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Tulsa News from DVIDS

  1. Tulsa District stresses hunter safety as game season approaches

    - Never point a firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot - Keep your weapon on safe until you are ready to fire - Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire - Always assume firearms are loaded - Keep your firearm and equipment clean and in proper working order - Wear appropriate personal protective equipment when using firearms
    10/15/2020
  2. Hunter Safety [Image 3 of 3]

    A hunter tags a deer following a special hunt hosted by the Tulsa District in 2016. The Tulsa District recommends hunters follow safety protocols and obey laws when hunting (File Photo)
    10/15/2020
  3. Hunter safety [Image 2 of 3]

    Ranger Matthew Nolan, of Tulsa District ensures safety protocols are followed during a special hunt in 2016. The Tulsa District reminds hunters to follow safety rules and regulations. (File Photo)
    10/15/2020
  4. Tulsa District reminds hunters of importance of safety [Image 1 of 3]

    The Tulsa District reminds hunters to use appropriate, well-maintained equipment when field dressing game. A sharp knife will expedite the process of field dressing deer and other game quickly and save time and energy (File Photo).
    10/15/2020
  5. Tulsa District Safety Chief Donates Much Needed Plasma [Image 2 of 2]

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District Chief of Safety, Mike Kerr, donated 650 ml of convalescent plasma April 14, 2020, after recovering from the Coronavirus. According to the manager at the Oklahoma Blood Institute, Kerr was the first person in Tulsa to donate plasma for COVID-19 treatment. His donation will help four Tulsa area residents that are critically suffering from the effects of COVID-19. (Courtesy Photo)
    10/7/2020
  6. Tulsa District Safety Chief Donates Much Needed Plasma [Image 1 of 2]

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District Chief of Safety, Mike Kerr, donated 650 ml of convalescent plasma April 14, 2020, after recovering from the Coronavirus. According to the manager at the Oklahoma Blood Institute, Kerr was the first person in Tulsa to donate plasma for COVID-19 treatment. His donation will help four Tulsa area residents that are critically suffering from the effects of COVID-19. (Courtesy Photo)
    10/7/2020
  7. Army Corps civilian donates plasma to help fellow Oklahomans

    After realizing he had lost his sense of taste and smell, Mike Kerr immediately isolated himself and got tested for COVID-19. After his recovery he realized he could help others by donating convalescent plasma.
    10/7/2020
  8. Oologah Lake deviation enables bank stabilization project

    A deviation for the normal conservation pool at Oologah Lake takes effect Oct. 2. The deviation will allow erosion prevention measures to be implemented. The deviation should last until November 2021 or until the work is completed.
    10/2/2020
  9. Oologah Lake deviation enables bank stabilization project

    A deviation to temporarily reduce the top of the conservation pool at Oologah Lake to elevation 635.5 from 638, takes effect October 2. The deviation will allow needed erosion prevention measures and construction. (File Photo)
    10/2/2020
  10. Tulsa District Corps of Engineers celebrates 50th anniversary of Broken Bow dam

    A celebration was held on September 12 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Broken Bow Lake in Southeastern Oklahoma. The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1958 and was built and designed under the supervision of Tulsa District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction beginning in October of 1961 and the pool was filled in April of 1970.
    9/28/2020
  11. 200812-A-MW145-0001 [Image 4 of 4]

    Tulsa District Corps of Engineers ramger, Adam Miller sets up historical photos prior to the 50th anniversary celebration at Broken Bow lake in Southeastern Oklahoma. The project embodies the best of partnerships betwen USACE, the State of Oklahoma and the local community.
    9/28/2020
  12. 200812-A-MW145-0004 [Image 3 of 4]

    Tulsa District Corps of Engineers powerplant specialist Hank Farley led a group of partners throughthe dam following the 50th anniversary celebration at Broken Bow lake. The lake provides recreation to the surrounding area, while also providing electricity to the Eastern part of the nation. The hproject embodies the best of partnerships betwen USACE, the State of Oklahoma and the local community.
    9/28/2020
  13. 200812-A-MW145-0002 [Image 2 of 4]

    Leroy Caplinger, who worked on the construction of Broken Bow dam tells Tulsa District Corps of Engineers ramger, Adam Miller about his work during construction.
    9/28/2020
  14. 200812-A-MW145-0002 [Image 1 of 4]

    Tulsa District Corps of Engineers Commander Col. Scott Preston spoke to the attendees at the th anniversary celebration for Broken Bow Lake about the importance of Broken Bow dam and lake. The lake provides recreation to the surrounding area, while also providing electricity to the Eastern part of the nation. The hproject embodies the best of partnerships betwen USACE, the State of Oklahoma and the local community.
    9/28/2020
  15. Border Collie keeps the birds away

    Ellie is a border collie at Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam 15. She keeps birds away from the structure. Birds poop all over the structure causing corrosion and putting the health of humans in danger. Ellie saves thousands in labor costs associated with cleaning the bird feces off the structure.
    9/4/2020
  16. Southwestern Division Commander Makes First Trip to Tulsa District

    Brigadier Gen. Christopher Beck, Southwestern Division Commander and Division Engineer U.S. Army Corps of Engineers visited areas within Tulsa District August 18th and 19th. As commander, Beck oversees Tulsa District, along with Fort Worth, Galveston and Little Rock Districts whose missions include navigation, recreation, flood management and military design and construction.
    8/26/2020
  17. Ranger Seeks to Improve Profession through Mentoring and Education

    For Tulsa District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park ranger Jeremy Harvey being a ranger is more than just a job, it is a career. Jeremy has been a park ranger for 10 years and constantly seeks ways to improve the profession through education and mentoring opportunities.
    8/17/2020
  18. Public input to end June 26 on virtual public meetings of Council Grove, El Dorado, Elk City and Marion Reservoirs master plan revision

    Tulsa District, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is hosting an online review to provide information and receive public input to begin the process of revising the Master Plan for Council Grove, El Dorado, Elk City, & Marion Reservoirs. Normally, USACE would conduct a face-to-face public workshop to announce the start of the revision and to request comments from the public. However, precautions associated with the COVID-19 virus have made it necessary to conduct the public involvement process online instead of hosting a face-to-face workshop. Please watch the following video presentations or download the PDF copy to read the presentation. The PDF copy and video presentation provide the same information.
    6/22/2020
  19. Tulsa District Hosts Ranger Training for SWD

    The Tulsa District executed training for summer rangers and new hires preparing to work at the lake offices throughout Southwestern Division.
    6/19/2020
  20. Tulsa District maintenance crews work rain or shine on the MKARNS

    Amidst cold, rain, and the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Tulsa District maintenance crews working on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) clean debris from the downstream side of the Webbers Falls powerhouse.
    5/15/2020
  21. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District announces phased reopening of recreation facilities, campsites

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District will begin a phased reopening of USACE recreation areas that were closed due to COVID-19 across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
    5/7/2020
  22. Former Tulsa Area, Stillwater Teacher lends expertise to COE, State, FEMA

    Kim Sorrels spent four years as an advanced math teacher at Broken Arrow High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and at Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater before coming to work for the Tulsa District. The structural engineer is part of the front-line effort to assess facilities identified by the State of Oklahoma under a mission assignment from FEMA.
    4/3/2020
  23. Tulsa District conducts assessments for state, FEMA COVID-19 response

    Kimberly Sorrels, an engineer from the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers checks the foundation and structural characteristics of a site while assessing it for potential conversion into an alternate care facility in Tulsa, March 28. Before coming to work at the Tulsa District in 2019, Sorrels was a calculus teacher, at Broken Arrow High School. In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Corps is supporting the State of Oklahoma under FEMA mission assignment to provide planning and site assessments for Alternate Care Site in Oklahoma. The state will determine sites for assessment and make the determination about which sites are selected. Photo by Brannen Parrish — with Tulsa
    3/30/2020
  24. KC-46 Campus at Tinker Air Force Base

    The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing the KC-46 depot maintenance campus at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Once complete, 14 state-of-the-art hangar facilities will populate a 150-plus acre campus. The KC-46 is the Air Force's newest Air Refueling aircraft and was created to eventually replace the service's aging KC-135 fleet, which has been delivering fuel to aircraft since the 1950s.
    1/30/2020
  25. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District thanks workforce veterans

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District is proud to 30% of our workforce are veterans and have proudly served our country. This video is a small token of our appreciation to our veterans and all who have proudly served our country.
    11/8/2019
  26. Employee Spotlight: Taft Price

    Taft Price is a former television weatherman who was impacted by weather in high school when his family's home was struck by a tornado. Taft came to work for the Tulsa District, from local television station, KJRH, Channel 2 in Tulsa early in 2019. Taft is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and is a certified meteorologist who spent more than 20 years in the television weather industry.
    10/25/2019
  27. Tulsa District Establishes Forestry Program

    The Hugo Lake Project Office added the Tulsa District’s first forester in October. Reilly Cloud, a former Tulsa District park ranger from the Hugo Lake Project Office, and former manages the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ forested lands in the Lower Red River Area. Cloud, who grew up around Hugo and worked for the Oklahoma State Forestry Services before joining the Corps of Engineers, coordinates and executes timber sales called blue dot thinning and salvage cut sales. Blue dot sales occur when some trees in a forest are culled to improve the health of the area by reducing competition. Salvage sales are necessary when trees encroach on a dam or flood risk mitigation structure or when flooding, natural disasters or diseases damage trees. “Blue dot sales are thinnings that will occur. It just helps increase the forest health as well as the wildlife,” Cloud said. “Thinning a forest will increase the forest health because it removes the stress of having to grow and compete with all the other trees around. It reduces the risk of the trees dying from insects and disease.” Cloud will also be a district resource in the event of timber theft. According to Isaac Martin, Hugo Lake Manager and acting Operations Project Manager for the Lower Red River Area. The project office determined there was a need for a forester when a change to dam safety requirements set a 50 foot clearance from the toe of a dam or levee to trees. The goal of the requirement was to ensure access to flood control structures, and to provide a root free buffer zone as trees can damage flood risk reduction structures. “At most projects that wouldn’t be an issue but in this area [southeastern Oklahoma] we have significant old growth timber that we were going to doze and burn,” said Martin. According to Martin the project would be missing out on an opportunity and wasting resources if they just burned the trees. They began using foresters from other Southwestern Division Districts, including the Fort Worth District, to sell the timber. Properly managed, forestry programs allow for thinning and benefit the forest’s ecosystems by removing some of the canopy which in turn reduces competition and allows sunlight to reach the forest floor activating the seed bank to allow for new and regenerative growth, Cloud said. New growth in the forest provides sustenance for wildlife like deer and wild turkey. “In a crowded timber stand, all of the food, the leaves are up high in the tree. When you thin a stand, trees will then have branches lower down,” said Cloud. Thinning and salvage cutting also reduce the fuel load in wooded areas, minimizing the risk of wildfires. Proceeds from the sales of timber on Corps property will go to support environmental programs.
    10/23/2019
  28. Employee Spotlight - Jason Tally

    Jason Tally is a Park Ranger at the Lake Texoma Project Office in Denison Texas. The Cartwright, Oklahoma native grew up just five miles from his current workplace. After 18 years away from home, which included several years touring with a band, then touring the world as a U.S. Navy Seabee; and finally as a safety officer at various construction sites in the United States, Tally returned home to assist the community he loves. His band plays in clubs and casinos in Oklahoma on the weekends.
    10/17/2019
  29. Corps Rangers to Attend Wildlife Expo

    The Oklahoma Wildlife Expo is billed as the largest event of its kind in Oklahoma and as in past years, the Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have a water safety booth set up and ready to go when the three-day event kicks off Friday, Sept 27 at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Park rangers from project offices throughout Oklahoma and Texas will be available to answer questions about recreation and water safety. The Tulsa District encourages visitors stop by the water safety booth, test their water safety knowledge, and win some schwag. The Wildlife Expo is hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation each year.
    9/26/2019
  30. Appalachia Bay Off Road Vehicle Area - Keystone Lake, Oklahoma

    The Off Road Vehicle Area at Keystone Lake, Oklahoma is a popular site for dirt bike, ATV, and UTV riders.
    8/29/2019
  31. New mechanical systems to help trout fishery below Tenkiller Dam

    The stream below Tenkiller Dam in Okla. is home to a popular trout fishery; however, during the 2011 drought, low dissolved oxygen levels, and high water temperatures resulted in a fish kill of both trout and other types of fish. As a result of a multi-agency effort, a two-part mechanical solution was developed to prevent further fish kills below the dam.
    6/26/2013

After action environmental assessment for the Webbers pool and Robert S. Kerr pool emergency dredging and placement

Tulsa District, USACE
Published Aug. 25, 2020

The Tulsa District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is soliciting comments from the public and agencies on the potential effects of the emergency dredging and placement of dredged spoils activity that occurred during the spring and summer of 2019, as well as, the effects of the water drawdown, impact to the mussel population that was affected as a result of the drawdown, and mitigation efforts, on the Arkansas River, southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

The Corps has initiated an after action Environmental Assessment (EA) for this activity that occurred in the Webbers Pool and Robert S. Kerr Pool in Oklahoma.  The EA for this after action is authorized in Section 216 of the River and Harbor Flood Control Act of 1970 and Section 1202 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016.  The EA will assess how the action affected the human environment and to make the determination if the action was compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  Your comments will help the Corps in development of this EA.

In May and June 2019 record rainfall fell in Southeastern Kansas and Northeastern Oklahoma which caused widespread flooding in the region.  Approximately 15 Corps of Engineers reservoirs in the Upper Arkansas River Basin, Verdigris River Basin, and Grand (Neosho) River Basin, all within Tulsa District, flood pools were flooded to the top of their capacity.  With so many reservoirs at the top of their flood pool capacity, the Tulsa District managed reservoir releases so there was a balanced approach to evacuating flood waters from all pools.  Unfortunately, significant and in some cases, catastrophic flooding was unavoidable due to the received rainfall.  River flows, measured in cubic feet per second (CFS), were overwhelming within large portions of the river system.  Below Keystone Dam just west of Tulsa, the rate of river flow approached 300,000 CFS at its maximum volume and was flowing at 600,000 CFS at W.D. Mayo Dam Lock and Dam 14.

The McLellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) just downstream from the Arkansas River confluence with the Verdigris River and the Grand (Neosho) River had a sustained volume of well over 600,000 CFS over a duration of more than a week.  This increased river flow was carrying an enormous volume of sediment which was transported from the three upstream feeder river basins and was passed through upstream dams and into the Navigation System, where much of it was subsequently deposited.  Result of this increased sedimentation was 3 miles of river channel was clogged with an estimated 1,000,000 cubic yards of sediment.  This material had to be removed before the Navigation System could be reopened for navigable traffic and interstate commerce.  Therefore, the Tulsa District made the decision to commence dredging and dredge spoil operations prior to NEPA review so economic impacts to the region would be reduced.

There was another complicating factor other than three miles of river channel being clogged with sedimentation.  On May 23, 2019 two fully-loaded barges moored in the Muskogee area tore loose and were carried downstream, where they collided with the dam at Webbers Falls and sunk.  The barges were forced against three of the structure's open gates.  The two sunken barges impeded the operation of the gates and those gates could not be closed, resulting in the drawdown of the pools and subsequent negative impacts to mussel populations.  Removal of these barges was dependent on the emergency dredging action, specifically the portion within the Robert S. Kerr pool.  The salvage crew hired for this task utilized a tow barge which the only feasible means of travel was up the McLellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System to the Webber Falls Lock and Dam.

Pursuant to Section 102 of the NEPA as implemented by the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508 and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering Regulation 200-2-2), an Environmental Assessment will be conducted to ensure compliance with the NEPA and appropriate environmental laws, regulations, agency policies and guidance, and executive orders, and to provide any necessary mitigation as a result of impacts from the emergency dredging, discharge of dredged material, and draw down of the pool. 

Our office would like to solicit any input you may have with respect to this after action environmental assessment for the Webbers Pool and Robert S. Kerr Pool Emergency Dredging and Placement to assist us as we progress through the NEPA process.  A brief presentation regarding this action is available starting on August 20, 2020, on the Tulsa District website:  www.swt.usace.army.mil.  We look forward to receiving your written comments, which are due by September 20, 2020.  Please contact Mr. Jeff Knack, Chief, Natural Resources and Recreation Branch, Tulsa District, by mail U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2488 E 81st Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma  74137-4290, email at jeff.knack@usace.army.mil, or telephone at (918) 669-7660 with comments, questions, or the need for further information.