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  • May

    The result of successful stream restoration at a different site.

    Areawide Environmental Impact Statement addressing phosphate mining in Central Florida Phosphate District completed

    The final Areawide Environmental Impact Statement (AEIS) addressing phosphate mining in the Central Florida Phosphate District (CFPD) has been completed and released and a Notice of Availability is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register May 3.

  • April

    Biologist Jessica Spencer (left) educates a volunteer group about air potato, an invasive vine that has been found at local creek cleanups. The volunteers were at one of many cleanup sites around Jacksonville, Fla. as part of the 18th Annual St. Johns River Cleanup March 16.

    Air Potato Roundup yields big results, educates community

    National Invasive Species Week, held March 2 through 8, focused on raising awareness of non-native threats to local ecosystems and endangered species. Invasive species smother native plants and are one of the greatest ecological threats to natural communities, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which also estimates the costs to prevent, monitor and control invasive species at about $137 billion annually.
  • Beach vitex leaves are round, silvery gray-green, have a spicy fragrance and purplish blue flowers. If beach vitex is spotted, do not dig it up; contact Jacksonville District’s Invasive Species Management Branch.

    Coastal menace from the Carolinas creeps towards Florida

    The rapidly spreading beach vitex, an invasive vine native to countries in the western Pacific, is creeping down the eastern coast from the Carolinas towards Florida, impacting beach stability and endangering sea turtles.
  • Confined blasting method, using 3,000 pounds of explosives to crack rock beneath the water’s surface in Miami Harbor.

    Residents learn about proposed confined blasting for Jacksonville Harbor

    When most people hear the term “blasting,” they imagine a cosmic explosion of material that shoots into the earth’s atmosphere and shakes foundations. However, for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Study, the proposed confined blasting technique to remove rock obstacles will sound more like a bullet as it is fired from a gun and will barely cause a blip on the radar.
  • Work continues on a water control structure replacement at the Culvert 11 site south of Port Mayaca. Jacksonville District plans to remove or replace 30 structures at Herbert Hoover Dike over the next five years.

    USACE begins Dam Safety Modification Study on Herbert Hoover Dike

    “The Dam Safety Modification Study is a comprehensive, system-wide study intended to identify risks in the system, and to recommend the necessary measures that can reduce the risk of failure,” said Tim Willadsen, HHD project manager. While certain sections of the dike have been studied before, HHD has never undergone a review this comprehensive and detailed. Each segment of the dike will be thoroughly reviewed for its geology and geometry, with particular attention given to scenarios that would cause the dike to fail.

  • March

    As part of the Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge Opening Ceremony on March 19, 2013, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar cut a ribbon on the bridge deck prior to taking the inaugural drive across the fully-constructed bridge, which will be opened up to traffic in the upcoming weeks.

    Completion of critical project milestone celebrated for Tamiami Trail One-Mile Bridge

    Federal, state and local officials stood atop 5,280 linear feet of restoration progress as they came together to celebrate the completion of the Tamiami Trail one-mile bridge March 19 in Miami, Fla.
  • Savannah Shelton (left) and Rebecca Wright of Yulee High School’s all-girl team, The Plastics, check over their bridge after placing third in the Take Home Project part of the Engineering Career Day competition.

    Engineering Career Day engages students and promotes STEM careers

    STEM is a national and regional effort to better prepare the workforce of tomorrow by encouraging today’s students to engage in studies, events and careers involving science, technology, engineering and math. The Engineering Career Day event invites student teams to compete in building and entering a take home project, completing a surprise project assigned the day of the event and a trivia challenge. Team 2 from Bishop Kenny, Thunder Buddies, was the overall winner of the competition.

  • February

    Jessica Spencer (left) of the Invasive Species Management Branch describes two new plants that have recently invaded Jacksonville, Fla. –Old World climbing fern and Saltcedar – at the 2013 Timucuan Science and History Symposium Jan. 25.

    Spencer discusses invasive plants at local science symposium

    In an effort to educate land managers and the public about two plants that are just beginning to invade the Jacksonville area, biologist Jessica Spencer gave a presentation at the 2013 Timucuan Science and History Symposium Jan. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla.

  • January

    Jacksonville District Commander Col. Alan Dodd, spoke alongside federal and state partners, at a dedication ceremony for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project in Homestead, Fla., hosted by the South Florida Water Management District Jan. 11, 2013.

    Federal, state partners celebrate completion of key component in Everglades restoration

    Federal and state partners celebrated the completion of a key component in improving freshwater deliveries to the southern end of the Everglades ecosystem Jan. 11 in Homestead, Fla., at the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project Dedication Ceremony.
  • Water flows through the gates of the St. Lucie Lock in late September, as Jacksonville District started discharges from Lake Okeechobee to stem the rapid rise in lake levels after Tropical Storm Isaac. The releases began Sept. 19 and continued until early November.

    Milestones reached at Herbert Hoover Dike as dedication to water management balance continues

    The past year saw both low water and high water at Lake Okeechobee, as well as completion of one project and the start of others on Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD). The best news occurred in October, when the last section of cutoff wall in the dike between Port Mayaca and Belle Glade was accepted by Jacksonville District construction representatives. The action meant 21.4 miles of cutoff wall that had been under construction since 2007 was in place, reducing the risk of failure for the southeast portion of the dike.
  • A warmer than normal winter and heavy early season rains contributed to the highest levels of water hyacinth on the St. Johns River and Lake Okeechobee since 1986.

    Invasive Species biologists combat explosion of aquatic plant growth

    The year 2012 brought many challenges for the Invasive Species Management (ISM) Branch to tackle. Multiple factors led to the highest levels of water hyacinth on Lake Okeechobee since 1986. Water hyacinth invades lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and other types of wetland habitats. According to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System website, water hyacinth can reproduce and quickly form dense floating mats of vegetation, sometimes doubling in size over a two week period. These dense mats reduce light and deplete oxygen levels for submerged plants and aquatic invertebrates.
  • The Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Study, included in President Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” initiative, is being conducted on an expedited schedule. The Jacksonville Harbor (Mile Point) Navigational Study achieved a signed Chief of Engineers’ Report and Project Design Agreement, critical steps in moving the project to Congressional authorization and appropriation.

    Ports are focus of national spotlight in 2012

    Ports were thrust into the national spotlight in 2012 after President Obama announced the “We Can’t Wait” Initiative, which placed several of Jacksonville District’s port projects and studies onto the fast track for implementation. As a part of the initiative, President Obama identified seven nationally and regionally significant infrastructure projects to be expedited to help modernize and expand five major ports in the United States, including the port of Jacksonville and the port of Miami.
  • Jacksonville District Electrical Engineer Gerald Deloach assesses damage to a building in Moonachie, N.J. that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Deloach was one of a dozen people from Jacksonville District that deployed to the impact zone.

    When the call comes, Jacksonville District team members respond

    Jacksonville District’s Emergency Management Branch has been working with nearly 50 district employees on deployment missions at home and abroad during 2012. At the end of November, 32 district team members had deployed to Afghanistan, while 16 others had responded to three tropical systems that impacted Florida and the north Atlantic – 12 were sent to New Jersey and New York to assist with emergency response following Hurricane Sandy, while seven others had earlier assisted with damage assessment following Tropical Storms Debby and Isaac.
  • Sand was placed at Fort Clinch State Park following the dredging of Kings Bay Entrance Channel at Fernandina Harbor.

    Dredging and beach programs experience active year

    Florida’s shorelines saw a flurry of activity during 2012. The state experienced several storm systems that caused erosion impacts to a host of federal beach projects. In addition, a few beaches saw new sand placed on their shores as a result of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging projects.

  • December

    The helicopter magnetometer detects magnetic anomalies on the ground or in shallow surfaces. The device flies six feet above ground at speeds of 30 to 40 mph.

    Jacksonville District uses unique technology to search for munitions debris

    A large munitions response site, coupled with heavy vegetation and hazardous wildlife, provided ideal conditions for Jacksonville District to use a helicopter magnetometer for initial fieldwork at the Avon Park Formerly Used Defense Site Sept. 28.
  • Lilly Chavis and Rosalind Smith from Human Resources provided information on employment to many veterans who visited the Corps’ booth.

    Week of Valor event aims to connect

    U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown kicked off the city of Jacksonville’s Veterans Jobs Fair Nov. 9. More than 90 companies and universities participated in the event, which attracted nearly 1,000 job-seeking veterans.

  • September

    A 590-acre Frog Pond Detention Area, a component of the C-111 Spreader Canal Weastern Project, has three cells and three emergency spillways that are used to retain water in Everglades National Park by decreasing seepage to the east into the C-111 Canal. Photo Credit: South Florida Water Management District

    Record of Decision signed for C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District received a signed Record of Decision for the C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project in Miami-Dade County, Fla., July 19, 2012. The Record of Decision, signed by Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy, has been transmitted to Congress for authorization.