Solar panels will cut water loss from canals in Gila River Indian Community
In a move that may soon be replicated elsewhere, the Gila River Indian Community recently signed an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to put solar panels over a stretch of irrigation canal on their land south of Phoenix.
US Army Corps revokes permit for Minnesota mine, cites threat to downstream tribe's water standards
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revoked a crucial federal permit for the proposed NewRange Copper Nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, saying the permit did not comply with the water quality standards set by a sovereign downstream tribe.
Officials: A dam in Oregon could fail in a large earthquake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that a large earthquake could cause the spillway gates of a dam in Oregon to buckle, resulting "in a potentially catastrophic flood." Hundreds of thousands of people, including those in the state capital of Salem, live downstream of the Detroit Dam. AdA quake in that zone has a 37% probability of happening off Oregon's coast in the next 50 years, according to Chris Goldfinger, an Oregon State University professor and earthquake geologist. In 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a seismic hazard analysis for Detroit Dam, and found the risk to be higher than Corps officials previously thought. AdโStructural analysis has shown a possibility of the spillway gates buckling under the force of a full reservoir during a large earthquake,โ the Corps said in its statement.
Army Corps begin $10.6 million sand renourishment project in Cocoa Beach
COCOA BEACH, Fla. โ Cocoa Beach โ the Space Coastโs premier tourism spot โ soon will see new sands, dredged up and pumped in from shoals several miles offshore of Cape Canaveral. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin placing the new sand on the so-called North Reach section of its Brevard County Shore Protection Project โon or about March 20,โ News 6 partner Florida Today reports. That estimated $15 million project is expected to be completed by April 30, county officials say, when beach widening projects must stop to prevent disrupting endangered and threatened sea turtle nesting. AdThe Cocoa Beach project, also expected to be complete by April 30, is the latest in a series of periodic federal beach renourishments that began in 2000. The source sand for the Cocoa Beach project will be dredged from Canaveral Shoals, about five miles offshore of Cape Canaveral.
Buoyed by Keystone XL, pipeline opponents want Biden to act
But pipeline opponents say the ruling means it is operating with an invalid permit. ENBRIDGE LINE 3Opponents of the Line 3 replacement pipeline in Minnesota are stepping up pressure on Biden. AdPearson said Biden should put the pipeline on hold and make sure a thorough environmental review is done. Enbridge Energy said Bidenโs decision on Keystone will have no impact on Line 3 or a similar Line 5 project in Michigan. AdPipeline opponents want Biden to publicly support Michigan Democratic Gov.
Deal reached on project to protect lakes from invasive fish
The two states and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will share pre-engineering and design costs for the $858 million project at Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. The structure on the Des Plaines River is a choke point between the Illinois River, which is infested with the invasive carp, and Lake Michigan. The next step is developing design and engineering specifications, expected to take three to four years and cost about $28.8 million. Under the new agreement, the Corps will pay $18 million and Michigan $8 million. Government agencies, advocacy groups and others have long debated how to prevent them from reaching the Great Lakes, where scientists say they could out-compete native species for food and habitat.
Minnesota gives final green light to disputed oil pipeline
FILE - In this June 29, 2018, file photo, pipeline used to carry crude oil is shown at the Superior, Wis., terminal of Enbridge Energy. A significant permit has been granted to Enbridge's plan to replace its aging Line 3 oil pipeline across northern Minnesota. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)MINNEAPOLIS โ Minnesota regulators approved the final permit Monday for Enbridge Energyโs Line 3 crude oil pipeline replacement across northern Minnesota, giving the company the green light to begin construction on the $2.6 billion project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the independent Minnesota Public Utilities Commission gave their final approvals last week. The replacement segments in Canada, North Dakota and Wisconsin are already complete, leaving only the 337-mile (542-kilometer) stretch in Minnesota.
Corps: Alaska mine would have adverse impacts on salmon site
ANCHORAGE, Alaska A proposed gold and copper mine at the headwaters of the worlds largest sockeye salmon fishery in Alaska would cause unavoidable adverse impacts, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a letter to the developer released Monday. The company said the letter is a normal part of the process, and it is working on a mitigation plan. The cops also determined mitigation is required for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources from discharges along with the transportation corridor and the port site. That amount to 460 acres of wetlands, 231 acres of open water and 55 miles of streams. The companys current mitigation plan includes making sewage treatment upgrades, adding culverts and picking up debris along the beach, he said.
Feds scope out Orange County Convention Center for possible COVID care center
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent the weekend determining whether the Orange County Convention Center will be the site of an alternate medical treatment facility for coronavirus patients, according to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Demings said the team used two days at the convention center to analyze space, where 500 beds could be set up to help hospitals if they start exceeding capacity. I dont think that we are any closer to overwhelming the hospitals, said Dr. Raul Pino with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Pino and Demings said they next four days of numbers are crucial to determining what will happen next. They said the next four days represent the Fourth of July holiday weekend two weeks ago.