Huntington District

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District will honor its Military and Civilian employees who have been or are deployed to the Middle East during a dinner and awards ceremony Sept. 29, 2009, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Cabell County Library on Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street in Huntington, W.Va.

   The Huntington Employee Assistance Resource Team (HEART) is sponsoring the event, which recognizes the personal sacrifices Soldiers and Civilians have made to support this important Corps mission, as well as the sacrifices made by their families. HEART serves as a support group to families of Huntington District Soldiers and Civilians deployed to the Iraq and Afghanistan, to provide outreach and information in order to lessen the burden during times of separation.

   Among the Corps employees who will talk about their experiences are husband and wife, Rick and Sharon Mers, who were deployed to Afghanistan for over a year. While this was Sharon’s first deployment, Rick has served three deployments in support of the Overseas Contingency Operation. In addition to the Mers, 10 other employees and their families will be honored. Honorees include John Atkins, Shantel Debortoli, Michael Fosson, Lora Greer, Todd Newman, Stephen Ofori, Brian Swope, Jeff Yost, Cindy Yost and Howard Wood.

   The Gulf Region Division (GRD) was activated in January 2004 and is headquartered in Baghdad. The GRD provides quality, responsive, full-spectrum engineering in Iraq in support of Military and Civil construction, and assists the government of Iraq to assume full responsibility for national reconstruction.

   The Afghanistan Engineer District (AED) employs more than 200 U.S. civilians and military personnel. AED performs a crucial role in securing a stable and secure environment in Afghanistan while promoting reconstruction and infrastructure development.

   For more information on the GRD and AED missions, please visit their websites at www.grd.usace.army.mil; and www.aed.usace.army.mil.

   For more information on HEART, call the Huntington District Public Affairs office at 304-399-5353.

According to this story in today’s Columbus Dispatch, the state of Ohio is fighting back against toxic algae:

   About 40,000 gallons of liquid aluminum sulfate will be sprayed over 45 acres in six test sites on Grand Lake St. Marys in western Ohio today and Friday.

 Officials say they hope the material will starve the blue-green algae that have plagued a number of Ohio’s lakes this summer.

 The blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are common in many Ohio lakes and streams. Phosphorus from manure, fertilizers and raw sewage helps them grow thick. The algae can produce liver and nerve toxins that can make people sick and kill pets and wildlife.

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $48.5 million contract to Shaka, Inc. of Jeannette, Pa., for the Penstock Scour Protection System construction for the Bluestone Dam Project, near Hinton, W.Va.  

            This contract is the third phase of the Dam Safety Assurance project that will help bring Bluestone Dam up to modern day safety standards and reduce the risk of failure.

            The work includes installing scour protection below the penstock discharge area on the east side of the downstream face of the dam (in the photo above, the penstocks are on the left side).  The work will install concrete divider walls, right and left training walls and a concrete stilling basin with concrete baffles in the area below the penstocks. 

            “This work is vital for the citizens of the Hinton, the Kanawha Valley and the region,” said Col. Robert Peterson, District Commander.  “This phase of construction will bring us one step closer to modernizing Bluestone Dam and to protecting life and property by reducing the risk of failure.”

            Construction is expected to begin this year and will take about four years to complete.

            The construction was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1939 (P.L. 76-396), Section 4.

            For more information, contact Project Manager Lisa Morgan at 304-399-5545 or the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

   An agreement to turn over care of approximately 450,000 historic artifacts recovered during the archeological excavations at the Marmet Lock replacement project in Belle, W.Va. to the W.Va. Division of Culture and History, was signed Sept. 21, 2010, by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District Commander Col. Robert Peterson and Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith. 

            The majority of artifacts will be archived at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville, W.Va. at the Delf Norona Museum, with the rest of the West Virginia Archaeological Collection.

            The artifacts represent over 10,000 years of human occupation in the Kanawha Valley. Put together, the objects make up the most complete picture of human history in West Virginia at one site. 

            The agreement helps ensure that these artifacts are preserved and cared for and that they are available for exhibition. Under the W.Va. Division of Culture and History’s care, the artifacts will also be available so researchers can continue to mine them for information important to understanding West Virginia’s history and prehistory.

            Among the artifacts are: stone projectile knives and tools dating from as early as 8500 BC; rare sandstone cooking bowls with organic residue inside that was carbon-dated to approximately 3000 years ago; thousands of pottery shards and Museum-quality stone jewelry pieces, as well as bone, shell, and stone tools from a 15th Century Fort Ancient Village (this is the only village of its type completely excavated in the state); and thousands of artifacts reflecting daily life on a 19th century antebellum salt plantation from one of Kanawha County’s most important industrialists, John Reynolds, including artifacts from a slave cabin.

            The West Virginia Division of Culture and History opened an exhibit last spring in the Capitol Rotunda using some of the artifacts from the site and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sponsored two documentary films on the site: “Red Salt & Reynolds” was released in 2003 and documents the salt industry in the Kanawha Valley; and “Secrets of the Valley: The Prehistory of the Kanawha” is set for release this fall and documents 10,000 years of pre-European occupation in West Virginia.

         For more information, contact archeologist Aaron Smith at 304-399-5720 or the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

    The fisherman’s access area near Route 35 at the Winfield Locks and Dam on the Kanawha River will be closed for two weeks beginning Sept. 27, 2010, while new handrails are installed.

     Only the fishing access area on the Winfield side of river will be closed. The fishing area on the Eleanor side of river will remain open during the construction period.

     The entire fishing area, including the access ramp, will be closed while the contractor, C&L Construction, removes the existing handrails and installs new handrails.

    The fishing access area is expected to reopen Oct. 9, 2010.

    For more information contact the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded an $11.9 million contract to Brayman Construction Corporation of Saxonburg, Penn., for the Phase 1 construction for the Dover Dam Safety Assurance Project.   Dover Dam is located in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, about three miles upstream of the towns of Dover and New Philadelphia, Ohio.  

   This contract is the first phase of the Dam Safety Assurance project that will help bring Dover Dam up to modern day safety standards and reduce the risk of failure.

    The work includes installation of 36 multi-strand anchors in the spillway section of Dover Dam. The multi-strand anchors range in size from 19-strand to 48-strand anchors and will be installed in holes ranging in size from 9 inches to 17 inches in diameter. The length of the anchors will vary from 103 feet to 153 feet.  The anchors will be used to secure sections of the dam to bedrock.

   “This work is vital for the citizens of Tuscarawas County and the region,” said Col. Robert Peterson, District Commander.  “The Dover Dam Safety Assurance Project will not only help create jobs for the local area, but more importantly it will help to modernize our aging infrastructure and protect life and property by reducing the risk of failure.”

    Construction is expected to begin this fall and will take about two years to complete.

    The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is the non-federal sponsor of the project, providing 3.45% of the total construction cost.

    The construction was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1939 (P.L. 76-396), Section 4.

    For more information, contact Project Manager Rodney Cremeans, at 304-399-5170 or the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

   September 10 marks the beginning of whitewater season on the Gauley River in West Virginia.

   The season is made possible by the water the Corps of Engineers releases from Summersville Lake as it begins lowering the level of the lake to its winter pool.

   You can read a story about the upcoming season in Huntington’s Herald-Dispatch – just click on this link: http://bit.ly/bwgaBl.

   You can also find more information on the Huntington District website right here.

    Labor Day traditionally marks the final weekend of the summer recreation season. Many people will be spending time on the water this holiday weekend, and the Corps of Engineers encourages everyone to think safety first.As the nation’s largest federal provider of water-based outdoor recreation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides its visitors a wide range of diverse and dynamic recreational opportunities, and the safety of these visitors is the Corps’ highest priority.

   Watch your children – Research shows it only takes a child an average of 20 seconds to drown. Don’t let children wander very far from adults and never let them go into the water without adult supervison.

   Alcohol and water activities don’t mix – Approximately one-third of all boating accidents and fatalities involve alcohol. Drinking just one beer could impair balance, vision, judgment and reaction time. Combine alcohol consumption with boating fatigue – exposure to noise, vibration, sun, glare and wind – and the risk for boating accidents is significantly intensified. 

Boaters should know the rules – Take appropriate safety classes, be familiar with governing state laws and have proper safety equipment onboard. Wear a life jacket, don’t just carry one on board. Don’t overload the boat. File a float plan with a friend. 

Respect the power of water – Surprisingly, two-thirds of drowning victims never intended to be in the water. This is especially true in cases of people accidentally falling out of their boats while fishing. If someone is in trouble, reach or throw a floatation device – don’t go in the water. Don’t over-estimate your swimming skills. Swim only in designated swimming areas. Half of all drowning victims are alone when they drown, so use the buddy system. Take swimming lessons and learn to swim!An estimated 360 million people visit U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation areas nationwide annually, and our District hosts more than 30 million visitors at our recreation areas. We urge you to make water safety your top priority when using the nation’s waterways and lakes. The life you save may be your own.

http://watersafety.usace.army.mil  or contact the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

   Under the provisions of Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and/or Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Deparment of the Army permit authorizations/ Denials Issued/ Verified During August 26 – September 1, 2010 has been posted – you can see the document at this link: http://bit.ly/bL1byQ