Pacific Ocean Division News

  • January

    US Engineers, Scientists Continue Work with Mekong Partners on Water Security

    FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (January 18, 2024) — As climate change casts a growing shadow on water resources globally, the annual Sister Rivers Exchange, taking place Jan. 22 to 26 in Thailand and Vietnam, brings together leading experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from the Mekong region and the United States to collaborate on solutions to increasing
  • A Christmas Story – kind of…

    MAUI, Hawaii – When a fire burns hot enough to melt engine blocks and granite countertops, it is at least 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything it touches at that point is compromised. So, when it’s time to clean up a destroyed house or structure, everything must be removed since the debris can contain lead, asbestos and other toxic particles. That can be a challenging reality for wildfire survivors when they must decide what to do about their property.
  • USACE continues the Hawaii Wildfires Recovery Mission

    More than five months after the August 8 wildfires in Hawaii ravaged large portions of Maui including Lahaina, the former capital of the Hawaiian Empire, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues working on a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission to remove debris from affected areas.
  • December

    Hawaiʻi Wildfires Response Mission USACE Employee Spotlight – Deanna Pienaar

    Meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District Operations Technical Maintenance Lead Engineer Deanna Pienaar who is deployed to Maui helping with the Hawaiʻi Wildfires federal response. In her home district Pienaar performs routine inspections at dam projects in the Trinity region, completes works projects in her assigned area, and scopes and executes repair and construction projects at the dams.
  • Korean military turns over final Pyeongtaek construction project to Army engineers in the U.S. military’s 16-year relocation effort

    With the stroke of two pens, the Republic of Korea and the United States finalized the last major construction project in Pyeongtaek for the relocation of American troops from Seoul to south of the Han River. A bilateral ceremony transferred the last facility in the program, a new chapel, from the ROK Design and Construction Agent (DCA) to their U.S. counterpart on Nov. 30, 2023, at Osan Air Base.
  • November

    Capturing a Storied Past: Historical Photo Analysis Guides Restoration Work at World War II Site in Alaska

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Alaska District, in collaboration with the USACE Army Geospatial Center, is using historical photographic analysis to help determine the locations of structures, features and abandoned military munitions on Amaknak and Unalaska Islands.
  • Innovation leads to productive season for safety upgrade at Moose Creek Dam

    With the onset of winter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District capped off a successful summer by doubling its progress from last year to build a cement barrier wall in the center of the dam. The safety improvement project is now about halfway complete as the team works to reinforce 4.7 miles of the 8-mile-long earthen structure.
  • Army Engineers bring joy to Korean Orphans for the third consecutive year

    USAG HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Far East District (FED) has once again brought smiles to the faces of the children at Sungyook Children’s Home, this time in celebration of the Chuseok holiday. This marks the third consecutive year of FED's community outreach efforts for the facility, following a successful donation drive on Children's Day last year.
  • August

    Lights In the dark: Power Team swing shift keep lights on, water flowing

    When the sun sets below the Pacific Ocean, the workday is less than halfway complete for Jon Runnels and Kenny Kwan. The pair are quality assurance representatives deployed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Temporary Emergency Power Team on Maui.
  • Mekong delegation heads to the United States to exchange best practices on water resources management

    Leaders, scientists and engineers from the Mekong region and the United States are joining together to address increasing challenges over water security and river management. Preparations are underway in Hawaii and California for next week’s arrival of a high-level Mekong River Commission (MRC-Mekong) delegation, which heads to the United States as part of the annual Sister Rivers Partnership Exchange program. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the MRC-Mekong delegates are scheduled to meet with the Mississippi River Commission (MRC-USA) to exchange best practices on water and river management. The two commissions will be joined by a third water commission, the International Water and Boundary Commission (IBWC) to learn about how the U.S. and Mexico cooperate on transboundary issues on their shared rivers.