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  • June

    Old Dominion University seniors, Chance Rabun, Michael Chatman and Amanda Downs, brief ODU faculty and Corps advisory team on their final senior design report: the Emergency Power Needs for Critical Facilities project. David Gary, Norfolk District’s Mechanical and Electrical Section chief, said the final report was complete and comprehensive.

    Hampton Roads communities use student ingenuity, benefit from emergency power assessments

    With the 2014 hurricane season upon us, 10 critical facilities throughout Chesapeake, Gloucester County and James City County can rest easier knowing their emergency power needs have been accurately documented.
  • FORT LEE, Va. – Contractors upgrade interior spaces and rooms at the Fort Lee Building 3004 with new fixtures, improved structural support and modern heating and cooling systems, June 6, 2014. The $14.8 million Building 3004 renovation project upgrades a 50-year-old facility with modern technology and force protection features, which update the facility for a cost much less than if it was torn down and rebuilt. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    District continues Fort Lee transformation; delivers world-class support to warfighter

    Four years after Fort Lee became the central hub for Army logistics training due to the Base Realignment and Closure 2005 decision, the Norfolk District continues to help the installation and its major tenants continue to evolve.
  • COVINGTON, Va. -- Gathright Dam's intake tower casts a shadow over Lake Moomaw. The earthen and rolled rock-fill dam, pictured in the upper right-hand corner of the photo, impounds the flow of the Jackson River and creates Lake Moomaw, serving both flood control and recreational purposes. (U.S. Army photo/Kerry Solan)

    Officials announce change to Gathright Dam pulse release dates

    The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a change to two pulse release dates scheduled in August and early September. The six pulses, and the amended dates, are scheduled for the following Wednesdays: June 25 July 23 Aug. 20 Sept. 10 Sept. 24 Oct. 15
  • COVINGTON, Va. -- Gathright Dam's intake tower rises out of Lake Moomaw Dec. 12, 2012. The earthen and rolled rock-fill dam impounds the flow of the Jackson River and creates Lake Moomaw, serving both flood control and recreational purposes. (U.S. Army photo/Kerry Solan)

    Corps and commonweath announce Gathright Dam pulse release dates

    The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will deviate from Gathright Dam’s existing water control plan in order to conduct six pulse releases from June through October 2014.
  • More than 70 volunteers participated in this year’s Clean the Bay Day with the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The location: the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area here June 7, 2014. Volunteers from Williamsburg, James City County, Yorktown, Newport News, Poquoson, Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Plymouth, Minnesota participated. Organizations represented included not only the Norfolk District but also members from Lafayette, Woodside, I.C. Norcom and Churchland High Schools, Girls Scout Troup 1381, Bayside Area Boy Scouts, Boy Scout Troup 6, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Army, Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, the Society of Military Engineers and other organizations not captured. A total of 68 bags of trash - 1,410 pounds of bagged trash and approximately 590 pounds of bulk non-bagged items – were collected. The most unusual items included a sledge hammer, a dog carcass, a kayak paddle, one dead turtle, a respirator, an arrow and one big red ball. The majority of debris was cigarette butts, plastic bottles and Styrofoam from buoys.

    Corps, volunteers collect more than 2,000 pounds of shoreline debris

    PORTSMOUTH, Virginia – Sunglasses. Check! Bug spray. Check! Bottled water. Check! Trash bags. Check!
  • NORFOLK, Va. -- Norfolk District leadership gathered May 19, 2014 for hurricane contingency planning in the case the district's headquarters, the Waterfield Building, was heavily damaged during a storm. The Continuity of Operations meeting anticipated needs, abilities and work-arounds for the more than 300 Norfolk District employees. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Worst-case scenario forecasting helps district plan for hurricane season

    Six feet of murky river water swirls around desks, seeps through walls and begins corroding wires. It’s a scenario that would put Norfolk District out for six months and cause $10 million or more in damage. “All it would take is a hurricane catching us at high tide and that could be a reality for us,” said Stan Ballard, district emergency management services chief. Ballard gathered leadership for Continuity of Operations meeting, or COOP, to anticipate needs, abilities and work-arounds for the more than 300 Norfolk District employees in such a scenario.

  • May

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold its 2015 FNOD quarterly restoration advisory board meeting March 25, 6-8 p.m., at the Courtyard Marriott, located at 8060 Harbour View Boulevard, Suffolk, Virginia.

    FNOD Restoration Advisory Board meets June 5

    Community members can learn more about the Formerly Used Defense Site here and latest clean-up progress during the project’s quarterly Restoration Advisory Board meeting on Thursday, June 5, from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.
  • NEW JERSEY -- Damage on the Jersey Shore is visible Nov. 2, 2012 after Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey and New York.

    It's not too late to prepare

    Time to dust off your preparedness plans and refresh your supplies! Hold on, you say? The latest outlook is “quiet,” -- why should I prepare? The seasonal outlook only provides insight as to the potential number of tropical storms and hurricanes, based upon current atmospheric and ocean conditions. Unfortunately, it only takes one storm to cause horrific destruction.

  • Gathright Dam to conduct a routine, controlled flood release

    The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun a controlled flood release at Gathright Dam near Covington, Va., at 9:00 a.m.
  • Historic Fort Norfolk, Va.

    Historic Fort Norfolk reopens ahead of schedule

    Fort Norfolk reopened to the public today, four weeks ahead of schedule, after contractors replaced the roof on the circa-1855 magazine building here.
  • SOUTH MILLS, NORTH CAROLINA -- Paddlers come from as far away as California to participate in the annual Paddle for the Border event. This year 340 people met at the South Mills, N.C. welcome center and paddled 11 miles - and across the Virginia state line - to a picnic area for lunch.

    350 participate in 11th annual Paddle for the Border

    Paddlers came from as far away as California to participate in this year's Paddle for the Border event May 3, 2014. More than 340 people met at the South Mills, N.C. welcome center and paddled 11 miles - and across the Virginia state line - to a picnic area for lunch.
  • The Norfolk District's Fort Belvoir Community Hospital Project Delivery Team receives the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' PDT of the year award for 2013. The team overcame tremendous hurdles as they oversaw construction of a more than $1 billion hospital during the Base Realignment and Closure 2005 process. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    District team recognized as USACE 2013 PDT of the year

    The task: build a state-of-the-art, world-class medical facility in five years. The result: the $1 billion Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, a model of modern military medical facilities that now stands where a golf course once existed on post.

  • April

    Alice Pool, a landscape architect, assists Duane Robinson, a project manager, measure the slope of a walkway at Arlington National Cemetery on March 27. The two Norfolk District employees are a part of a district team assisting the cemetery with a study that will determine where it can improve the visitor experience for guests who are disabled. (U.S. Army photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

    Corps studies accessibility for Cemetery

    A team from the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is traveling around and taking notes at Arlington National Cemetery to assess how accessible sections of the 150-year-old facility are for disabled visitors.
  • Col. Paul Olsen, Norfolk District commander, signs the environmental permit authorizing Henry County, Va., to develop two facilities at the Commonwealth Crossing Business Center. The project required a federal permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The permit allows the county to provide infrastructure, transportation and pad site improvements and authorizes mitigation of the impacts to wetlands and streams in the area.

    Corps signs Commonwealth Crossing permit

    The Norfolk District authorized the environmental permit to develop the Commonwealth Crossing Business Center in Henry County, Va. here today. The Henry County Industrial Development Authority agreed to the proffered permit sent by Norfolk District last week, which allowed Col. Paul Olsen, Norfolk District commander, to finalize and authorize the permit.
  • The North Landing Bridge spans the Atlantic Coastal Waterway between Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 65 year old dual span swing bridge was hit by a barge in the early morning hours of March 1, 2016.

    North Landing Bridge reopens after two-day repairs

    The North Landing Bridge in Chesapeake, Va. reopened this afternoon after maintenance crews replaced electrical cables at the bridge.

  • March

    Permit proffered for Henry County's Commonwealth Crossing Business Center

    Regulators with the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here forwarded an initial proffered permit to Henry County Industrial Development Authority officials today, crossing an important milestone in the federal permitting process for the proposed Commonwealth Crossing Business Center in Henry County, Va.
  • The North Landing Bridge spans the Atlantic Coastal Waterway between Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The 65 year old dual span swing bridge was hit by a barge in the early morning hours of March 1, 2016.

    North Landing Bridge to temporarily close

    The North Landing Bridge in Chesapeake, Va. will close to navigation from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 1 and Wednesday, April 2.
  • On Feb. 27, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources closed the Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge, which crosses onto the Dismal Swamp Canal between North Carolina and Virginia, to allow their maintenance crew to repair cylinders in a hydraulic arm weld, which had broken from the bridge’s bascule.

    Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge reopens

    SOUTH MILLS, N.C. – The Great Dismal Swamp Canal pedestrian bridge reopened at 5 p.m., March 19, after a two-week closure to repair cylinders in a hydraulic arm weld, which had broken from the bridge’s bascule.
  • A crane moves 14,000 fossilized oyster shell from a barge into waters in the Lafayette River. This Norfolk International Terminal six-acre sanctuary reef is one of six reefs being constructed as part of the Craney Island Eastward Expansion project/oyster mitigation process. The oyster reefs will be complete in June 2014. All of the reefs will be permanent oyster sanctuaries.

    Lafayette River home to new oyster sanctuary reef

    The Lafayette River-NIT oyster reef, built with approximately 14,000 cubic yards of fossilized shell, will soon become the fourth in a six-sanctuary, 16-acre permanent oyster reef initiative that the Norfolk District began last October.

  • FNOD Restoration Advisory Board meets March 6

    Community members can learn more about the Formerly Used Defense Site here and latest clean-up progress during the project’s quarterly Restoration Advisory Board meeting March 6.