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  • September

    ERDC, Buffalo District release dredged material guidance manual for Great Lakes region

    Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Great Lakes Districts — Buffalo, Detroit and Chicago — recently released a technical report which provides guidance for evaluating the environmental suitability of dredged material in the Great Lakes region.
  • March

    Commitment to high-quality USACE bridge inspections

    Structural cracks, buckled or bent steel, visual fretting corrosion – these are the kinds of things at the forefront of a bridge inspector’s mind. Oh, and don’t forget to quantify the severity and extent of all deficiencies. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has the highest of standards when it comes to safety inspections and bridge inspections are a big part of that,” according to Andy Wadysz. “Safety is paramount,” he stressed. Wadysz serves as the Detroit District’s Bridge Safety Program Manager, BSPM, for the past 22 years and respects the program’s commitment to high-quality. The primary purpose of the USACE Bridge Safety Program is to ensure all bridges within each district’s inventory are safe for their intended use. Bridge types vary from access bridges, railroad bridges, public pedestrian bridges to complex bridges. When conducting inspections and evaluations of a bridge site for user safety, there are specific requirements, detailed procedures and best practices that are closely adhered to for all bridge types.
  • September

    Logistics team removes area offices’ excess equipment

    In the early morning hours of their five-day trip to Duluth, Minnesota, the Detroit District Logistics team were quietly loading excess equipment onto a flat-bed truck headed south. The equipment’s destination was the UNICOR facility in Kansas, an electronics recycling center that converts electronics into recyclable materials for resale to registered vendors. “By using UNICOR, we estimate $8,000 in savings to the district based on acquisition cost,” said Detroit District Logistics Manager Jena Graham. “Due to the area offices being spread out, it was not cost effective to consolidate their excess at one location for a typical pick-up.” A one-way trip from the District Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan to the Duluth Area Office in Minnesota is nearly a 12-hour drive.
  • July

    Developmental assignment offers growth, connection for USACE employee

    DETROIT - He cannot get enough of the Great Lakes; some might say he’s hooked. By day, John Allis is the Great Lakes Hydraulics and Hydrology Office Chief and by night, he enjoys being in, on or around the Great Lakes with his family. Allis’ office in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District handles a wide range of activities supporting the International Joint Commission, including water level forecasting, flow regulation and monitoring hydroclimate conditions across the Great Lakes. The Corps of Engineers has a reputation of success through skill development and knowledge gain. By design, district employees often have opportunities to do just that through developmental assignments. John recently completed a three-month developmental assignment as Chief of Water Management Division with the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division where he had much broader responsibilities.
  • March

    Corps lowers impact to fish spawning near Soo Locks

    SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (March 5, 2021) - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) officials will use dry blasting during New Lock at the Soo construction to avoid or drastically minimize impacts to fish larvae and adult fish spawning near the Soo Locks. The Soo Locks on the St. Marys River allow vessels to navigate the 21 ft elevation change between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes. A new Poe-sized lock being built will provide necessary redundancy in the Great Lakes Navigation System’s critical infrastructure. To build the New Lock, deepening the channel on the upstream side (west) of the Poe lock is necessary. Dredging is scheduled to occur in 2021-2022.
  • May

    Employee Spotlight: Vicky Person

    Vicky Person joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, team three years ago and has over 35 years of experience in the field of geotechnical, environmental and construction quality control in the Midwest.
  • High Water Impacts on Coastal Erosion

    Record high lake levels in 2019 on Lake Michigan have increased the height of the wave impact and accelerated the erosion. Holland, Michigan reported a loss of 50 feet of beach since last summer. Many homeowners and communities have been caught off-guard with the dramatic increase in erosion along the coastline, with numerous homes lost to the collapsing bluff.
  • December

    Employee Spotlight: Kelly Schroter

    After participating in a developmental assignment at the USACE headquarters office for four months,
  • Detroit wins Corps Small Business awards

    The Detroit District leadership participated in the Federal Small Business Conference this year and
  • October

    Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III announced

    Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler unveiled an updated action plan under
  • Employee Spotlight: Chuck Gould

    Chuck Gould, lead program analyst, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, recently served
  • November

    Restoring the Boardman

    By Emily Schaefer, public affairs specialistConstruction teams have been actively engaged and moving
  • July

    The Detroit District welcomes in new commander this month

    Detroit District change of command ceremony July 10, 2014, Lt. Col. Michael L. Sellers assumes command.
  • May

    Retirement keeps former Corps employee busy for the past 26 years.

    Bernard “Bernie” Malamud retired from the Detroit District in 1988 as chief of the Design Branch and