel lanes, 10-foot-wide outside and 6-foot-wide inside shoulders, and a 10-foot multi-use path. The project will require the dredging of 2,530 cubic yards of subaqueous material for the installation of the 10 new instream bridge piers. It will also require, for construction access, the construction of a temporary bulkhead, the excavation of 10,200 cubic yards (20,425 square feet) of upland area, the dredging of 1,289 cubic yards (6,034 square feet) of nonvegetated intertidal area, the dredging of 2,511 cubic yards (37,437 square feet) of subaqueous bottom, and the maintenance dredging of 1,825 cubic yards (37,459 square feet) of the Crab Creek channel. All dredging for this mooring area will be to a depth of -8 feet at mean low water (MLW). Dredge material that is suitable for beach nourishment is proposed to be placed on the existing beach northwest of the bridge and landward of mean high water (MHW), and on City-owned property southwest of the bridge.

  • NAO-2010-02727

    Modification of the existing restricted area published at 33 CFR §334.260, “York River, VA.; naval restricted areas”: the restricted area has been modified to include Felgates Creek and Indian Field Creek along the York River in Yorktown, Va.
  • The Army’s award-winning ACE or “Ask, Care and Escort,” encourages Soldiers and employees at all levels to be alert to suicide warning signs, ask directly if a person is thinking about suicide, care for the person and escort to the person to professional help.

    District leaders ‘stand down’ for suicide prevention training

    Employees wrapped up their suicide prevention stand-down activities here Oct. 15. The effort, which included manager-led training sessions and small group discussions for each employee was part of the Army-wide suicide prevention stand-down conducted Sept. 27. Training and discussions for supervisors and employees focused on the Army’s award-winning ACE or “Ask, Care and Escort,” which encourages Soldiers and employees at all levels to be alert to suicide warning signs, ask directly if a person is thinking about suicide, care for the person and escort to the person to professional help.
  • PORTSMOUTH Va. – Col. Paul Olsen presents Jorel Nadal, a district safety and health specialist, with the pen he used to sign the Voluntary Protection Program Commitment Statement affirming the district’s support to participate in the safety program at the Craney Island Dredge Material Management Area here. Nadal worked to get the program off the ground at the facility, which will make the area safer for employees through extensive documentation and modeling, which identifies problematic areas; giving employers the chance to see trends and correct deficiencies.

    District one step closer to being accepted into OSHA program

    The Voluntary Protection Program uses performance-based criteria and requires extensive documentation in order to be in compliance. The program uses different models and tools to try and identify problematic areas so agencies can attempt to minimize and eliminate as many accidents as possible.
  • Josh Williams focuses on technology during a STEM session to the sixth- and seventh-grade students at Corporate Landing Middle School in Virginia Beach, Va. The team's focus was to attract yound minds to pursue career fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

    Choosing a STEM career: Army Corps of Engineers offers one-stop job opportunities

    The Norfolk District brought out their best when they were invited to a career conference last Friday. There was the doodler and reluctant biologist. The nature lover. The video-gamer. The guy who likes explosions. The fourth family engineer. It was Norfolk District’s dream STEM team: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Experts specifically chosen to draw young minds to STEM careers in the military.
  • Josh Williams focuses on technology during a STEM session to the sixth- and seventh-grade students at Corporate Landing Middle School in Virginia Beach, Va. The team's focus was to attract yound minds to pursue career fields in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

    Choosing a STEM career: Army Corps of Engineers offers one-stop job opportunities

    The Norfolk District brought out their best when they were invited to a career conference last Friday. There was the doodler and reluctant biologist. The nature lover. The video-gamer. The guy who likes explosions. The fourth family engineer. It was Norfolk District’s dream STEM team: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Experts specifically chosen to draw young minds to STEM careers in the military.

  • NAO-2007-01988/12-V1252

    Timber Ridge at EDS proposes to impact 1.37 acres of wetlands and 192 linear feet of stream channel for the construction of a mixed-use development, park facility and associated infrastructure in Fairfax County, Va. Comment period ends Nov. 5, 2012.

  • NAO-2002-0564

    The applicant proposes a mixed-use development to construct a manufacturing support facility to include parking and trailer-staging areas to be used by Philip Morris USA, retail and commercial-use facilities such as restaurants and hotels by private companies and provide a 60 acre industrial or manufacturing site to an outside private company with associated parking and infrastructure. in Richmond, Va. Comment period ends Nov. 5, 2012.

  • EA for Millennium Area Headstone Removal Project

    This Environmental Assessment was prepared to assess the potential impacts of the Millennium Area Headstone Removal Project on property administered by Arlington National Military Cemeteries and National Park Service property at Arlington County, Va. The purpose of the project is to remove all headstones being currently used as stream stabilization within ANC and NPS-administered property, while providing stabilization measures adequate to ensure that the system is not degraded. This project would remove the headstones and dispose of them properly. Public comment period ends Nov. 2, 2012.

  • 2012 Nationwide Permit Corrections

    This is a second correction notice for the 2012 nationwide permits, to correct nationwide permit 15 and paragraph (d)(2) of general condition 31. Please see the informational public notice that includes the Federal Register notice and corrected copy of the 2012 nationwide permits.

  • September

    NAO-2007-4093

    Mossy Creek Cattle LLC (Sponsor) proposes to establish the Mossy Creek – North River Umbrella Mitigation Bank (MCNRUMB) to provide compensation for unavoidable impacts to waters of the United States in the South Fork Shenandoah watershed. Comment period ends Oct. 26, 2012.

  • NAO-2011-02388

    The applicant proposes to impact wetlands for the construction of a 34-lot single-family subdivision in Virginia Beach to be known as the Enclave at Princess Anne.

  • Proposed Reissuance and Modification of the Norfolk District Regional Permit 22

    The Norfolk District has proposed the reissuance and modification of the Regional Permit 22 (08-RP-22) that is scheduled to expire on Aug. 14, 2013. RP-22 authorizes the activities within the Virginia portion of Lake Gaston. These activities include construction and other actions on piers, docks, boathouses, bulkheads, riptrap, boat slips, channels, aerial powerlines and utility lines. Comment period ends Oct. 26, 2012.
  • Gathright Dam located in Alleghany County, Va., impounds the water flowing down the Jackson River to create the 2,500 acre Lake Moomaw. The dam has prevented numerous floods over its 30 plus year existence saving countless dollars and lives.

    Gathright Dam ‘test pulse’ to increase Jackson River water flow

    State and federal agencies will use Gathright Dam near Covington, Va. to simulate a storm event on the Jackson River Oct. 3. The test pulse, conducted by the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, will begin at approximately 6 a.m. and peak at 3,500 cubic feet per second.