US Army Corpsof Engineerse En gine er Up da te

Vol. 22 * No. 11 * November 1998

Hurricane Georges left more than 60,000 damaged structures and 5 millioncubic yards of debris in its wake after passing Puerto Rico. (Photo courtesyof FEMA).

Corps responds toHurricane Georges

Even as Hurricane Georges wasgrowing and sweeping through theCaribbean, teams from throughout theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers were pre-positioning supplies and equipment tospeed relief and recovery efforts in thestricken areas.

In all, more than 800 military andcivilian members of the Corps providedvital services in Puerto Rico and theSoutheastern U.S., performing morethan $840 million in pre-declarationand response and recovery missionsfrom the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency (FEMA). Planning andresponse teams from around the Corpscontracted for ice and water; coordi-nated shipping, receiving, and distri-bution of materials and supplies; pro-vided emergency roofing;, and planned,coordinated, and executed emergencypower restoration. USACE membersalso performed quality assurance inr-spections for every aspect of the fed-eral recovery operations.

Puerto Rico

The first and most severely hit byHurricane Georges, Puerto Rico con-tinues to recover and rebuild and Corpsefforts continue, especially in debrisremoval and roof repair.

Hurricane Georges swept along

Puerto Rico on Sept. 21 and 22. Ac-cording to FEMA reports, 78 munici-palities reported damage to homes.Wooden structures were hardest hit,more than 60,000 structures weredamaged. About 1 million customerslost power and 700,000 lost water.Georges left behind an estimated fivemillion tons of debris.

As planning and response teamsacross South Atlantic Division and theCorps were put on alert or activated,two members of the USACE LogisticEmergency Response Team (LERT)were in Puerto Rico on Sept. 21. Theirmission was to speed the distributionof generators and other pre-positionedsupplies and equipment. Four moreLERT members arrived the next day.

At the same time, members of the249th Engineer Battalion (PrimePower) pre-deployed to the TerritorialLogisticCenter-at Fort Gillem, Ga., tobegin processing generators and main-tenance supplies. Forty-six generatorswere pre-positioned in Puerto Rico fordistribution as needed. By Oct. 1, thebattalion had all or part of five platoonson the ground (about 70 soldiers) inPuerto Rico. By Oct. 14, the 249th hadcompleted 415 damage and repair as-sessments and installed 118 generators(see story, below).

Continued on page 3

Power troops give Puerto Rico hope, energyBy Bernard Tate

Headquarters

When the lights came on and thewater started running again in storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, soldiers of the249th Engineer Battalion (PrimePower) threw the switches.

The 249th, along with other elementsof the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,responded immediately when Hurri-cane Georges swept through the Com-monwealth of Puerto Rico Sept. 20-21.The storm knocked the electric powergrids out of service, which left the is-land without running water or sewagetreatment.

"Our responsibility under the Fed-eral Response Plan is to help restorecritical electric power service," said Lt.Col. Kurt Ubbelohde, 249th com-mander. "We're applying a lot of thebattalion's resources, and we expect tojump-start a lot of Puerto Rico's infra-structure," he said.

The 249th is the Army's only elec-trical power generation unit. It's mis-

sions include power generation and dis-tribution during war-time, for disas-ter relief, and in stability and support

operations. It is also the only soldierunit assigned to the Corps of Engineers.

'The entire water system has a high

Staff Sgt. Darrell Jay Faulkner, 249th Engineer Battalion, and Eric Stinnie,USACE Humpreys Engineer Center Support Activity, discuss maintenancepriorities for generators sent to Puerto Rico as part of the Hurricane Georgesrelief mission. (Photo by Tony Santana)

priority," said Ubbelohde. '"That in-cludes water pumping stations, filtra-tion plants, and sewage treatmentplants. They want to get clean waterto the people as soon as possible to pre-vent the spread of disease," he said.

On Sept. 23, the battalion deployedtwo platoons (about 30 soldiers total)from Company B at Fort Bragg, N.C.By Oct. 1, the battalion had all or partof five platoons on the ground (about70 soldiers).

Besides Company B, the soldierscame from Company A in Fort Lewis,Wash., and Schofield Barracks in Ha-waii; and command and control per-sonnel from Fort Belvoir, Va.

The 249th soldiers installed genera-tors ranging in power from eight kilo-watts to 500 kilowatts which were pre-positioned in the Commonwealth by theFederal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA). As of Oct. 7, the 249thPrime Power soldiers had installed 68generators.

"We found that FEMA's 50-pack, theContinued on page 3

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2 ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

Commentary

Leaders energized

by conferenceBy Annabeth Lee

Southwestern Division

Recently I had the opportunity to attend theEmerging Leaders/Senior Leaders Conference(SLC) held in Dallas. Initially, I was not particu-larly thrilled with the prospect of relinquishing myweekend and working from 7 a.m.to 11 p.m. each day, and I ampretty old to be emerging just now.

But, I have seen the light; Iam an Energizer bunny andI have a cadre of 1998Emerging Leaders whowill help me keepcharged. What wasa fledgling two-dayworkshop a few -years ago hasbeen trans-formed intoan eight-dayjourney ofdiscoveryand learn-ing. .: ' eI could !

tell abouteverything Ilearned, and .that is ex- =tensive.However,what I feelabout the con-ference and theprogram is prob-ably more signifi-cant.

The emerging leadersparticipated in numerousworkshop activities including teaminteraction, taking the Myers-Briggs personalitytest, Nap's Line, fundamental interpersonal rela-tions orientation behavior, project planning andfeedback, and goal setting. We took the HerrmannBrain Dominance Instrument, which was a stretchfor some of us.

These exercises were introspective and remindedus of things we might already know but may needa subtle reminder. For example, "When we, as ateam, determine the rules of the game and adhereto them, we are winners. Keeping commitmentsis key to team and organization success." Relat-ing to the Myers-Briggs types, "Understanding ourown and others' preferences enhances our socialinteraction and effectiveness." On project planning/feedback, "Teams are often smarter than individu-als."

We had exercises on the dynamics of leadership

and situational leadership. We learned about cre-ating "whole-brained" teams, which simply meansa team whose members have different cognitivestyles. We did a lot of networking, team building,and scenario-based planning.

But I think the best exercises were those deal-ing with self-awareness and introspection. This is

an excellent program for anyone, and I en-courage all of you to get involved

in this process. Many of theparticipants indicated that

this was the best trainingthey have received in the

U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers.

The theme-. of the Se-

nior LeadersConference

.was "Con-t1 .solidating

Gains andProducingM o r e

S..C h a ng.e, "The emerg-ing leadersobjectives

'"were tobuild rela-tionships

with Corpssenior lead-ers; develop

an under-standing of cor-

- porate strategy;and, identify future

roles and options foremerging leaders.

Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, Chiefof Engineers, focused on this theme in

his opening remarks along with the Corps' threestrategic goals -- revolutionize effectiveness, seekgrowth opportunities, and invest in people. He em-phasized four primary objectives -- stay focused onthe Vision; think strategically (broad-based/future-oriented, think two levels up/look two levels down);walk-the-talk (make it happen, consolidate gains andexecute action plans); and, empower and engage.

When the conference ended there were lots ofhugs, a few tears, but mostly we carried a feelingof camaraderie and accomplishment. When is thelast time you left a conference feeling that way?

I am empowered. I am buzz-word compliant.The Chief of Engineers challenged me to "ride theragged edge of audacity."

I am an agent of change!(Annabeth Lee is a computer specialist in Res-

ervoir Control Office at Southwestern Division.)

LETTER

How to stop smokingI was one of those people who really enjoyed

smoking a cigarette; I had done it for almost allof my life. It was as much a part of me as eatingor breathing. Taking a smoking break at workwas as common for me as answering my cc:mailor getting into CEFMS. It was just part of myday. I had been doing it a long time, since I was15 years old. Even back then, 43 years ago, kidstook up smoking to be part of the crowd.

One day in 1996 I took a three mile walk andfelt short of breath. I knew it was the cigarettes,but I didn't want to admit it. I also knew I hadto quit, but when? And how?

As a start, I decided to pick a day to quit thatI wouldn't forget, so I picked my wife's birth-day, Oct. 11, 1996. Then I formed a plan. I'dstart my vacation the following day so that forthe next 10 days I wouldn't be around anyonethat smokes.

Then I decided to cut back on my smokingbefore the actual day I would quit. And about aweek before my wife's birthday I did some seri-ous cutting back. First, a half-pack a day for afew days, then eight cigarettes a day, then six.

By Oct. 11, I was down to four cigarettes aday. At 3:30, am, on that~d , Im ~ ~d a -

cigarette.I will never forget that time and day for the

rest of my life. I did something that would makea positive impact for the rest of my life and I'mhappy about that!

If you say that you enjoy smoking and don'twant to quit, I understand. It's not easy to quit,especially cold turkey. But if you think thatyou might want to try, go for it. If I can do it,you can do it, too.

It feels so good to be free. You have my bless-ing, and I wish you good luck.

Ken WeirichVicksburg District

Congratulations on kicking the habit, andthanks for sharing your quit-smoking plan.We'd like to add that the Great AmericanSmokeout will be Nov. 19. Editor

(The "Engineer Update" welcomes letters tothe editor, commentaries, and editorials on anysubject of interest to Corps people. All letters,editorials, and commentaries must be signed sowe can call for clarifications or to check theirauthenticity.

The easiest way to send articles to the "Engi-neer Update" is via e-mail tobernard.w.tate@usace.army.mil. Or they canbe mailed to:

HeadquartersU.S. Army Corps of EngineersAttn: CEPA-C (Engineer Update)20 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 22314-1000)

ENGINEER UPDATE is an unofficial publication under the provisions of AR 360-81. It is publishedmonthly by offset for the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Editorial views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Corps of Engineers or the De-partment of the Army. Letters to the editor are encouraged.

Deadline for submitting articles is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Subscriptions are avail-able free of charge but must be requested in writing. Circulation: 35,000.

Address mail to: EDITOR, ENGINEER UPDATE, CEPA-C, Washington, D.C. 20314-1000. Telephone

(202) 761-0015. Photographs are U.S. Army photos unless otherwise credited. Available on the Internet

at http //www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/cepa.htm.

Commander, USACE...... .......................... ........ Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard

Chief, Public Affairs...........................................................Col. Robert N. Mirelson

Chief, Command Information...................... .......................... George E. Halford

Editor................................................. .... Bernard W. Tate

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 3

Corps respondsContinued from front pageBy Oct. 8, more than 450 Corps members were on

the ground in Puerto Rico working with the Jack-sonville District's Georges Emergency Response Of-fice (GERO), headed by Col. Dean Kershaw, DeputyDivision Engineer at South Atlantic Division. Corpsteams and individuals responded from 34 differentlocations in 24 states -- from Hawaii to Massachu-setts, California to Florida. Their missions includeice, water, emergency power, debris removal, andemergency roofing repair.

GERO is pronounced "hero" by Kershaw "becausethere are so many heroes here from all over the Corpsworking on the relief effort," he said.

"This is a total Army effort, involving membersof the active Army, Army Reserve, Army NationalGuard and Army civilians," said Col. Joe Miller,Jacksonville District Engineer. "They are here tohelp people who have suffered a huge disaster re-build their homes and their infrastructure, and inso doing, their lives."

Ice and water. Within hours of HurricaneGeorges' passage, teams in the U.S. were procuringcritical supplies of ice and water and arranging forair transport from McGuire, Dover and CharlestonAir Force Bases and by contract aircraft from vari-ous airports. Water and ice were delivered toRoosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico fordistribution by local agencies. For the first week,ice and water were shipped exclusively by air but,on Oct. 4, the first barge shipments left port.

As of Oct. 13, the ice mission totaled $26 million,and called for delivery of 500,000 lbs. every day, upto 18 million pounds. Corps teams had delivered12.4 million pounds of ice and had an additional 1.6nrilpI tulenretet othe idan&.. ;. - ...

The water mission totaled $51 million, with a dailyminimum delivery requirement of 200,000 gallonsat the height of the mission. As of Oct. 13, the Corpshad delivered 2.9 million gallons, had 500,000 gal-lons enroute by barge and 2.4 million in stagingareas awaiting shipment. The ice team contractedfor more than 11 million gallons of water.

Debris removal. The ongoing debris removal mis-sion involves an estimated five million tons of mate-rial. Puerto Rico was divided into six zones for debrisremoval, with a reduction site in each zone. Eachzone has a hauling and a reduction contractor.

As of Oct. 13, work was underway in Zone 5, nearSalinas, Puerto Rico, and the contractor, DRC Car-ibbean, Inc., removed more than 11,000 cubic yardsof debris to the reduction site.

The debris mission includes separation, reduction,and removal of debris left behind by Hurricane

Corps workers provided heavy plastic sheeting to help Puerto Ricans temporarily replace their roofs.(Photo courtesy of Jacksonville District)

Georges in Puerto Rico. USACE contractors load plastic roofing can obtain the materials from theirdebris at collection sites and from streets and haul local town hall or National Guard Armory.it to designated reduction sites. Workers at the re-duction sites separate the debris and remove any Southeastern U.S.hazardous or toxic waste to a controlled location.An Environmental Protection Agency contractor pro- After striking Puerto Rico, Hurricane Georgescesses this waste. All vegetative debris and wood continued to the northwest, sweeping across theconstruction materials are placed in a grinder for Florida Keys and eventually making landfall on thechipping and mulching, and all other debris is re- Gulf Coast in Mississippi. As immediate relief op-duced and recycled. erations began in Puerto Rico, the Corps began pre-

Roof repair. The Corps, the Puerto Rican Na- paring for the storm's landfall in the Southeasterntional Guard, and local governments continue a U.S. The Corps pre-positioned generators and sup-massive coordinated effort on emergency roofing re- plies of ice and water in Florida, Alabama, Missis-pairs. Asof Ot. 13, Corps con ct' f 'o let" "'ippi and Lanilrnra: Persortnel-and mnat6rielwerepleting more than 600 roof repairs daily, with a pro- shifted from staging areas to respond to priorityduction goal of 1,000 repairs daily. requirements in coordination with FEMA.

With more than 60,000 structures needing roof re- For Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, the Corpspairs, the Corps, in coordination with contractors, stockpiled 73,000 gallons of water and 55,400 poundsthe Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, local governments of ice at Gunter Air Force Base, Ala., for distribution.and the Puerto Rican National Guard, developed a An additional 40,000 gallons of water were pre-posi-four-pronged approach to speed roof repairs. tioned at Camp Beauregard, La. State authorities

First, USACE contractors have teams working distributed ice and water.across the island to install temporary plastic roof- Generators were pre-positioned at Maxwell Airing. Second, teams from the National Guard are Force Base and Camp Beauregard for deployment inalso making repairs. Third, local municipalities, coordination with FEMA and state authorities, withwhere capable, are installing temporary roofing on primary consideration given to power restoration forgovernment buildings. Municipalities request the hospitals, emergency services and shelters. Most ofmaterial through FEMA, and the National Guard these generators were redeployed to Puerto Rico af-delivers it to a central location such as a town hall ter Hurricane Georges rained itself out.or National Guard Armory. Several towns used this (The Headquarters Public Affairs Office staff com-method to repair public buildings. piled this article from news releases and wire ser-

Finally, residents capable of installing their own vice reports.)

Prime PowerContinued from front page

standard package of generators FEMA provides foremergencies, doesn't have enough of the high-outputgenerators we need for this job," Ubbelohde said. "Sowe're using the battalion's own equipment to set upa two-megawatt plant at one sewage plant, a 750-kilowatt plant at a second, and a 500-kilowatt plantat a third," he said.

According to Ubbelohde, "Prime Power" soldiersare also doing damage and repair assessments. "Of-ten that means giving technical assistance, helpingthe local technicians isolate a problem, then givingadvice to get their generator running again," he said.

Ubbelohde called the pace of operations "intense."The battalion is tasked to handle the early, criti-cal phase of the recovery, then civilian contractorswill keep running what the soldiers have set up."A contractor who has a haul-and-install contract,

part of the Readiness 2000 plan, is assisting withthe actual transport and installation of generators,"said Ubbelohde. "He's in back-up mode to ourpeople, when the number of jobs overwhelm ourbattalion assets," he said.

According to Ubbelohde, the soldiers are enjoy-ing the mission. The hours are long, the work istaxing, travel conditions are difficult because thestreets are littered with trees blown down by thehurricane, and most road signs are gone.

"There are a lot of challenges, but they're enjoy-ing the opportunity to help put the Commonwealthback on its feet. This is close to our go-to-war mis-sion, which is to generate power and repair gen-erators in combat," Ubbelohde said.

The soldiers on the ground agree. "We go outand do a lot of assessments of sites that FEMAsays needs power generation," said Staff Sgt.Nelson Justice, senior power station electrician.

"We've been to hospitals and a lot of water pump-ing stations.

'The biggest problem is the language barrier,"Justice said. "Most of our guys don't speak Spanish,and many of the local technicians don't speak muchEnglish, so that makes it hard to communicate theexact details about the equipment and what's wrongwith it. But after you get the generator hooked upand the power on, people really appreciate the workyou've done," he said.

Staff Sgt. Robert Spaulding, senior power stationmechanic, said that the hardest part of the job isnavigation at night. '"There are no road signs; theyall got blown down during the hurricane. The bestpart of the job is the sense of satisfaction after youget people's power turned on. You hate to see peopleput through the damage caused by the storm, so itreally makes you feel good to be able to help them,"he said.

4 ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

New islandbenefits fishand wildlife

By Peter VerstegenSt. Paul District

Working closely with other federal and state part-ners, St. Paul District is restoring valuable islandhabitat on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) nearLa Crosse, Wis., and is improving the environmentfor fish and wildlife.

The Pool 8 Islands Habitat Rehabilitation and En-hancement Project is part of the Environmental Man-agement Program (EMP) and costs $2.3 million. Theproject area is south of La Crosse near Stoddard,Wis., and lies within the Upper Mississippi RiverNational Wildlife and Fish Refuge. "The public isreally interested and excited about this one," saidJim Nissen, district refuge manager for the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (USFWS), one of the projectpartners.

Since 1939, more than 80 percent of the islands inlower Pool 8 have been lost to erosion, with the lossin the Stoddard area being more than 95 percent.The USFWS, the Wisconsin Department of NaturalResources, and others have worked with St. PaulDistrict in planning the project. "We spent a lot oftime with the folks from the Corps. The product is areal good project," said Nissen.

"The public and agencies identified the originalproblem and had a substantial say in establishingthe habitat objectives," said Gary Palesh, the Corps'technical manager. "This is the second phase of amulti-phase effort to restore islands in lower Pool8."

Island restoration increases habitat diversity forboth fish and wildlife. The islands provide habitatand reduce wind and wave action. This improvesconditions for the growth of aquatic plants in the

The island is formed as fill gushes out of a dredge line and is shaped by heavy equipment. The project,located on the Mississippi River south of La Crosse, Wis., is fostering development of fish and wildlifehabitat on the river. (Photo courtesy of St. Paul District)

protected areas. The islands also reduce the veloc-ity of the currents through the area. The outcomeimproves habitat conditions for backwater fish spe-cies such as largemouth bass and bluegill, whichare sensitive to excessive current velocities.

Island A is the largest of seven islands the projectwill restore. "The actual size of the seven islands isabout 26 acres. The area of backwater habitat thatwill benefit is in the neighborhood of 500 acres,"said Palesh.

The project construction and design benefited fromengineering advances. Geographic Information Sys-tems and two-dimensional hydrodynamic modelshave made the outcomes of some features more pre-dictable. "We incorporated innovations into the de-sign to meet site specific habitat needs and reducecosts," said Palesh. "The design also incorporatedlessons learned from previous island restoration ef-forts."

"Several islands have sand humps on them," Nis-sen. "They will have beach grass planted on them.The goal is to provide long-term nesting habitat forturtles. There are objectives for other creatures, too,

like mud flats for shore-bird habitat."The project also includes building six seed islands

south of Stoddard. Seed islands are small rock struc-tures designed to help form islands through naturalriver processes. The seed islands are less than fivepercent of the project, but they can pack a big ben-efit for a small investment. The Corps built two seedislands in 1995 and "we're starting to see the shoal-ing that we had hoped for in that area," said Nissen."It's a chance to get a fishery back in the Stoddardarea."

Congress established the EMP in 1986 for a 15-year period to protect and balance the resources ofthe UMR and to guide river management. The EMPis the only system-wide program on the UMR thattargets habitat rehabilitation and resource monitor-ing. To date, the construction of habitat projects hasrestored, protected or enhanced about 28,000 acresof floodplain and aquatic habitat. Mississippi RiverValley Division recently completed a report to Con-gress that evaluated the program and recommendedcontinuing EMP with modifications to improve itseffectiveness.

Dirt fills a geotextile bag that will be used for asoft dike. (Photo courtesy of New Orleans District)

Experimental soft dikessave $35 million annually

By John HallNew Orleans District

In a routine year, New Orleans District will dredge40 million to 45 million cubic yards of material fromthe Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and theGulf of Mexico. And when the Big Muddy is at fullthrottle, the material that must be moved can easilyswell to 60 million yards.

It's a big job, with a big price tag. The job is main-taining a 45-foot navigation channel for a port com-plex that moves the largest total waterborne tonnagein the world. The cost averages about $35 million ayear, or 10 percent of the district's budget.

That's why the Engineering and Operations divi-sions launched an ambitious experiment five yearsago to stretch the dredging dollar with the tools oftechnological innovation -- and big, black plastic bagsshinier and rougher-woven than a 1971 polyestersuit.

The results are in. The district team has provedthat millions of dollars can be saved in dredging justone spot near Baton Rouge, La. The work cost $7.1million and is called the Red Eye Crossing Soft DikesDemonstration Project.

The Red Eye soft dikes amount to passive dredg-ing, that is, the Mississippi is manipulated in such away that it's forced to dredge itself. Thus, millionsfewer cubic yards must be dredged, saving the gov-ernment millions of dollars and avoiding the con-sumption of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel.

The Red Eye project, named for a river crossingfive miles below the Interstate 10 bridge, will pay foritself by the end of this year. Now the district ispreparing to move on to other river crossings belowBaton Rouge.

The Red Eye Crossing is the meanest dredgingobstacle on the river between Baton Rouge and NewOrleans. Red Eye has been tamed in part by the softdikes, underwater dams made of polypropylene bags.Filled with coarse river sand, they were installed in1994 by the district. The contractor was Luhr Bros.Inc., based in Columbia, Ill.

A crossing is a stretch of river in which the chan-nel (the deeper, faster water) crosses from one bankto the other, seeking the outside of the next bend.The Red Eye Crossing is about two miles long, withthe channel crossing from the east bank to the westbank.

Continued on page 5

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 5

Officials meet tribes in their own landsArticle and Photo

By Maggie OldhamOmaha District

The best way to get a true impres-sion of a region and its people is in per-son, a lesson that staff from the Assis-tant Secretary of the Army (CivilWorks) [ASA(CW)], Army GeneralCounsel, and U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers learned when they journeyedthrough Missouri River Indian coun-try.

"We at the office of the Assistant Sec-retary of the Army (Civil Works) be-lieve that it's important to reach outto tribes to exchange ideas and buildtrust, and not simply wait for issuesto be brought to our attention by let-ters or during annual visits," said ChipSmith, Assistant for Environment andRegulatory Affairs in the ASA (CW) of-fice.

Besides hearing tribal views on is-sues, the trip provided travelers withan opportunity to establish new rela-tionships, to reaffirm existing relation-ships, and to visit important resourceand cultural sites. Besides Smith,Gordon Bailey, Army General Counsel;George Tabb of the Corps Natural Re-sources Office; and representativesfrom Northwestern Division, OmahaDistrict and St. Louis District madethe trip.

Their schedule was ambitious -- eighttribes in five days. That's just one-fourth of the 30 tribes within OmahaDistrict's boundaries.

"We have an excellent, and impor-tant, working relationship with thetribes," said David Vader, Omaha Dis-trict Native American Coordinator.'This trip provided an excellent oppor-tunity for all to see and learn together.With that comes collective problem-solving. This was an opportunity forthe tribes to showcase some of their

Soft dikesContinued from page 4

Crossings create water conditionsconducive to shoaling. And the Red Eyeis particularly troublesome because thechannel is relatively wide at that point,about 3,700 feet. This forces the dis-trict to bring in dredges to maintainthe 45-foot channel to Baton Rouge.Each year, the Corps brings in twodustpan dredges, the governmentdredge Jadwin and a private dredge,to remove sediment deposited in thehigh-water season. Sometimes, hop-per dredges are also used.

The six soft dikes are perpendicularto the river flow, extending along theeast bank for just under 1.5 miles. Thedikes are progressively longer goingdownstream, from 680 feet to 1,750 feet.Thus, the dikes constrict theMississippi's flow, concentrating it ina narrower channel that gives it moremuscle to shove the sedimentsdownriver.

"We took some good bends (crossings)downriver where dredging isn't re-

(Left to right) Omaha District Native American Coordinator David Vader, ChipSmith of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works),Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Council Member Reva Gates, and Tribal ChairmanCharles Murphy discuss the opening of the marina at Walker BottomsRecreation Area.

successes and openly discuss priorities,problems, and opportunities to partnermore in the future."

The group met with members of theThree Affiliated Tribes, Standing RockSioux, Cheyenne River Sioux, LowerBrule Sioux, Crow Creek, and theYankton Sioux Tribes.

Their journey started in Minot,N.D., and ended in Yankton, S.D., cov-ering nearly 1,000 road miles. As theytraveled south, they followed the Mis-souri River downstream throughNorth and South Dakota.

Meetings with leaders of the ThreeAffiliated Tribes (Arikara, Hidatsu,and Mandan) touched on the full scopeof Corps mission areas. Specific dis-cussion included land transfer, litiga-tion, treaty rights, trust responsibil-ity, noxious weed control, oil explora-tion, shoreline erosion, flood protection,contracting with tribes, natural re-sources, protection and management

quired, and tried to mimic those con-ditions," said Keith O'Cain, leader ofthe district's Channel StabilizationSection. 'This constricted Red Eye toabout 2,000 feet, the same as the widthof the non-dredging crossings we weretrying to mimic."

Except that they are soft, and thussafer, the Red Eye dikes are similar tothe hundreds of rock dikes that havebeen used successfully for many yearson the river above Baton Rouge.

Though large, the soft dikes are un-obtrusive. They lie lower than thenearby sandbar where the bags werefilled. The fabric is a geotextile, aheavy-duty polypropylene used in civilworks projects like levees, landfills, andrailbeds. The project uses both smallergeobags, holding three cubic yards ofsand, and mighty geocontainers, witha capacity of 200 to 300 cubic yards.

Safety has been a prime concernwith the soft dikes. The first four yearshave apparently gone well.

"We have no information to confirm

of cultural resources, paleontology,hunting and fishing jurisdiction, envi-ronmental restoration, and recreationarea management.

During the meetings, tribal mem-bers relayed their images of the pastand their hope for the future. "I wasimpressed by the spiritual strength oftribes, their ability to persevere andadapt to change and adversity, andtheir commitment to the environment,"said Smith. "I also was overwhelmedby their hospitality and generosity,despite the fact that we had many se-rious and occasionally heated discus-sions about issues."

Economic issues as well as culturalissues are of immediate concern to thetribes and the Corps. The group heardabout tribal needs for infrastructureimprovement, jobs, training, improvedaccess to educational and health facili-ties, and environmental restoration.

'There were high points for each and

that anybody has hit the dikes," saidCoast Guard Cmdr. Daniel Whiting,chief of port operations of the MarineSafety Office in New Orleans. A bargeand towboat in one incident report, re-ceived about two months ago, turnedout to be more than one mile above thedikes, according to Whiting. "TheCorps of Engineers, the Coast Guard,and the pilots (river navigators) areworking together to insure that trafficgets around that point safely."

"Our next step is the Medora Cross-ing, 12 miles down river from the RedEye crossing," said Fred Schilling,Operations Division manager fordredging the Mississippi River fromBaton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Medora dikes, whose construc-tion is planned for fiscal year 1999, willbe a lot simpler than the Red Eye.Medora will have three dikes, insteadof the six at Red Eye. "If all workswell, we would hope to install more softdikes," Schilling said. "We will take itone step at a time."

every tribal visit, those moments whena tough issue was addressed honestlyand openly, and when we were able tocome to agreement on how to proceed,"said Smith.

Visits to Native American culturalsites also left lasting impressions. Thegroup visited the gravesite of SittingBull. They also stopped near WhiteShield, N.D., to visit the Old ScoutsCemetery, burial site of many NativeAmerican veterans who served in thearmed forces from the 1860s throughVietnam. Many markers commemo-rate Arikara members who were scoutsfor Lt. Gen. George Custer, some ofwho fought and died at the Battle ofLittle Bighorn. The Corps partneredwith the Three Affiliated Tribes, theBureau of Indian Affairs, and othersin 1995 to reposition the gravesites andheadstones in accordance with tribalbeliefs.

One high point of the trip was a rib-bon-cutting to open a marina projectat the Walker Bottoms Recreation Areaon the Standing Rock Reservationalong Lake Oahe near Bismarck, N.D.About 80 miles of the Lake Oahe shore-line lies within Standing Rock Reser-vation. Omaha District signed a parkand recreation lease with the Stand-ing Rock Sioux Tribe (SRST). The cer-emony marked the opening of phaseone of the project. When completed, itwill include a public marina, boat slips,boat ramp, courtesy dock, swimmingbeach, irrigation intake, parking ar-eas, day picnic areas, and overnightcamping areas. It will also feature aconvenience shelter, personal facilities,fish cleaning station, nature trails, anda proposed 18-hole golf course on triballands west of the project.

The marina at Walker Bottoms Rec-reation Area is an example of howCorps districts support tribal initia-tives, consistent with Corps policy prin-ciples. One key principle affirms thatthe Corps will seek out ways to involvetribes in projects and programs thatbuild self-reliance, and encourage eco-nomic growth.

In the next few years, the tribes andthe Corps will face significant chal-lenges, said Tabb. "With the Corps'shrinking resources, a major challengewill be to figure out how to work withthe tribes effectively," he said. 'Thereare lots of problems to deal with, butthis means there are also lots of oppor-tunities to make positive things hap-pen. I believe the relationship betweenthe tribes and the Corps is improving.With the interest and direct involve-ment of the Assistant Secretary andhis staff, I expect the relationships tocontinue to improve. I also believeOmaha District has made huge stridesin the right direction in this regard."

Vader believes Indian country is theideal frontier to practice the Corps' Vi-sion. 'The Corps Vision (revolutionizeeffectiveness, seek growth opportuni-ties, and invest in people) is made forIndian country," said Vader. 'The out-come and follow-up from this trip willdemonstrate that we are serious aboutour commitments."

ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

GS-14/15 selection policy

'Corporate assets' given top emph"Finding the right people to carry

the Corps into the future may bethe most important thing / do as asenior leader." -- Charles Hess

By Becki DobynsHeadquarters

"I was not prepared for the uproar," Chief of En-gineers Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard said recently re-garding last year's controversial selection policy de-cision. The new policy elevated the selection of GS-15s to the Headquarters and supervisory GS-14s tothe division level.

Lt. Gen. Ballard believes higher-level leaders arecorporate assets, not district or division assets. '"Thereason we select them at this level is because weget a broader pool of applicants, and we break thegood ol' boy network. Down at the district level, itwasn't a process at all. It was a right of passage."

Louise Crowell, Chief of Career Management inHuman Resources (HR), administers the new policy.She said it improved the selection process by level-ing the playing field. "It's no longer who you knowbut what you know that counts," she said. "Thereis no more heir apparent." She agrees that the re-sult is a broader pool of applicants, particularly thosefrom other agencies who would not have applied pre-viously because they assumed the Corps would hirefrom within. .. '

The process, modeled after the selection processfor members of the Senior Executive Service (SES),requires much more involvement from commandersand other senior leaders in the selection, Crowell said.For GS-15 positions at divisions and districts, divi-sion commanders must chair a selection panel. (TheUSACE Deputy Chiefs of Staff chair the selectionpanel for GS-15s at Headquarters and other field el-ements, including labs.) The chair must approvethe selection criteria and panel composition in writ-ing. The panel must have at least three members -- the chair, the position's supervisor, and an SES fromHeadquarters. The panel makes its recommendation

to the Deputy Commanding General in Headquar-ters who makes the actual selection.

For supervisory GS-14 positions, panel chairs canbe district commanders, lab directors, divisionchiefs, or office chiefs, depending on the vacancy's

Gallup profile used to weighcandidates' leadership ability

By Becki DobynsHeadquarters

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been us-ing the Gallup Leadership Competency Interviewin executive selections since 1991. Using the pro-cess to help select all GS-15s and supervisory GS-14s became mandatory last May. The profile isused along with information on experience, educa-tion, and training, to help the selection panel makethe best choice.

The interview gathers information on theperson's leadership skill, which is then consideredduring the selection process. The interview, con-ducted telephonically by a Gallup executive inter-viewer, typically lasts more than an hour. Forfairness, everyone receives the same questions,which are asked without probing. A Gallup ana-

lyst later codes the interviews and writes a devel-opmental profile for the candidate.

Candidates' competencies are evaluated in fourgeneral areas:

* Direction (includes vision, focus and strategicthinking).

* Drive to execute competencies (includes egodrive, desire to win, internal drive to achieve, andproactivity).

0 Relationship (includes helping others grow, get-ting people to work together, creating good feel-ings in others, and responsibility and ethics).

* Management (includes the ability to coordi-nate work efficiently, being results-oriented, andthe need for structure).

Representatives from the Merit Systems and Pro-tection Board reviewed the process in 1994 andagain in 1996. The interview passed validity tests.

sislocation. Accordingly, the selection official may bethe Director of Military Programs, Civil Works,Research and Development, Chief of Staff, or thedivision commander.

"Finding the right people to carry the Corps intothe future may be the most important thing I do asa senior leader," said Charles Hess, Chief of Opera-tions in the Directorate of Civil Works. Hess saidthat he has served as the Headquarters SES repre-sentative on about 10 selection panels.

One of the criteria used by the panel is feedbackfrom a required Gallup Leadership Competency In-terview (see sidebar). According to an HR memo-randum, the tool is "designed to identify leadershipcompetencies, and by using this tool you will be ableto make selections based on leadership capabilityand competency, as well as experience, educationand training."

All these additional requirements mean that ittakes about three months longer to fill a vacancy,said Crowell. "But when you think about the in-vestment the organization is making in such anindividual for the years ahead, three months is aminor sacrifice, and the cost of the wrong selectionis considerable."

Hess admits that serving on selection panels hastaken its toll on his business calendar, but says itis rewarding nonetheless because he gets to seegreat talent and enthusiasm, and he knows he isgiving the Corps of the future the focus it deserves.

So why the controversy?'There was a considerable hew and cry that this

was simply an affirmative action program, ratherthan aeffort.to systematically create a corporately-aligned candidate pool from which to draw seniorexecutives," Crowell said. While increasing diver-sity is a major goal of the new policy, she said, di-versity means more than affirmative action.

An October, 1997 memo from Lt. Gen. Ballardclarified the term -- "Accomplishing multi-functionmissions requires a workforce with diverse talents,abilities and skills. In this context, the term 'di-verse' has much broader implications than race andgender; it is intended to describe broad and variedlife and work experiences. It is our intent to look atsenior selections from a broad, corporate perspec-tive. Our corporate recruitment policy for GS-15and supervisory GS-14 positions ensures that weconsider, select, train, and develop a work force withdiverse attributes and talents who will exemplifythe competencies required to support our strategicdirection."

"Significant outreach efforts have helped to en-sure that our jobs are more open," Hess said. "Andthe result isjust what you'd expect -- additional well-qualified people applying for our positions."

Since Lt. Gen. Ballard issued the new policy, thecommand has made 27 selections of GS/GM-15s; 18are white males, three minority males, and six whitefemales. Their average age is 47. All have under-graduate degrees and more than half have gradu-ate degrees as well.

"We have made some excellent selections duringthe past year, and I am confident that we will con-tinue to build a leadership team which fully reflectsour corporate strategy of a talented, productive anddiverse workforce," Lt. Gen. Ballard said in a re-cent memo to Corps leaders.

The policy's real test is found in the long haul,Crowell said. She is confident, however, that thenew corporate selection policy will ultimately meanbetter prepared, more capable, and more corporate-minded leaders for the Corps, now and 20 years fromnow.

Readers may view the policy memos and otherinformation about the corporate selection policy athttp://hqmp2.hq.usace.army.mil/cehr/corpsell.htm.

__

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE

Th e Wo rld's Remierng neering Oganlizaion

Corps outreachextends acrossEastern Europe

By Marnah WokenEurope District

From environmental surveys in Poland and Hun-gary to quality of life assessments in the Czech Re-public, Europe District is developing Support for Oth-ers (SFO) opportunities for the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers through its Regional Outreach Office.

Through theSFO program,Europe Districtworks closely

with the U.S.Euro-rn pean

Com-Pe mand

to support

curity Strategy of Peacetime Engagement andEnlargement in Central and Eastern Europe.

"There is a huge need for engineering expertiseand support in these areas," said Dr. Judith Reid,Acting Chief of the Regional Outreach Office. "We'refilling that need through Support for Others, a newand unique program that's all about sharing infor-mation, working together, and building relationshipswith other countries. We're planting seeds and help-ing other countries become part of the engineeringand environmental planning process; we're helpingthem make smart choices."

Europe District recently joined North Atlantic Di-vision (NAD) as part of a strategic initiative by theChief of Engineers to align for success by furtherdeveloping the EUCOM relationship. NAD Com-mander Maj. Gen. Jerry Sinn now oversees all Corpsactivities in the EUCOM area.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the Corps tohelp others throughout the world," said Sinn. "Wehave unique engineering expertise in designing andbuilding projects that enhance the quality of life formilitary personnel and American citizens. It is alogical extension to bring our skills to those in East-ern Europe who would benefit from improved infra-structure. I get a great deal of professional satisfac-tion hearing the words 'Thank you!' from people whobenefit from the work we do to improve their livingconditions."

Projects under Europe District's SFO programinclude construction in the Ukraine to support theDefense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA), embassyrenovations in many former Soviet Republics, aSouth-East Balkans environmental security assess-ment, a Central European petroleum stock study,an assessment of a training range in the Ukraine,and assistance to Poland, Hungary and the CzechRepublic under the Partnership for Peace programas they prepare to enter the North Atlantic TreatyOrganization (NATO).

"Probably one of the most exciting programs we'reworking on is our role in Partnership for Peace," said

Reid. 'We're helping Poland, Hungary, and the Czech "The city's arRepublic conduct infrastructure inventories on mili- Quarter of Notary installations in their countries to determine how mix with raw swell they meet NATO interoperability standards. water contamiWe're also offering assistance instrengthening their overall engi-neering capabilities as they moveinto NATO."

The quality of life assessment inthe Czech Republic and environ-mental surveys in Poland and Hun-gary also fall under the district's 0'work with Partnership for Peace.The assessment involves developing 0 1a total housing management plan, 0gand a cost of living database of hous- ping areas near military installationsin the Czech Republic.

"Poland and Hungary have ex-pressed interest in environmentalsurveys to improve their living con-ditions and quality of life," saidReid. "With this project, we wantto provide training on how to con-duct environmental survey reports These apartment buildingsso they have the knowledge and were built in the Ukraine forexpertise to conduct the surveys retired officers of the Russianthemselves. This is a great way to Strategic Rocket Forces. (Photobuild relations and improve living ort sy oU furope.District)-cmifi"nis at the sm ..e ......

A site assessment of a trainingrange in the Ukraine is also part of Europe District's "All of these thiSFO work. Mechanical engineer Ragan Glandon and we work on thproject manager Paul Ramey from Europe District for us, too. Etwent to the Ukraine to determine if the area could people who realsupport a joint U.S./Ukraine exercise. challenges tha

'"The 7th Army Training Command showed inter- their expertiseest in using a former Soviet training range in labor -- that hoYavoriv," said Ramey. "We looked at force protection "SFO is helland life support systems, assessing the water sup- added Reid. "I1ply, sewer and electrical systems, barracks, and din- tries and learning facilities."

Under the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program,Europe District worked with the DSWA to build about C orp600 new apartments in Khmelnytsky, Ukraine. Theproject was a collaborative effort between the DSWA,the Corps, the Ukraine Ministry of Defense, and pri-vate industry. Europe District managed construc- atetion of the apartments which were designed for thefamilies of former Soviet officers. A fri

Also through the SFO program, Europe District rihelped Transatlantic Programs Center with humani-tarian aid to Africa. EUCOM and the U.S. Embassyin Mauritania, Africa, recently asked the Corps toprovide a public health engineering assessment ofNouakchott, Mauritania, a severely impoverished The U.S. Eucity. the

Europe District environmental engineers PeterRussin and Pat Brady conducted a two-week studyand site-analysis of the area, and identified threemajor life and safety health problems. The mainproblems found were a lack of clean drinking water,poor sewage handling, and the lack of a waste dis-posal program.

Support for o ters

WORLDWIDE

inual rainy season floods the El Minauakchott, causing standing water toewage," said Russin. '"This standingnates the limited drinking water in

the area, resulting in cholera andmalaria outbreaks."

"Following our assessment, weprovided an outline in terms of aninitial cleanup of the area," saidBrady. "We also provided guidanceon the development of a solid wastemanagement plan."

"Europe District is aggressivelyserving as EUCOM's 'Door to theCorps' in the region," said DistrictCommander Col. Mike Barry."Both EUCOM and our Partnershipfor Peace partners are enthusias-tic about the Corps' capabilities tosupport a full range of engineeringand environmental services in sup-port of the region's developing de-mocracies. Using the strong foun-dation the District has built in sup-porting U.S. Forces in Europe, weare reaching out to support U.S. re-gional objectives as part of theEUCOM team."

"Prosperity, stability, politics,religion and geography vastly dif-fer in these countries," said Reid.

ngs are taken into consideration whenese projects so it's a learning processirope District has a lot of energeticlly enjoy this type of work, despite theat come with it. They enjoy sharingand enjoy seeing the fruits of their

lds a lot of meaning for them.ping us learn how to live together,"t's helping us share with other coun-about different cultures."

s assessesr system foran villageBy Marnah Woken

Europe District

ropean Command (USEUCOM) andU.S. Embassy in Mauritania, Africa,

recently asked the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers to provide a pub-

lic health engineeringassessment of

. Nouakchott,

gut la Mauritania -- aseverely impov-erished African

city.The area's annual

August to Septemberrainy season floodsthe El Mina Quar-

ter of Nouakchott,Continued on page 8

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 9

The Wld's PremierWB Engineering Organization

Continued from page 7causing standing water to mixwith raw sewage. This stand-ing water contaminates the lim-ited drinking water in the area,causing cholera and malariaoutbreaks. The problems aremagnified by the area's over-population and geographicalconditions. '

Europe District environmen-tal engineers Peter Russin andPat Brady went to Nouakchottto assess and evaluate the situ- a-tp o iation and to propose correctivemeasures to combat the threat ,to public health in the El Mina .quarter. They conducted a two-week study and site-analysis -- .

identifying three major life andsafety health problems in thearea.

"Basically, EUCOM re-quested a team to go down there Peter Russin, envito try to come up with a solu- Europe District,tion to improve the quality of groundwater at Eliving," said Russin. "We did (Photo courtesy ofthis as part of Europe District'sOutreach Program. This is ahighly populated area. People are migrating fromthe desert to the city, looking for work. The popula-tion is at the point where the quality of living is start-ing to deteriorate as they adjust to living in an ur-ban area."

The main problems found by the assessment in-clude a lack of clean drinking water, poor sewagehandling, and the disposal of domestic and solid wasteproducts.

"Uncontrolled solid waste refuse litters virtuallythe entire El Mina Quarter," said Brady. '"There is avisible lack of garbage cans, dumpsters, and othermeans of controlling and transporting the waste toan intermediary pick-up point, so the waste piles liein the open, year round."

The area also suffers from a total lack of naturaldrainage, according to Russin. This, combined withthe accumulation and pooling of used water and sew-age, creates a serious public health condition.

"There is a serious drainage issue in the area,"said Russin. "However, the magnitude of trying toresolve the drainage issue is a big project. All youcan really do at this point is try to control and handlethe solid and domestic waste that mingles with thedrinking water. In a sense, there's nothing that canbe done about the drainage problem unless you spendmillions of dollars. We concluded that if we couldcontrol the existing solid and domestic waste lyingon the ground, it would help a great deal. If we canget rid of the existing waste, the heavy rainfall won'tcause as many sanitation problems. Obviously, therewill be some ponding, but it won't be in proximity ofthe solid waste."

Nouakchott's existing water supply, storage, andtransmission systems are also seriously inadequate.In addition, further water production is expected todecrease in the future, meeting only 70 percent ofthe city's demand.

'The water lines aren't buried deeply enough andin some cases lack acceptable backfill material," saidBrady. "Frequent failure of lines and joints, coupledwith low operating hydrostatic pressure, has severelycompromised the water quality in the lines. In ef-

ror

I If Eu

fect, the water lines themselvesprovide an excellent conduit forwaterborne diseases. In addi-tion, open well dispensingpoints are vulnerable to directhuman and animal contamina-tion and provide an excellentbreeding ground for mosquitoesduring both the dry and rainyseasons."

In their final assessment,Brady and Russin offered sug-gestions on how to solve theproblems that pose an extremehealth hazard to the commu-nity.

"We looked at it from a real-istic point of view and said'What can we do to improve thequality of living for this com-munity with the dollars that wehave,"'said Russin. "Basically,we provided an outline in

nmental engineer, terms of doing an initialurveys the high cleanup of the area, and disin-Mina, Mauritania. fection of the solid waste areas.urope District) Currently, there's a procure-

ment going through the StateDepartment for the cleanup,

and the implementation of a solid waste managementplan that will control, handle and dispose of the solidwaste."

Both Russin and Brady feel this assessment andthe subsequent cleanup efforts may serve as a pilotprogram for other impoverished African cities.

'This is something that can be duplicated in otherimpoverished communities," said Russin. "I thinkonce everyone begins to see the results of these ef-forts, it will be replicated in other areas, ultimatelyhelping the people who live in these impoverishedareas."

Topo team findswater in Haiti

By Laura DwyerAnd Bruce Markley

Topographic Engineering Center

Let's say you're a military engineer planning Hu-manitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) projects in Haiti.You've just received a list of 10 possible water wellsites for drilling during a coming military well driller

deployment, but onlythree or four

wells can bedrilled in the

ai time allowed.You know little about

the sites except for the vil-lage names and locations.

And you know this is an important hu-manitarian mission because each village does not havea well, so the Haitians get their drinking water fromcontaminated open streams and watering holes.

How can you get the hydrogeologic information youneed to make an informed decision about which sitesto drill?

Contact the Water Detection Response Team

(WDRT) of the U.S. Army Topographic EngineeringCenter's (TEC).

TEC's Hydrologic Analysis Branch (HAB) in Alex-andria, Va., has supported the Department ofDefense's (DoD) HCA water well drilling program inHaiti since 1996, and DoD well drilling in generalsince 1985. HAB pro-vides hydrogeologicanalyses of potential well , ,sites as part of its WDRTmission to support mili-tary well drilling. Thissupport led to the suc-cessful completion of atleast 25 water wells inHaiti.

"Each year we drillabout 10 HCA wells,"wrote 1st Lt. WilliamBrown, Special ProjectsOfficer of the U.S. Sup-port Group Haiti-JointEngineers, in a report toTEC about the impact ofthis support. "Each wellsupports...up to 5,000Haitians. These wellsare drilled by Army, Air Army engineer soldierForce, and Navy units courtesy of TEC)that are deployed here fortraining...mission success is very important for de-ployments. So, when we select well sites, thehydrogeologic conditions are the determining factor.The reports...from TEC provide the information nec-essary to decide where to drill."

The surest way to find ground water is drill a holeto it. But in unfamiliar terrain, drilling by trial-and-error can be costly and time-consuming. Fail-ures occur when the site selection, well design, anddrilling do not take hydrogeology into account. Anumber of techniques, from hydrogeologic analysisto air photo interpretation and geophysical prospect-ing, can improve the odds of drilling a successful wellon the first try. The WDRT is available to assist themilitary planner and well drillers in locating groundwater sources before drilling.

Before the WDRT, military well drillers generallyrelied on trial-and-error. They commonly deployedto new areas without prior knowledge of the geologyand without information like the target well depth,expected well yield, or probable water quality at asite. They could not plan what well-drilling equip-ment to take when they deployed, or what materialsthey would need to complete a well. They didn't evenknow whether it was possible to reach water at aparticular site. So there were many dry holes.

In 1985, the Corps established the WDRT to helpmilitary well-drillers locate ground water sources andimprove their well-drilling success. HAB manages

a drorr

the WDRT. The team forms when needed, and drawson civilian specialists in data base evaluation, re-mote sensing, geophysics, and specific geographicregions. Specialists from TEC, Waterways Experi-ment Station (WES), and Mobile District, as well asother government agencies like the U.S. Geological

Survey, have participatedin WDRT deployments tosupport military well-drilling missions outsidethe U.S.

For HCA and engineer-ing exercises, the hostcountry often requestsdrilling many waterwells, but generally onlya few can be drilled dur-ing the short deploy-ments. Often, requestedsites have little or no po-tential to develop ad-equate water supplies.The WDRT helps deter-mine if the sites have po-tential to sustain thestated requirements, andranks the proposed sites

water in Haiti. (Photo based on their potential.In addition,. if there islittle potential for a suc-

cessful well at a particular location, possible nearbyalternate sites are suggested.

"The WDRT's assistance is extremely helpful innarrowing down the vast number of well requestswe get. Because of the few well-drilling units deploy-ing here, we want to choose sites that will have thehighest chance of being successful and maximize thepositive impact on the communities," Brown said.

When a request for WDRT support is received byHAB, the first step is evaluation of data and imag-ery available for the area. HAB performs this pre-liminary site analysis, often drawing from the DoDWater Resources Data Base produced and maintainedby TEC. In Haiti, as in most cases, the analysis ofexisting data sources is sufficient to identify areaswith high potential for successful water wells. Butthe WDRT may also determine that additional infor-mation is needed from other sources, including datafrom remote sensing systems, and hydrogeologic datafrom other organizations.

Brown notes that all of the WDRT reports "com-pleted for us are very thorough and professional andare the deciding factor for us in determining whereto drill."

In the few cases where available data are still toosparse to confidently identify high-potential areas forwater wells, the WDRT can select and rank specificareas for field reconnaissance and geophysical sur-veys. Depending on mission requirements, the

WDRT may deploy before, or with, the well-drillingteam to assist with site selection and the ultimatewell design. Once deployed, team members contacthost-nation ground water experts, evaluate any ex-isting water facilities, and conduct detailedhydrogeologic reconnaissance of the specific areas thatwere identified as having high potential.

The geophysical team element, based at WES, canconduct electrical resistivity and seismic refractionsurveys to assist in the field work. Once the drillersbegin their work, supporting specialists assist withlogging and interpreting cuttings from the well, andwith down-hole electric logging. This aids in identi-fying the highest producing aquifers in the well, sothat intake screens are placed accurately and maxi-mum water production is ensured.

Although the WDRT can provide this assistancedirectly in the field, its ultimate mission is develop-ing water-detection skills in the military well-drill-ing teams. TEC's WDRT members recently devel-oped and executed a hydrogeologic training seminarfor three Air Force well-drilling units. Plans areunderway to offer this training to the other services.

Since 1994, the WDRT at TEC performedhydrogeologic analysis of more than 300 sites to sup-port military well-drilling operations worldwide. Mostrequests to the WDRT were for geologic andhydrogeologic information to support the planning of.possible future drilling operations. There were farmore sites evaluated than could be drilled or havebeen drilled to date. Of those drilled, 119 wells weresuccessful, with only four failures. This is a betterthan 95 percent success rate for wells drilled withWDRT support.

"Geological evaluations of well-drilling sites per-formed by members of your command have beenhighly successful," stated a message from U.S. South-ern Command (USSOUTHCOM) to TEC. "Since theinception of this program, USSOUTHCOM has ex-perienced a reduction of more than 70 percent in drywell occurrences."

More difficult to measure is the value of a cleanwater source to a poor Haitian village or school, es-pecially where there was none before, or the goodwillthese successful humanitarian construction projectsgenerate toward the U.S.

(Laura Dwyer is Chief of the HAB at TEC and thecurrent WDRT manager. Bruce Markley is a hy-drologist with the HAB.)

Corps surveyswater system offAfrican coast

By Denise TatuTransatlantic Programs Center

Two team members from Transatlantic ProgramsCenter (TAC) recently completed a water resourcessurvey on Santiago, the largest island in the groupthat makes up the Africa country of Cape Verde.

Civil engineer Al Cortes and Africa project managerDoug Hopper performed the survey in response to arequest from the U.S. embassy. 'The embassy askedus to prepare a feasibility report to identify potential

projects to improve Cape Verde's watersupply and water conservation

efforts," said Cortes.Besides Cortes andHopper, team mem-e bers included Gale

Ley, Securitye Assistance rep-.resenot ativefrom the U.S.

embassy; Jodo Lima,Cape Verde GeneralDirectorate ofAgricul-ture, Forestry and

Animal Husbandry(DGASP); and Jose Vera-

Cruz of Agricultural CooperativeDevelopment International (ACDI).

Lima represented the Cape Verdegovernment, whileACDI participated as a consultant for the embassyduring the study. The survey team traveled through-out Santiago, recorded existing conditions, identifiedpotential project sites, and collected data to plan andevaluate water resources alternatives.

The Cape Verde islands are 620 kilometers (about384 miles) off the west coast of Africa. The archi-pelago has 10 islands and five islets. The capital,Praia, is on Santiago, which has a population of 80,000.

Continued on page 10

Existing concrete water storage tanks at Achada Grande, on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, anisland nation off the coast of Africa. These tanks are used by the local farming association to collectrainfall. The water is then distributed to the community. (Photo courtesy of Transatlantic ProgramsCenter)

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ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

The World's remierEngneering Organlza tion

Continued from page 9According to Cortes, high winds have caused ero-

sion on all the islands, and the lack of rain (the is-lands receive limited rainfall during a three-monthrainy season) prevents the growth of natural vegeta-tion, which contributes to further soil erosion.

Cortes said that on Santiago, large quantities of freshwater drain into the ocean immediately after rainsand ground water resources are limited. Agricultureis limited to areas next to streams. These areas areprone to flooding and must be irrigated from wellsduring prolonged dry periods.

"Cape Verde has had a drought for more than 20years and most people walk a couple of miles each dayfor water, bringing it back from distribution points in10 gallon jugs," Cortes said. "Only 25 percent of thehomes in Praia are connected to water."

After field visits (including a desalination plant)and interviews, Cortes and Hopper recommendedthree projects alleviate the water shortages:

* Procure desalination plant pumps to restore theplant to full capacity. At full capacity, the plant willmeet the needs of half the population of Praia.

* Procure and install 20 well pumps throughoutthe island, each meeting the daily water needs of 5,000people. The wells can also provide irrigation.

* Build a small dam at Ribeira Dos Flamengos innorth Santiago. The dam would capture rainfall toincrease farm productivity and expansion.

Hopper said the embassy will use the team's reportto determine the feasibility of funding the proposals.

TAC's work in Africa is funded through securityassistance and humanitarian demining programs.These low-cost projects are aimed at promoting de-mocracy and increasing the standard of living. TACprovides project planning, technical assistance, andprocurement services, with the host nation's militaryforces usually doing the work. Civic action projectsinclude water wells, low-cost housing, dental, medi-cal, and pediatric clinics, and primary schools.Biodiversity projects are aimed at protecting plantsand animals of Africa, using the host nations' mili-tary forces to patrol the game parks. Demining assis-tance has been provided to both Ethiopia and Eritreato help with refurbishing training facilities.

Huntsville helpsRussia destroychemical weapons

By Linda JamesHuntsville Program Center

Huntsville Center's support of Russia's effort to buildchemical weapons disposal facilities just got larger,which put all the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' sup-port to this program under one organizational roof.

Through the U.S. Cooperative Threat ReductionProgram, for two years the Center has provided over-sight for a chemical weapons disposal facility in south-ern Russia. The Ralph M. Parsons Co. has the con-tract to design and build the facility. The Center'sexpanded mission now includes overseeing a separatecontract to build and renovate a Central AnalyticalLaboratory. This state-of-the-art lab in Moscow willenable the Russians to monitor and analyze theirstored chemical weapons.

Transatlantic Programs Center typically managesall overseas construction and awarded the initial labconstruction contract to ConTrack of Arlington, Va.ConTrack will complete the lab renovation, exceptnow they will do it under the guidance of HuntsvilleCenter. Renovating an existing building and fur-nishings at the State Scientific Research Insti-tute of Organic Chemicals and Technologyshould be complete by December of 1999.

Additionally, Huntsville Center will con-tinue to monitor and oversee the Par-sons contract for the RussianChemical Weapons DestructionFacility (RCWDF) to be builtin the rural Russian com-munity of Shchuch'ye. TheCenter's oversight respon-sibility with the Parson'scontract was scheduled toend when the design phasewas complete. Corps Head-quarters directed Huntsville Center toassume oversight of not only the design butalso the construction of the RCWDF.

Currently, both projects are managed from the Mos-cow-based Chemical Weapons Destruction SupportOffice established in 1993 to provide logistical andadministrative support. Joe Conn, Programs andProject Management Directorate of Huntsville Cen-ter, has been selected to manage Huntsville Centerwork on the project in the Russian office. Conn leavesin November to begin a one-year tour of duty. Ac-cording to Conn, the project will eventually employfive to seven people in the Corps office in Russia.

Construction and systemization of the RCWDF isscheduled for completion in 2004.

Huntington manhelps Russianswith chemical lab

By Kathy ReaHuntington District

McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Planet Hollywood, Ken-tucky Fried Chicken, and ATM machines are all re-minders of home for Huntington District's MikeMaynard, even when home is half a world away.Maynard, a construction representative, is currentlyin Russia for his third 90-day tour. (Editor's note:Joe Conn of Huntsville Programs Center is also there.)He is overseeing renovation of the four-story StateScientific Research Institute of Organic Chemicals andTechnology Laboratory, once used to develop chemi-cal warfare nerve agents in Russia. Since the 1920s,it has been the Russians' premier research facility.

'"The building will now be used as their main labo-ratory in the chemical weapons destruction field inMoscow," said Maynard. He and Transatlantic

Support for odters

WORLDWIDE

Center's Art Davies, the project's resident engineer,are the only Corps personnel on site.

"The Russians are financially strapped to buildfacilities to destroy their weapons," said Maynard."We are supplying them with laboratory equipment

and training their lab personnel. We are de-stroying our chemical weapons, and the Rus-

sians are beginning to destroy theirs."The first four floors of the building are

gutted. Although the facility was testedfor nerve agents, Maynard said the sub-contractor is also doing their own test-

ing.The project is truly an interna-tional effort, since the sub-con-U S a tractor, Skanska, is from Fin-a land. The contractor,Contrack International, has

headquarters in Arlington, Va.,and Cairo, Egypt.Construction materials needed for

this project must be shipped from theU.S. to St. Petersburg, Russia, and then

trucked to Moscow.According to Maynard, the language barrier

hasn't been a big problem so far, even though theother workers are Russian and/or non-English speak-ing personnel. They seem to be able to communicatewhat needs to be done. An interpreter is used onlywhen dealing with officials from the Russian gov-ernment. But Maynard said he plans to take a Rus-sian language class when he returns to Moscow. "Itmakes life easier."

Maynard describes Moscow as a combination ofNew York and Los Angeles -- a lot of vehicle and pe-destrian traffic. Because everything is coal-fired, thecity is very dirty. "Life is steady but expensive," saidMaynard. On past tours he could always count onthe ruble being from 6 to 6.3 to the American dollar.However, during the end of August, the ruble wentfrom 8 to 15. "When I left, it was up between 20-22to the dollar," he said.

Russia's recent shift in economy also affected Ameri-can dollars. The Russian government has put a freezeon them and all transactions must now be conductedin rubles. The recent shift also affected credit cards.

"Restaurants weren't accepting credit cards be-cause they were losing money," Maynard said. "Ifyou wanted to do anything outside the embassy, youhad to do it with rubles."

The weather during his first tour was cold withlots of snow. Maynard said a Moscow winter is notmuch different from one of West Virginia's bad win-ters. His second tour was during the summer, andit was extremely hot, especially in June.

Maynard said working on this project has givenhim a lot of experience. He is getting into the man-agement side and now holds meetings with the con-tractor and deals with the Russian government.

He said the experience will be useful when he re-turns to Huntington, but it may be a long time be-fore Maynard returns. The expected project comple-tion date is July 1999 and Maynard hopes to see it tocompletion. Although he said he misses home occa-sionally, he is usually so busy working that he doesn'thave much time to think about it.

Maynard returns to Huntington between tours,and he said it feels good to be back. "I think youhave to get back over here just for a shot of realityand clean air," he said. But after a week, he is readyfor the 24-hour flight back to Moscow.

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 1 1

Service offers nationwide accessBy Anita Horky

Fort Worth District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has teamed withthe U.S. Forest Service to provide one-stop shoppingfor camping reservations. Beginning last month,customers can reserve Corps- and Forest Service-operated campsites, cabins, and picnic areas throughthe National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS).

The NRRS is an extensive, unprecedented under-taking for the two agencies. A task force of Corpsand Forest Service employees worked for three yearsto develop the new reservation service by surveyingcustomers, researching other reservation programs,and consulting contracting specialists, reservationservice experts, and field personnel.

'"The field people are the critical part of this wholeeffort," said Jack Ardner, NRRS interagency programmanager. "It was essential to get them involved atan early stage. We asked for their input, especiallyon operating procedures. We sought their input asto what works best for the customer in the field."

The NRRS was developed with the customer inmind. Instead of contacting different agencies andoffices and using various procedures, customers nowhave an easy and accessible way to reserve camp-sites. Starting Oct. 15, the public can call a toll-freenumber for reservations and, beginning Nov. 16, res-ervations can be made over the Internet. Trip-plan-ning information will also be available on theInternet.

The first reservation made through the NRRS wasfor a Corps site at Lake Sidney Lanier, Ga. Thatreservation.was the first of more than 600 made whenphase one of the NRRS began. More than 400 ofthose reservations were for Corps sites.

"Most of the res-ervations were for

oUse Place the Memorial DayUnder the weekend," saidStars Lynne Beeson,

S NRRS task forcetyva~" . member. She andService

two other parkrangers were at the

contractor's call center during the kick-off to helpreservation agents with questions about Corps fa-cilities.

'The first day went real well," Beeson said. "We'renow turning our attention to the Internet."

The NRRS gives campers time to plan their ac-tivities well in advance, as individual campsites canbe reserved up to 240 days in advance, and groupfacilities 360 days ahead. In addition, the NRRS willoffer interagency referrals to alternate campsites byphone. For example, if a desired campsite is fullybooked, the customer will be told about a nearby avail-able site (Corps or Forest Service) with similar fa-cilities.

"We think customers will like what the new ser-vice offers," said Greg Webb, the Corps' NRRS pro-gram manager. "They'll be able to make reserva-tions easily and well in advance, and we're hopingthe new reservation service promotes the use of ourfacilities during non-peak times."

The NRRS is being implemented in two phases.About 30,000 camping facilities became availablethrough the reservation service beginning Oct. 15,and include Forest Service facilities as well as se-lected Corps campsites in Fort Worth, Little Rock,Louisville, Mobile, Nashville, and Savannah districts.

In phase two, other districts go online March 1,1999, when an additional 10,000 Corps sites becomeavailable for reservations.

"We wanted various phases so we wouldn't over-whelm ourselves," Webb said. "During phase one,we'll have time to identify problems and issues and

With the National Recreation Reservation Service, campers can use a toll-free phone call or Internetvisit to make guaranteed reservations at participating Corps and Forest Service campsites, cabins andpicnic areas. (Photo courtesy of Fort Worth District)

make corrections before we bring on additional sites."Long-term benefits of the new service will outweigh

any temporary problems, officials said. 'The NRRSwill help the Corps promote our facilities," saidBeeson. "We've got facilities that are some of thebest-kept secrets of federal recreation and are onlyknown locally. This will give us a national spotlightand focus on us as a true recreation provider."

Webb said the NRRS will help field offices managetheir sites better. "It will reduce the on-site han-dling of cash because use fees are collected at thetime the reservations are made. That's good for se-curity reasons, and it should also increase the use ofcredit card payments, which means the agency getsthe money quicker," he said.

Local campgrounds will be linked with the na-tional reservation service through a new computerprogram, Park Office, which has more bookkeepingand reporting capabilities than the computer programcurrently in use. Park Office was designed specifi-cally for campsite reservations by Park.Net, Inc.,the company that operates the NRRS contract.Park.Net operates similar reservation systems for

recreation programs in several states.The NRRS may be expanded in the future to in-

clude additional campsites, such as those on Corpslakes operated by concessionaires, and other activi-ties, such as Forest Service permits. There's alsoroom for other federal recreation providers to jointhe Corps and the Forest Service in the program.

Corps officials said they are excited about the po-tential of the new reservation service.

"Here in the Corps, the NRRS allows us to puttogether one system on a national basis (a toll-freenumber, an Internet site) to serve the public in amuch better and coordinated way than we have inthe past," said Darrell Lewis, chief of the Corps' Natu-ral Resource Management Branch. "Not only that,but it's going to be good business. I think we're go-ing to generate higher income and a better occupancyrate for our facilities throughout the Corps."

"We're continually asked to become more customer-focused, business-driven, and efficient," said Beeson.'"The NRRS is the vehicle that helps us accomplishall of that."

Web site offers wealth of informationIt's easy to reserve campsites at participating

Corps and Forest Service facilities with the newNational Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS).

Since Oct. 15 you can call toll-free (877) 444-6777 PoIcIfrom 8 a.m. until midnight Eastern Standard iventoryTime. contrat

Beginning Nov. 16, visit the website at http://ReserveUSA.com for reservations and information24 hours a day.

Corps employees can find additional informationabout the new reservation service at the NRRS "Team website at http://www.usace.army.mil//nrrs. TraininoThe site contains information on the NRRS con-tract, training, points of contact, policies and otherissues of interest.

12 ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

Julie MarcyVicksburg District

An unknown disease in the South-east is causing the largest known die-off of bald eagles in the history of theU.S. Employees at lakes managed bythe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers havejoined with other federal, state, andprivate groups to track down the cause.

When eagles began dying in 1994,"I thought we were quickly going tofind the source of a toxin and end thelosses," said Jim Young, resourcesmanager at DeGray Lake nearArkadelphia, Ark. "We had a team ofCorps park rangers, U. S. Fish & Wild-life Service (USFWS) special agents,the Arkansas Game & Fish Commis-sion (AGFC), and the Arkansas Depart-ment of Parks and Tourism (ADPT)conducting a systematic search. Aftera few days, it became apparent thatmany more eagles were probably go-ing to die before we found the cause,and I began to realize we weren't deal-ing with any of the familiar reasonseagles die."

Coot and Eagle Brain Lesion Syn-drome (CEBLS) is caused by an un-known neurotoxin whose origin eludesscientists and, as of this writing, haskilled 58 bald eagles and 155 Ameri-can coots, a common water bird thatresembles a duck.

According to Dr. Kim Miller, veteri-nary pathologist with the U.S. Geologi-cal Survey's National Wildlife HealthCenter (NWHC), the eagles and coots"appear to be normal, externally andinternally, when found dead, with theexception of microscopic neural lesionsin the brain and spinal cord." Theselesions are CEBLS's signature andhave never before been found in free-ranging wildlife.

Symptoms include a reluctance tofly, erratic flying with a dipping or bob-bing rear end, coots swimming incircles or upside down, and erraticwalking on land similar to birds withlead poisoning.

CEBLS is as intriguing as it isdeadly. Its onset and conclusion mir-rors the annual migration of eagles andwaterfowl in the southeast. Since1994, the diseasehas displayed acycle with severeincidents involving25-plus eagles and "I began to rea75-plus coots, al- dealing with adternating with mi-nor events claim- familiar reasoiing one or two -- Jim Young, re,eagles and a hand-ful of coots. Severeoutbreaks may cor-relate with heavy fall rains and a rapidrise in lake level.

Significant numbers of sick cootshave been sighted on lakes in the morn-ing, yet cannot be found in the after-noon. This suggests that some cootsmay receive a less toxic exposure, orhave the ability to recover. Heroic ef-forts to capture and treat a small num-ber of sick eagles have been unsuccess-ful in stopping the progression ofCEBLS.

The geographical distribution of thedisease remains unknown. It was first

Agencies join tofight mysterious

bird disease

Dr. Nancy Thomas of the National Wildlife Health Center, autopsies an eagleaffected by Coot and Eagle Brain Lesion Syndrome. (Photo courtesy ofNWHC)

'Ii,nsnsso

documented in 1994 at DeGray; butspread to another Corps project, LakeOuachita near Hot Springs, Ark., thenext year. Dead eagles were found atDeGray; Ouachita; and LakeHamilton, a private utility lake nearHot Springs, in the winter of 1996-1997. This past winter, dead eagleswere found at Ouachita, sick coots were

found at DeGrayand Ouachita, andsick coots werealso diagnosed at

ze we weren't private lakes in' of the Georgia and North

Carolina.eagles die." Federal, state,

urces manager and private inter-ests have unitedagainst CEBLS.These include

AGFC, Vicksburg District, USFWS,NWHC, Ross Foundation, FTN & As-sociates, Inc., the Food and DrugAdministration's National Center forToxicological Research (NCTR), Arkan-sas Department of Parks and Tourism,and numerous other labs, universities,and private sponsors.

Besides research, these organiza-tions have undertaken an educationaleffort to disseminate information aboutCEBLS through speaking engage-ments, computer websites, radio, tele-vision and newspaper media coverage,

a field diagnostics procedures video forland managers, and a video documen-tary by the Arkansas Educational Tele-vision Network.

Rick Stokes, resource manager atLake Ouachita, says'"visitor commentsin the CEBLS situation reflects sup-port and positive public relations forthe Corps and all members of theCEBLS study team. The visitingpublic's reaction has been concern forthe eagles' well being and a focus ofattention for the protection and stew-ardship of all wildlife at this project."

Extensive watershed field investiga-tions, wildlife studies, and laboratorydiagnostic studies have been conductedand are continuing. Field investiga-tions include analyses of hydrometeo-rological factors (lake elevation, rain-fall, air temperatures) by the Corps andFTN; a shoreline vegetation survey bythe Arkansas Natural Heritage Com-mission to look for potentially toxicplants; aquatic plant and algae sam-pling and analyses by Henderson StateUniversity; and water quality and post-storm sampling by the Corps andOuachita Baptist University (OBU).

These environmental analyses havenot identified any definite sources ofthe toxin. Brenda Meeks, chief of theOuachita Project Management Officethat oversees lakes DeGray, Ouachita,and Greeson, said "the management

challenge has been learning to dealwith a problem which we've been un-able to find a solution or end to. Inpast experiences, answers may havebeen hard to find or hard to live with,but there were always answers, solu-tions, or something we could do to makethe situation better. That's not the casethis time."

Wildlife studies include trapping,banding, and radio-telemetry monitor-ing of eagles at DeGray by ArkansasState University and AGFC; trapping,banding, and tracking coots by OBUwith help from AGFC and the Corps;coot food habits study by Texas A&MUniversity; and coot epidemiologystudy by the University of Georgia'ssoutheastern cooperative wildlife dis-ease Study Unit.

The current theory for transmissionof the disease is that coots eat toxicaquatic plants and are in turn con-sumed by eagles, but the birds may beencountering the toxin separately.

Many diseases and compounds havebeen analytically tested for and elimi-nated by NWHC. These include bac-terial, viral, and parasitic diseases;heavy metals; pesticides; some algaltoxins; prion disease; fumonisin; ni-trates/nitrites; and vitamin A&E dis-orders. NCTR is conducting studiesto isolate and identify the toxin in tis-sues of affected birds.

Data compiled thus far providesvaluable baseline data and has elimi-nated many causes of CEBLS, but thesearch for answers continues. As withmost modern problems, the primarylimiting factors for research are man-power and funding. The massivepartnering effort to date has eased thissituation, but new partners are con-tinuously sought.

Corps field personnel are both philo-sophical about the long effort, and plan-ning to deal with the disease's real-world effects. CEBLS has taughtYoung that "some things still take time.After we find the cause, our patiencemay be tested again. We may still haveto find the solution to managing thedisease."

Doyle Manis, park ranger atDeGray lake, is planning for CEBLSdays this fall and winter. This mayinclude "a morning interagency coor-dination meeting; shoreline patrol; col-lection of sick and dead birds; shippingspecimens to the appropriate diagnos-tic labs; transporting sick eagles to thevet; providing an extra set of hands toassist eagle trappers with banding;baiting, trapping, and banding coots;media interviews; and writing dailysituation reports," he said.

Chris Snodgrass, Superintendent ofDeGray lake Resort State Park, sum-marizes the field staffs' overall assess-ment, "I still drink water from the lake,as do my children."

Those interested in following CEBLSresearch can access the website atwww.mvk.usace.army.mil/od/odm/cebls.htm. Corps personnel can assistthe CEBLS team by watching for signsof disease in populations of eagles andcoots wintering in their areas, and re-porting any suspicious findings.

(Julie Marcy is an environmentalspecialist with Vicksburg District.)

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 13

Retiree boasts exceptional life, service"It's intimidating to strive to meet thestandards he set. "

-- Lt. Col. Steve Hill

By Maureen RamseyJapan Engineer District

Akira Sameshima's experience with the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers began in a dusty detention campin Colorado during World War II, and ended in theCorps' Japan Engineer District (JED) after 51 yearsof federal service.

Sameshima is a second-generation Japanese-American. Due to their ancestry, Sameshima, hisparents, and sister were among the 110,000 Japa-nese-Americans interned by the U.S. governmentwhen World War II began. The family lived in LosAngeles at the time.

"First we were moved to Santa Anita Race Trackfor four months," said Sameshima. "It was the ini-tial evacuation center." Later they transferred tothe Amache Relocation Center in Granada, Colo., oneof 10 detention camps in the western U.S.

"It was right in the middle of a dust bowl wherefarmers grew sorghum and sugar beets," Sameshimasaid. "My parents and I had one room. My brotherand sister had already gone on to college. I was justa kid and I thought it was an adventure. The camphad a high school and I was very active in schoolwith extracurricular activities which kept me busyandooutiofatouble ," f; , : .:

Although he didn't know it at the time, his futureemployer, the Corps of Engineers, had built the camp.

"Even then I was evaluating construction and de-sign," Sameshima said. "The fiberboard construc-tion and space heaters managed to keep the quar-ters warm, but the suffocating dust and the abun-dant centipedes and scorpions were not conducive toquality living."

Sameshima began his formal 51-year odyssey with

Once confined to a detention camp built by theCorps of Engineers, Akira Sameshima, whorecently retired as chief of Japan District's DesignBranch, logged 51 years of federal service. (Photocourtesy of Japan District)

the Corps in 1947 as an architectural draftsman inGen. Douglas MacArthur's Army Forces PacificHeadquarters in Tokyo.

Sameshima's career reads like a list of the bestconstruction projects and community facilities forservicemembers and their families throughout thePacific -- Camp Zama, emergency hospitals in theTokyoarea, Tripler Army Medical Center, the ArmedForces Rest and Recreation Center, and Aliamanuhousing.

But Sameshima will be best remembered as aninnovator. He devised the Simplified EngineeringContracts process, which is now used nationally asthe Simplified Design Method. He was also instru-mental in formulating the Army's multi-million dol-lar Facilities Standardization Program.

As JED's Design Branch chief, Sameshima revo-

Pittsburgh mid-wives endangered ospreysBy Liane FreedmanPittsburgh District

The largest inland osprey programin the U.S. Army Corps of Engineersadded six new baby birds this year toits list of 20 ospreys born in the Pitts-burgh District since 1995. The osprey(a type of hawk which hunts fish) is astate endangered species in Ohio andWest Virginia and a state threatenedspecies in Pennsylvania. This year'sospreys were hatched at Stonewall Jack-son Lake, Berlin Lake and LoyalhannaLake.

This success story not only includesthe birth of rare birds, but also the co-operation of the caretakers of these wildcreatures -- the Pittsburgh District, theArmy National Guard, electric utilitycompanies, and the wildlife agencies inOhio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

In 1998, six different osprey pairsused nesting platforms surveyed andmaintained by the Corps. To date, 22osprey platforms have been installed at10 district reservoirs. All are installedon Corps lands by reservoir project per-sonnel and the Natural Resources

Twenty-two nesting platforms, all on Corps lands, are helping bring the ospreyoff the endangered species list. ( Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh District)

Section's Fish and Wildlife Team, in co-operation with wildlife personnel fromthe state agencies, with additional as-sistance from local electric utility com-panies and the National Guard.

"I estimate that volunteered assis-tance from the utility companies andthe Guard alone amounted to $40,000in labor and material costs," said Kirk

Piehler, district wildlife biologist.The osprey platforms are actually

made from telephone poles and "speared"in place by National Guard helicoptersor "augured" in by utility line trucks.

Each nesting platform, consisting ofa steel hoop with a bracing structure,is secured to the small end of telephonepoles ranging from 25 to 45 feet tall.

The man-made platforms are used toencourage nesting by ospreys at loca-tions where natural structures are ab-sent or limited.

"Preferred natural nest sites forospreys in inland habitats usually in-clude large isolated trees, often dead,located over or very near open water,"said Piehler. "These features are inshort supply at district reservoirs." Topreclude the nests from being flooded,the platforms have to be located as muchas 45 feet above normal summer waterlevels.

Besides this year's three successfulnests, ospreys also built nests on plat-forms at Woodcock and ShenangoLakes. However, no eggs were producedat these sites. Another pair of ospreysnesting at Stonewall Jackson produceda pair of infertile eggs. "We suspect thatthese osprey pairs were immature, sothe nesting attempt was somewhat of atrial run," said Piehler. "We have ob-served similar occurrences at Berlin andLoyalhanna Lakes before a successfulnesting occurred. We expect all six, andmaybe a few more platforms, to be usedagain in 1999."

lutionized the district's business processes. His x-y-z formula assists program managers in developingcriteria packages for the Host Nation Funded Pro-gram. He has worked with representatives of theGovernment of Japan (GoJ) to simplify criteria pack-age requirements while retaining a high quality de-sign product.

As a key person in the Technical Working Group,Sameshima has been instrumental in resolving se-rious issues about health, safety and constructioncodes, designs, and construction with the GoJ.

For U.S. funded projects, Sameshima led the teamthat developed a "cradle to grave" process that sim-plifies the development of renovation and repairprojects. The process incorporates input and coordi-nation from an entire team, from the project man-agement, construction and design to contracting andsafety. This process, known as the "Simplified De-sign Acquisition Methodology" is used nationally.

"All along the way, Sameshima took time to teachthe things he had learned," said Lt. Col. Steve Hill ofthe U.S. Forces Japan at Sameshima's retirementluncheon on Sept. 22. "Improve the product, improvethe team, better the atmosphere were Sameshimatrademarks. It's intimidating to strive to meet thestandards he set."

Those standards can be found in Sameshima's di-rect involvement in the design and surveillance ofmore than 400,000 facilities throughout the Pacific,from Japan and Hawaii to the Philippines, SouthKorea, Taiwan, and Micronesia.

What are Sameshima's plans for the future? Hiseyes twinkled as he explained.

"I may be old in body, but I am young in spirit andfull of energy," he said. "I plan to organize a smallfirm called SI Corps (Systems Innovation Corpora-tion) in San Francisco and eventually in Hawaii andJapan. My two sons and daughter will be consult-ants for my corporation. I plan to use many of theprocesses we use in JED. For instance, I will em-ploy CEFMS, and the one minute rule instead of theone hour rule. I hope to continue my interest as aninnovator and eventually be a bridge between ourtwo great nations in a small way to promote peaceand harmony in the Pacific."

14 ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

Woman dons corset tore-enact Civil War wife

By Deborah HomeBaltimore District

Chemise, corset, hoop skirt, petticoat, jumper slip,pantaloon, stockings, square-heeled lace-up boots,hat and gloves. These are not the kind of clothesusually associated with Civil War re-enactors, butKristin Budzynski is not the typical re-enactor.

While most re-enactors are men, and are inter-ested in re-creating the weapons, uniforms, and com-bat tactics of the Civil War, Budzynski portrays thelife of a camp-follower. That term did not have quitethe same unsavory meaning back then that it doesnow. A number of women in that era followed theirhusbands to the front, and took care of the campwhile their men fought.

A re-enactor's life

One weekend a month each summer Budzynski,who works in Baltimore District's Office of Coun-sel, wears her Gone With the Wind clothes as sheportrays the wife of a captain in the ConfederateArmy. Budzynski attempts to experience and por-tray the hardships of living in a Civil War camp.

She and the other re-enactors do this for their owninterest and education, and to convey a feeling of theCivil War era for spectators who come to view the re-created battles.

"One cannot completely recreate the hardships ofthat war," said Budzynski. "But after three sum-mers of cooking over-a fire in the hot sun, -sleepingon the ground, and having no bathing facilities orrunning water, I learned to appreciate modern con-veniences.

'"These inconveniences don't stop me from partici-pating as a re-enactor," she continued. "I love thehistory surrounding the Civil War, and we re-enac-

tors participate for other reasons. It's one way ofeducating the public and raising funds for historicalpreservation of battlefield land. Ancestral lineage isanother. It's also affordable for families at only $10a car to participate or just be a spectator."

A typical Civil War day begins at 7 a.m. forBudzynski. All of the layers of clothing take half anhour. More time is then spent on a hairstyle appro-priate for the period. But makeup takes almost notime at all because respectable Victorian women worevery little or no makeup.

Meals in minutes

"I cook breakfast over the fire using cast iron,metal or wooden utensils," said Budzynski. "Home-made breads, fruits, instant oatmeal, porridge, andtea are common menu items. My husband, Mike,makes his own essence of coffee, a thick coffee syrupwhich produces coffee when boiling water is added.He also bakes his own hardtack, a saltless hard bis-cuit, and takes it along during the drills and battles.In fact, most of the foods are prepared at home sothey only need re-heating at the campfire.

"For meal preparation, we use woven dishclothsand pot handlers, tinware and other reproductionitems available from the shopkeepers authorized tofollow the armies," said Budzynski. She and the otherre-enactors perform daily chores of tending the fire,maintaining water and firewood supplies, tidying thetent, and making sure all modern items of conve-nience are out of sight when the public comesto-visit.

Other activities

Activities during the day could include sewing,quilting, reading, candlemaking, visiting neighbors,letter writing, and visiting the shopkeepers.

Unlike most Civil War re-enactors, who are men,Kristin Budzynski of Baltimore District's Office ofCouncil wears a corset, hoop skirt and petticoatto battle. (Photo courtesy of Baltimore District)

While the women are busy cooking and perform-ing their chores, the men conduct morning drills suchas maneuvers, marching, and equipment placementto prepare to re-enact a battle in therafternoon orthe spectators.

Although her husband continues to participate inre-enactments, Budzynski is temporarily on hiatusuntil her son, Adam, is older. Then she said she willreturn to the Civil War lifestyle as mother and childre-enactors.

L.A. man's hobby is nothing to carp aboutSome people have goldfish. Others

have aquariums. But Ed Louie of LosAngeles District turned his backyardinto an aquarium in the Japanese artof raising koi, a colorful species of carp.

"I first became intrigued with thishobby when I was in the Navy in 1968,on a destroyer homeported in Pearl Har-bor," said Louie. "I did a lot of walkingand window shopping at the Ala Moanashopping mall in Waikiki. The mallhas a linear koi pond from one end tothe other with a wide variety of koi. Ifound myself glued to the spectaculararray of colors. It reminded me so muchof a kaleidoscope but, instead of bits ofcolored glass changing positions, therewere koi splashing around in constantlychanging patterns of red, black, orange,and white."

Louie is a landscape architect withL.A. District. Soon after purchasing ahome about 20 years ago, he startedlandscaping their backyard. "I wantedsomething different, a theme or a focalpoint that would capture the five sensesof sight, sound, smell, feel, and taste,"Louie said. "So I decided to incorporatea koi pond into my backyard."

Louie and his brother dug and builta 1,000 gallon pond, layering the exca-vated hole with chicken wire, concrete,

plaster cement, and rubber paint. "Ibuilt my pond at ground level to not onlymaintain a cooler water temperature,but to let one reach down and hand-feed the koi swimming by below," saidLouie. '"This is part of the feel of a koipond."

But in the Japanese art of raising koi,the pond is just the beginning. Otherfeatures are added to frame the pondand create a peaceful, meditative envi-ronment.

"I built a foot-bridge as the focalpoint," said Louie. "I built a waterfall

to provide a soothing, relaxing sound ofwater as it splashes and cascades overthe rocks into the pond. This satisfiedthe hearing.

"I placed plants in and around thepond, from border flowering plants suchas begonias, impatiens, and vincas tolarger plants like agapanthus, jadeplants, and honeysuckle," said Louie."I planted bamboo beside the waterfallas a background screen. In the ponditself, I placed water lilies and iris. Onthe face of the waterfall, I placed babytears and spider plants. These satis-

Ed Louis, a landscape architect with L.A. District, raises koi, large Japanesecarp, for fun and relaxation. (Photo courtesy of L.A. District)

fled the sight and smell. And I alsoplanted loquat, fig, and peach treesnearby to shade the pond and keep thewater temperature in tolerable rangesfor koi. The fruit trees satisfy the tastesense."

Louie says that koi are excellent pets.They don't bark or bite, and mainte-nance and upkeep is minuscule. "Ithroughly enjoy walking out each morn-ing to feed my koi," he said. "In fact,they come scurrying to the feeding siteas soon as they hear (or feel) my foot-steps. I tried sneaking up to the feed-ing site, but they were still able to de-tect my approach."

And maintenance is minimal. AllLouie has to do is net fallen leaves fromthe peach tree out of the water, and oncea week he rinses out the filter box tomaintain water clarity.

But there is an emotional side to rais-ing koi that is even more important.

"It's an open-air think-tank for me torelieve stress as I sit next to the bed-room window, watching and listeningto the cascading water," Louie said."And I enjoy sitting outside under thepatio or peach tree and laying back inmy easy chair as I watch and listen tothe koi as they splash through the wa-ter lilies."

November 1998 ENGINEER UPDATE 15

Around the CorpsNew Chief Counsel

Robert Andersen is the new Chief Counsel for theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Andersen has been amember of the Senior Executive Service (SES) since1986 and holds the rank of SES-6. He is currentlythe General Counsel with the Defense Nuclear Fa-cilities Safety Board. From 1986 to 1990, Andersenserved as the Deputy Chief Counsel with the Na-tional Science Foundation. He has also served withthe Environmental Protection Agency and non-gov-ernment organizations. His reporting date will bedetermined.

Maritime dataOn Sept. 28 the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) designated the Corps as the central collectionagency for the U.S. Foreign Waterborne Transporta-tion Statistics program, effective Oct. 1. The U.S.Bureau of the Census was previously responsible forthe program.

The Corps will collect and publish the data underauthority of the 1922 River and Harbor Act by whichit has historically collected and published waterbornecommerce statistics, with operational support fromthe Maritime Administration.

Under the new arrangement, MarAd will producemonthly and annual vessel movement reports and"Data Bank" cargo reports previously produced byCensus. These reports contain movement data onall vessels engaged in U.S. foreign trade and cargodata by type of service, U.S. and foreign port, coun-try of origin/destination, commodity, value, weight,,a emc ontaiherized cargo . -...--.. ....... .

Whale of a taleThe Corps' vesselDriftmaster found and removed

a dead 51-foot fin whale in Newark Bay on Oct. 2.The Drifmhnaster crew, skippered by Cat. Rich Bulvid,transported the carcass to Craven Point, N.J., wherethey pulled it out of the water and onto a dock, wheremarine biologists examined it.

"It's unusual to see," said Pete Shugert, a districtspokesman on the scene. "Whales don't generally goup that way."

The Driftmaster is a 99-foot, 285-ton drift collec-tion vessel homeported in Craven Point, N.J.

Contractor of the YearNuna Contractors, Inc., a Native America owned

contractor in Anchorage, Alaska, is the Corps' Mili-tary Construction Contractor of the Year. Lt. Gen.Joe Ballard, Chief of Engineers, gave the award toPearl Strub, Nuna Contractors' president of theboard, at the Senior Leaders Conference. They werehonored for renovating Aurora Elementary Schoolon ElmendorfAir Force Base.

Alaska District nominated Nuna Contractors, say-ing the company's performance was the best of morethan 40 construction contractors who worked withthe district in 1997.

"Nuna overcame numerous challenges during con-struction," said Michael Rogers, chief of the district'sConstruction-Operations Division. "Unexpected dam-age from the 1964 earthquake was not apparent un-til after demolition activities were underway. De-spite these unexpected structural changes, Nuna ef-fectively scheduled their activities to ensure that theproject was completed before the beginning of the1997 school year."

The $7.3 million design/build contract includedbuilding a 1,500-square-foot addition to the school'sentrance for administrative space. Renovation in-cluded asbestos abatement, sprinkler system upgrade,

electrical system replacement, handicap access,kitchen renovation and expansion, new intercomsystem, heating and ventilation system renovation,a seismic upgrade to the structure and roof, and re-placing all finishes in all classrooms.

Safety partnershipTo enhance construction safety in Korea, Far East

District (FED) and the Korea Military ConstructionAssociation (KMCA) worked together to translate intoHangul (the Korean Language) Engineer Manual 385-1-I, the Corps' Safety and Health RequirementsManual.

Hong Sung-Chan, a retired Corps engineer, andKim C. H., a personal friend of Hong and an officerof the KMCA, translated the manual. Due to theproblems of translating a technical publication, aKorean engineer familiar with the English language,construction, and engineering terms had to be foundto do the translation. Hong, on his own time andwithout pay, undertook the challenge.

'The importance of safety cannot be overempha-

knowledge required to perform their work in a moresafe and healthful manner. Increased safety under-standing and subsequent improvements in the qual-ity of life of construction workers in the Republic ofKorea can be directly attributed to Mr. Hong's un-selfish contribution and his personal investment inthe Korean construction industry."

Chicken Soup writerCapt. Bob Whittle, currently assigned to Philadel-

phia District, is a contributing author in the popu-lar Chicken Soup for the Soul series. His article,titled "My Mother Says...", recalls how his mother'sencouragement helped him make it through RangerSchool as a young second lieutenant. It appears onpage 55 of Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul.Other contributors include Barbara Bush, RebaMcEntire, Joan Rivers, Erma Bombeck and DaveBarry.

R&D agreementsized," said Col. David Rehbein, FED Commander. Topographic Engineering Center (TEC), the U. S.'"This translation is excellent example of two gov- Geological Survey (USGS), and EarthData Technolo-ernments working together to improve the quality of gies (EDT), Limited Liability Co. signed a one-yearlife for both Korean and Americans working in the Cooperative Research and Development Agreementconstruction business in the Republic of Korea." (CRADA) to develop and establish calibration proce-

The KMCA printed the manual and will sell it to dures and techniques for digital aerial cameras.Korean contractors at a minimum price to cover "Combining the R&D experience of TEC,printing cost. Pacific Ocean Division's Safety Office EarthData's operational experience, and the calibra-originally sought funds from Corps Headquarters for tion experience of USGS will help bring aerial map-the translation, but Hong's efforts saved the Corps ping projects into the 21st century," said John Grif-about $50,000, the estimated amount for the trans- fin of TEC's Office of Research and Technology Appli-lation by a English/Korean professional engineer. cations.n fTheIn"pact on safety antaeidlent prevention^ due ' This CRADA will'aid2the enilir mappig~mngtomrt-to Mr. Hong's efforts is immeasurable in terms of nity by establishing a certified procedure for digitalcosts and quality of life for our Korean construction aerial camera calibration, promoting further devel-workers," said Sam Barnes, FED's chief of Safety opment and refinement of these digital camera sys-and Occupational Health. 'The translated manual tems, and contributing to the further use of thesewill provide the Korean workforce with the skills and systems by government and civilian organizations

in military and civilian mapping applications.

District nails down soil erosion solutionArticle and PhotoBy Brenda BeasleyMemphis District

Scenic Magnolia Bluff in Hickman, Ky., is fallingapart. Erosion from ground and surface water iscausing chunks of the hillside to fall off, threateningadjacent homes, civic buildings, and structures. Thecaving bluffs have already engulfed part of one citystreet.

The solution? Nail the bluff back together withnails 45 feet long.

"We needed help on short order, so we solicited pro-posals to stabilize the bluff," said Ronnie smith, ageotechnical engineer with Memphis District'sGeotechnical Engineering and Survey Section. "We

awarded the design contract to D'Appolonia, ageotechnical engineering firm, because of theirunique 'soil-nailing' expertise."

Soil nailing, a European technology, imbeds andanchors steel rods into the bluff face. This techniquealso called for an experienced construction contrac-tor. Schnabel Foundation Co. of Cary, Ill., got theconstruction contract in a selection process that in-corporated best value with best experience, accord-ing to Dave Porter, a civil engineer in the district'sConstruction Management Section."This was also the first time we've used this type

of selection process in awarding a construction con-tract," said Porter.

The project is scheduled to be completed in thewinter of 1999.

Forty-five foot steel rods are "nailed" into the hillside, which is then covered in shotcrete, to stablizethe bluff. Shotcrete is a mixture of cement, sand and water sprayed through a specially adapted hose.

16 ENGINEER UPDATE November 1998

Lab ~anneen

Center consolidates Corps R&DOn Oct. 1, the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers "stood up" a new organiza-tion, the U.S. Army Engineer Researchand Development Center (USAERDC),

periment Station (WES) in Vicksburg,This action begins Phase 1 of a re-

engineering effort to consolidate all re-search and development operations atthe existing four laboratories under acentral command structure within theUSAERDC.

The new organization has five ma-jor objectives:

* Deliver new technology needed bythe Corps to achieve its strategic vi-sion.

* Increase the relevance of the Corpsto its customers.

* Increase the focus on priority fu-ture operational capabilities of theArmy and the nation.

* Comply with the Department ofDefense (DoD) and Army Research,Development, Testing and EvaluationDefense Reform Initiatives.

* Sustain world-class research ca-pability in critical mission areas.

The re-engineering effort supportsDoD initiatives to reduce costs and in-crease efficiencies of its research labo-ratories. The new structure will alsoreduce the cost of doing business, im-prove coordination and teamworkamong technical experts at the foursites, and provide "one-door" access and The newly re-engineered U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center combines the Corps researcincreased responsiveness to customers. facilities into a one organization with a single commander. A separate Program Integration Office will centrall

Col. Robin Cababa, formerly com- manage customer outreach efforts and ensure the Corps research program remains focused on the customer.mander at WES, will command thenew organization. the four sites are combined into one sible for all aspects of the research and quire its laboratories to achieve a 2

'"The Implementation Study Team management structure. The admin- development programs for the percent reduction in costs by 200and personnel from all Corps laborato- istrative and support personnel and USAERDC. The Corps laboratory re-engineerinries have already done a lot of excel- functions from the four laboratory sites SES leaders currently assigned to the effort began two years ago with an inlent work to make USAERDC a real- were reassigned to the USAERDC com- four laboratories will be responsible for tial study of its business functions.ity," Cababa said. "I am confident that mander effective Oct. 1. the direction, execution, and quality ofthe USAERDC team will continue to The former commanders of CRREL, major components of the R&D pro- Progressprovide the quality research and de- CERL, and TEC were reassigned to the grams within the laboratories. The In-velopment efforts which our custom- USACE Directorate of Research and De- tegrated Planning and Program Office "We've already made excelleners have come to expect from the Army velopment to establish a Program Inte- will be established and further refined progress towards our goals of improCorps of Engineers laboratory organi- gration Office. The PIO will centrally in FY99. ing efficiencies and reducing costs," azation." manage customer outreach efforts and The implementation of the fully func- cording to Dr. Lewis Link, Director

The Corps' Research and Develop- ensure the Corps research program re- tioning re-engineered organization is Research for the Corps. "As of Oct.ment Laboratory system previously mains focused on the customer. tentatively scheduled for FY00. we've already achieved a staff reduconsisted of four independent laborato- USAERDC will develop and implement tion of more than 14 percent from ouries -- Cold Regions Research and En- standard business practices for all of the Need baseline of two years ago. When yogineering Laboratory (CRREL) in laboratory sites in fiscal year 1999. add the savings from our consolidatioHanover, N.H.; Construction Engineer- All contracting activities and the per- The need for re-engineering the of our laboratory physical plant, we'ring Research Laboratories (CERL) in sonnel who perform them will be reas- Corps laboratories follows several DoD well on our way toward meeting thChampaign, Ill.; Topographic Engineer- signed to Vicksburg District by the initiatives to streamline its R&D or- DoD goals."ing Center (TEC) in Alexandria, Va.; middle of fiscal year 1999 (FY99). ganizations since 1989. Under these In addition to savings from the rand WES. The laboratories employ There are no plans to close any of initiatives the military services have duction of manpower, the USAERD2,150 people and execute a $450 mil- the existing laboratories or facilities, achieved savings by closing several has already achieved an annual sa\lion annual research and development and all efforts will be made to mini- R&D facilities, reorganizing laborato- ing of $1.5 million from the consolidsprogram which includes combat engi- mize adverse personnel actions. ries, and reducing manpower. Also, the tion of laboratory physical plant.neering, infrastructure, and environ- USAERDC will achieve expected staff Tri-Service Project Reliance reduced "The goal of the USAERDC will bmental quality under the Corps' mili- reductions through normal attrition redundancies and improved coordina- to meld the already successful Corptary and civil works missions. In 1998, and the judicious use of early retire- tion among the R&D organizations research and development team intoWES and CRREL earned the titles of ment incentives. across the military services. single organization which better serveLarge and Small Army Research Labo- The Phase 2 effort will focus on the Despite these savings, the Defense the Army and the nation by revolutiorratories of the Year, respectively, management of the technical program. Authorization Acts of 1996 and 1998 izing effectiveness, seeking growth oi

The goal is to consolidate all technical require the Secretary of Defense to portunities, and investing in people

Phase I staff under the USAERDC no later achieve even greater savings by elimi- Cababa said.than Oct. 1, 1999. nating overlap and identifying oppor- (Headquarters Public Affairs Offic

Under Phase 1 of the re-engineer- A technical director from the Senior tunities for additional improvements writers compiled this article froting, the business functions at each of Executive Service (SES) will be respon- in efficiency. New DoD guidelines re- Headquarters and field sources.)

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