Corps of Engineers to remove rock from Mississippi River channel

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Dredge Potter, dredging
 a section of the Upper Mississippi River, south of the
St. Louis Harbor.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today the schedule for removing rock formations in the Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill., that pose a threat to navigation as water levels on the river drop.

The agency has awarded two contracts for rock removal work in a nearly six mile stretch of river. Newt Marine, Inc., of Dubuque, Iowa, will remove the rock formation upstream of Thebes; Kokosing Construction, from Fredericktown, Ohio, will remove the rock formation downstream of Thebes.

Work begins Saturday, Dec. 15, upstream of the Thebes railroad bridge. While final blasting plans are still being developed, full operations will begin early next week, with blasting to take place during daylight hours.  The U.S. Coast Guard is coordinating notices to mariners, and river closures are scheduled for 16 hours on working days starting Monday, Dec. 17, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day during the rock removal, with traffic allowed to pass for eight hours.

The work will remove around 890 cubic yards of limestone from the water-starved river to reduce the risk for vessels in the channel during low water. The rocks are part of a large formation that impedes the navigation channel during low water. More rock removal is planned for later dates, but the work beginning Saturday will address areas that will have the most immediate impact on the navigation.

Removing the rock formations are one of many operations the Corps and U.S. Coast Guard are undertaking along the narrowing river to maintain a 9-foot deep channel for river navigation. Dredging has been ongoing since early July to preserve the channel, as well as continued surveys, channel patrols to keep commerce safely moving on the Middle Mississippi.

“The drought across much of the Midwest is making river navigation challenging,” said Col. Chris Hall, St. Louis District commander. “We are taking additional measures and are confident that we will be able to maintain a safe and reliable channel for our partners in the river industry.”

The Corps is in constant communication and coordination with the Coast Guard and the river industry as the drought has reduced water levels throughout the Mississippi River Basin to historic lows.

The Corps of Engineers is working with the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation to avoid and minimize impacts to the environment. The focus by both the Corps and the Coast Guard, Hall said, is safety during the operation. The Coast Guard has established a safety zone for the affected sections of the river. The safety zone will prohibit access to the river and affected areas along the banks on both sides of the blasting sites.  Safe public access to the work area is limited. Coast Guard, Corps and local safety officials remind anyone planning to be in the area to be aware of posted signage and respect private property.

Coast Guard, Corps and local safety officials remind anyone planning to be in the area to be aware of posted signage and respect private property. Be aware that places newly revealed by low water are unstable.  Signage and other warning notices may not be immediately visible since many were placed when the river was at a higher stage.  Approaching the water at any time should include a life vest.  When in doubt, don’t go out.

For more information, visit www.mvs.usace.army.mil/lowwater. 

Students gain career insights from Corps, USCG during Shadow Day

Students listen to Jacob Prebianca, St. Louis District co-op
student as he describes what the Water Control office does.
(Photo by Lafayette HS Student Shadow Brendan Donahue)

By  Mary Tomlinson,
Eureka High School Student Shadow

As Students from the Rockwood School District Career Shadowing Program waited anxiously in the lobby of the Robert A. Young Federal Building in St. Louis, Mo., the morning of Nov. 4, 2011, similar thoughts ran rapidly through their heads: What should they expect? Who would their shadow be? Would they gain anything from this full day of shadowing? Seven hours and one informative experience later, those questions no longer lingered and even more had been answered.

More than 30 students from four Rockwood School District high schools took time out of their busy schedules to shadow professionals from a variety of careers within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard. The careers ranged from civil engineers and architects to attorneys and graphic designers.

Col. Chris Hall, the Corps’ St. Louis District commander and one of the civil engineering career experts, said the experience was “a great opportunity for a glimpse of a career.” “Your involvement as citizens will help shape the Corps' priorities. The things you learn about today, the projects and plans we’re working on, are all rooted in the voice of your parents and any voting Americans.

Mary interviews Commander of the St. Louis
District Col. Chris Hall as part of her shadow day experience.
(Photo by Lafayette HS Student Shadow Brendan Donahue)

The colonel’s shadow, Meghan Pregler, a junior at Lafayette High School, shared the colonel’s opinion on the productiveness of the program. She said it expanded her knowledge of her desired career and that she learned about “the different pieces that make up civil engineering.”

“I especially enjoyed getting a glimpse into the world of civil engineering and seeing how it affects the community,” Pregler said.

Just as civil engineering has a direct impact on the community, Shadow Day had a direct impact on the students’ lives. Chief Warrant Officer Brandon Hansen of the Coast Guard, though he wasn’t directly involved in the shadowing, still realized the importance of the day. Hansen helped to arrange for nine students to work with members of the Coast Guard.

“The great thing about Shadow Day,” Hansen expressed, “is its ability to identify the right career path or to point out the wrong career path.”

At the end of the day, students walked away embodying Hansen’s belief. Shadow Day gave students a first-hand look at potential career fields and answered questions that couldn’t have been answered any other way. It helped prepare them for the real world and has the potential to be a valuable experience to look back upon.

 

Students from the Rockwood School District talk about their career
aspirations during shadow day with the St. Louis District and
the U.S. Coast Guard.
(Video by Public Affairs Specialist Romanda Walker and Lafayette HS
Student Shadow Brian McKanna)

Editor’s Note: This article and its associated content were created by students in the Rockwood School District during their Shadow Day experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District’s Public Affairs Office November 4, 2011.  (Author: Mary Tomlinson, Photographer: Brendan Donahue and Videographer: Brian McKanna)

Torch passed at Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District

The change of command is a time-honored tradition and ceremony, tracing its origins to Roman times.  In it, the organization acknowledges the passing of authorities and responsibilities of leadership from one commander to another, while ensuring the continuity of leadership and unit identity.

On Friday, July 8, 2011, Col. Thomas E. O’Hara, Jr. relinquished his position as commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ St. Louis District to Col. Christopher G. Hall during a Change of Command ceremony at the Sheraton hotel, in Downtown St. Louis. This event also marked O’Hara’s retirement from the U.S. Army.

“As the mantle of leadership is passed, we recognize the many accomplishments that the District has achieved under Colonel O’Hara’s leadership,” Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, Commander of the Mississippi Valley Division said.  “It also allows us to welcome the new commander and his family.”

In the portion of the ceremony where the command is officially shifted from O’Hara to his successor, Joe Kellett, the senior civilian advisor and Deputy for Programs and Project Management, representative of the District’s hundreds of civilian employees, handed off the Corps of Engineers flag to O’Hara.

O’Hara then passed the flag to Walsh, symbolizing O’Hara relinquishing leadership of the District to his senior officer.  Walsh, in turn, entrusted the colors with the incoming commander, Hall, symbolizing his assumption of the District’s senior leadership position, with all its duties and responsibilities.  Finally, the flag is returned to Kellett for his safe keeping during Hall’s command.

After assuming command, Hall expressed his gratitude to O’Hara for his dedication and superior work that he has done with the District.

 “It’s an honor to serve as the 50th commander of the St. Louis District, and I look forward to working with you, our partners and our stakeholders,” Hall said.  "Colonel O'Hara has put together a strong team and we'll build on that team."

Hall comes to his new assignment from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pa.  He previously served as Deputy District Engineer for the Buffalo District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His most recent assignment was in Norfolk, Va., where he served in the U.S. Joint Forces Command and deployed to Haiti as the deputy Joint Task Force Haiti engineer.  Hall also commanded the 4th Special Troops Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and deployed with them in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“With the obvious talent and variety of experience he brings to this command, I have every confidence that Hall is well suited for the challenges ahead,” Walsh said.

During his tenure, O’Hara led the District through two consecutive record program years, where the District was able to take on a variety of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects, which helped put local contractors to work and invest in projects that provide lasting benefit to the nation.

Some of these projects included the major rehabilitation of Lock and Dam 27, new visitor centers and administrative buildings at three of the District’s lakes, and investments in flood risk reduction systems of the St. Louis and Cape Girardeau floodwalls, Wood River Levee, and the Monarch/Chesterfield Levee, to name a few.

Under O’Hara’s leadership, the District had a considerable part in one of the biggest missions in the history of the Corps of Engineers, the Hurricane and Strom Damage Risk Reduction System. More than 230 employees, nearly a third of the District have deployed to New Orleans and the surrounding area since 2005.

Col. O’Hara has also led a district that supports the nation at war. The St. Louis District has deployed 75 volunteer employees to support Overseas Contingency Operations.

Walsh awarded the Legion of Merit award to O’Hara for his exceptionally distinguished service to the U.S. Army from May 1985 to July 2011 serving in a vast range of leadership and key staff positions, culminating with his assignment as Commander of the St Louis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

O’Hara was also awarded the De Fleury Medal, which is used to honor those individuals who have provided significant contributions to Army Engineering.

Change of Command set for Army Corps St. Louis District

St. Louis, July 6, 2011 – Command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, will change on Friday, July 8, 2011.  Colonel Thomas E. O’Hara, Jr., who has commanded the District since July 2, 2008, will turn over duties as District Engineer to Colonel Chris G. Hall in a 10 a.m. ceremony to be conducted at the Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel at 400 South 14th Street.  Major General Michael J. Walsh, Commander of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division, will preside over the event.  This event will also mark Col. O’Hara’s retirement from the U.S. Army.

In more than 26 years of service, Col. O’Hara has served in diverse roles in the Corps of Engineers, including as a combat engineer, a joint staff officer, an instructor at the United States Military Academy, as well as a commander and staff officer in field units throughout the Army.  On the Civil Works side of the Corps, he served as deputy district commander at the St. Paul District. His education includes master’s degrees in mathematics and operations research.  Col. O’Hara’s service has taken him overseas for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as Joint Task Force Bravo in Honduras, and two tours supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Col. Hall comes to his new assignment from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  He has held a variety of field assignments, most recently his deployment to Haiti as the deputy Joint Task Force Haiti engineer.  He’s also commanded the 4th Special Troops Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and deployed with them in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Col. Hall previously served as Deputy District Engineer for the Buffalo District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  He holds master of science degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University and is married and has four children.

The St. Louis District is strategically located at the crossroads of three major river systems: the Illinois, Mississippi and Missouri.  The mission of the District is to manage the 300 mile Mississippi River watershed above the Ohio River by applying engineering, scientific, and other resources while preserving, restoring and enhancing the environment; and maintaining core competencies needed to respond to local and national emergencies and technical requirements.