WW USACE team wins national award
By Terry Murry on Thursday, May 13th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is celebrating its Levee Safety Team being named the 2020 USACE Levee Safety Team of the Year for 2020.
The Walla Walla team was recognized for its extraordinary efforts during the historic flooding across the Walla Walla Valley in February 2020. During the flood, the team provided flood-fighting expertise and technical assistance in seven municipalities across two states. Team members worked 12-hour days seven days a week during the month of February, including responding to two full levee breaches.
In one week’s time, the team oversaw the completion of about 700 feet of emergency repairs to one breach, restoring immediate flood protection to 55 homes. The group also oversaw the completion of another 800 feet of emergency repair over a three-week construction window.
Since the 2020 flood, the team has remained busy. It oversaw nearly $11 million of construction contracts to restore the damaged levees. The 20 people on the team completed all restoration and construction work before the 2021 flood season dawned.
USACE photo shows flooding along a Milton-Freewater levee in 2020.
