• March

    Division engineer visits Chicago District to meet with stakeholders, tour project sites

    Col. Kimberly Peeples, commander of the Great Lakes & Ohio River Division (LRD), visited the Chicago District for the first time last week, one of seven districts under LRD. The three-day itinerary included meetings with stakeholders, briefings at several project sites, and recognition of several district team members. Peeples assumed command of LRD on June 11, 2021.
  • January

    USACE Chicago District bids farewell as Wozniak retires after 30 years of federal service

    Thirty years ago, Keith Wozniak, biologist, began his government career at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District’s Regulatory Functions Branch conducting permit application reviews, and compliance and enforcement actions. This month, he retired from the district as the chief of the Regulatory Branch.
  • December

    USACE Chicago District reaches highest Section 408 permit program total in six-year history

    From authorizing a new bridge over the Chicago River to helping an endangered species in Wisconsin, the district’s Section 408 permit program has done that and more this fiscal year – executing 22 project reviews at a total cost of $166,000.
  • USACE test underwater speakers for invasive species multi-deterrent system at Brandon Road Lock and Dam

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District biologists assisted U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center researchers with testing interactions between the electrical barrier near Romeoville, Illinois, and underwater acoustic deterrent transducers, or speakers, to assist with the design and specifications for an invasive species multi-deterrent system at Brandon Road Lock and Dam.
  • Bush retires with over 30 years government service

    Thirty-one years ago, as a civil engineer summer hire for the Coastal and Geotechnical Engineering Section, Leslie Bush’s primary assignment was oversight of the geotechnical subsurface investigation activities for the west reach of the Little Calumet River, Indiana, Local Flood Protection and Recreation Project.
  • November

    Meet Our Team: Chicago Lock Operators

    Two of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District's best and brightest Chicago Lock operators: Richard Munoz Jr., and Justin Detert, discuss their careers with USACE, explain why they like what they do, and highlight facts about the lock.
  • USACE Chicago District completes fiscal year with $157.6 million program

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District closed out fiscal year 2021 executing a $157.6 million program.
  • October

    Rochford leaves USACE Chicago District with 33-year career

    In January 1988, Bill Rochford started working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Chicago District, as a geotechnical engineer. And, back then, he said there was only one desktop computer that was shared between his office, Geotech & Coastal Branch, and the Structural Engineering Section. Today, with several job titles and work details under his belt, he’s saying goodbye to the Chicago District but not the Corps. He’ll now be a senior geotechnical engineer at the Corps’ Dam Safety Modification Mandatory Center of Expertise – Dam Safety Production Center, co-located at the Corps’ Huntington District.
  • August

    Virtual flood fight training held for USACE office, field office flood teams

    Twenty-six U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chicago District team members participated virtually, in the office, and out in the field for flood fight training that took place this month. Topics covered included the field reporting process, and flood fighting techniques. Day one covered the Upper Wabash in Indiana, and day two covered the Fox River basin in Wisconsin.
  • Army Cadets gain experience, ‘real world’ engineering skills at USACE Chicago District

    Army Cadets Jacob Krause and Zackery Denning have been conducting design calculations, surveying, and job shadowing thanks to an internship program they heard about through ROTC Cadet Command, sponsored and funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).