Home / Media / News Stories

  • February

    Charleston District to host half-day, in-person small business partnering forum and industry day

    If you are a small business and interested getting in the door to work with the federal government, you will not want to miss this upcoming event. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District will be hosting a half day, in-person event called the 2023 SAC Stakeholder Partnering Forum / Industry Day on March 1, from 1:30 – 4:30PM EST at the Citadel Alumni Center in Charleston.

  • September

    Lorianne Riggin, South Carolina Department Of Natural Resources

    Lorianne Riggin: a lifelong steward of natural resources in SC

    Now at the helm of the state’s program responsible for stewarding natural resources, Lorianne Riggin has been an advocate of natural resources and the great outdoors since sending a handwritten note to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in eighth grade.
  • Kim Stenson, SC Emergency Management Division Director

    Successful emergency management? Kim Stenson points to planning and partnerships.

    Kim Stenson leads the state division and has dedicated his entire career to enabling readiness. As SCEMD director, he and the division team have managed more than $2 billion in response operations, including unprecedented rainfall during October 2015; Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Florence, and Dorian; and, most recently, the state’s expansion of medical care facilities at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.
  • Jason Ward, Dorchester County Administer

    A life of public service, Jason Ward proudly serves those of Dorchester County

    Jason Ward, who sits at the helm of the Dorchester County government as county administrator, has helped shape the area’s significant growth since assuming the role at an uncommonly young age: 31 years old. In his twenty-year tenure, Ward has helped nearly double the county’s population, consolidate public services and provide clean water to rural communities.
  • Harry Lightsey, SC Secretary Of Commerce

    Returning to his hometown, Harry Lightsey plans for the future of SC

    Harry Lightsey has returned to his hometown of Columbia, S.C., with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he hopes will benefit South Carolinians. Lightsey, a little over a year into his role as Secretary of Commerce for South Carolina, has worked at several fortune 500 companies, including General Motors and AT&T, and witnessed transformational changes in those industries over the last 40 years. Now in his new role, Lightsey plans to use that experience to bring the same transformational change to industries in our state.
  • Dale Morris, Chief Resiliency Office For The City Of Charleston

    Dale Morris: Defining resiliency across the nation, and now in Charleston

    What is coastal resiliency, and how do cities swiftly and effectively cultivate it? That is the leading question for Dale Morris, chief resilience officer for the City of Charleston, who has devoted nearly two decades to studying and shepherding groundbreaking flood risk management techniques for cities like New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Norfolk, and other flood-prone communities across the globe.
  • Amy Blizzard, Fort Jackson Community Planner

    Pride, professionalism and fun: Amy Blizzard plans the future of Fort Jackson

    Amy Blizzard brings a vast array of experience, education and a lifelong career in planning as the community planner at the Fort Jackson Army Garrison outside Columbia. At an Army base that trains over 50 percent of incoming recruits and over 60 percent of incoming female recruits, Blizzard could not be prouder of what she does.
  • Dr. David Omura, Director Of The Columbia VA Medical Center and Healthcare System

    Ensuring the best for our nation’s veterans, David Omura leads the Columbia VA with advanced technology and care

    Dr. David Omura leads the Columbia Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center into the future, one patient at a time.

  • June

    Group of people with shovels

    Charleston District preserves 150-year history in time capsule, to be opened in 2047

    Charleston District leaders gathered outside the Cooper River Rediversion Project June 16 to bury historic items that collectively capture the District’s current impact and 150-year legacy in a time capsule.

  • April

    An aerial shot of Crab Bank on October 2, 2021 before the restoration project started. (Photo courtesy of Norfolk Dredging)

    Adding to the Galápagos of South Carolina: return of shorebirds to Crab Bank worthy of celebration

    A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the restoration of the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, a project that started eleven years ago as simply an idea, is now a reality and a safe, predator free sanctuary for many sea and shorebirds.
  • Bryan Tempio (left), a Resident Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District, discusses progress of a construction project at Fort Jackson to Command Sgt. Maj. Chad Blansett, command sergeant major for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division.

    USACE South Atlantic Division command sergeant major tours Fort Jackson

    In 2008, Charleston District reassumed responsibility for military construction projects at Fort Jackson. Since then, the district has executed over $1.4 billion in projects including new builds, operations and maintenance, and facility investments services.
  • Lisa Metheney (left), Charleston District’s head civilian, and Lt. Col. Andrew Johannes (right), Charleston District commander, go over documents with Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, 55th chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    Army’s top engineering officer, civil works leadership visit Charleston to see project growth

    Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, 55th chief of engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Jaime Pinkham, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, each made recent visits to Charleston to meet with the district team and to see firsthand how some of the district’s top projects contribute to local, state and federal economic development.
  • Agencies involved with the Winding Woods Reach and Elevated Water Tower pose for a photo at the groundbreaking.

    Strong partnerships lead to golden shovels at Winding Woods groundbreaking

    A senior congressional representative, a federal agency, a local county and others gathered together at a construction site near the Winding Woods Commerce Park on Jan. 26 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Winding Woods Reach and Elevated Water Tower.
  • Scott Glass is the Operations Division chief for Charleston District

    Scott Glass: meet the new leader behind district operations

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District’s Operations Division has a multi-faceted mission. It delivers navigation, hydropower, asset management, geospatial and emergency management solutions to the state of South Carolina and the nation. The man responsible for this broad mission is Scott Glass, the division’s chief.
  • Bailey Horn is a College of Charleston student who is interning with the district's GIS team.

    College of Charleston intern helps USACE Charleston District GIS team

    For a graduate student who grew up in Charleston with an interest in the estuarine environment and marine biology at an early age, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District was the perfect fit for an internship and valuable work experience.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, in partnership with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, hosted the 8th Annual Wounded Warriors and Veterans fishing day at the Cooper River Rediversion Dam in St. Stephen.

    Veteran fishing day returns to the Cooper River Rediversion Project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, recently hosted the 8th annual Wounded Warriors and Veterans fishing day at the Cooper River Rediversion Dam in St. Stephen.

  • March

    U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. (retired) James Livingston, a Medal Of Honor recipient, was a keynote speaker during the U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers South Atlantic Division's recent military Leadership Development Program. Charleston District hosted the event.

    Standing on shoulders of those who endured: How a generation’s military legacy enhances readiness

    Weathered hands, crisp cuffs, a suit with a matching pocket square, and a deep blue ribbon with a medal, heavier than any metal, joined at the chest, he was seated, head tilted, eyes drawn up beneath his brow. His gaze stern. His message urgent — for America’s youth.

  • January

    Bulldozers compact dredged material from the Charleston harbor deepening project as it is added to Crab Bank, a 32-acre site of prime nesting habitat for many coastal birds. Prior to 2017, nearly 4,000 nests could be found in a single summer along with thousands of offspring. The island also provided rest and nourishment for hundreds of migrating shorebirds. But wind and waves have taken a toll on this unique resource and Crab Bank is now a tiny fraction of its original size. In 2017, Hurricane Irma washed away most of the remaining high ground, removing any opportunity for nesting birds.

    Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary: A landmark legacy

    A dredge, appropriately named Dredge Charleston, a daily crew of 53 workers, and heavy earthmoving equipment worked 24 hours a day for seven weeks constructing a landmark legacy of the Charleston Harbor Post 45 Deepening project: the restoration of Crab Bank. Crab Bank is a bird sanctuary located in the Charleston Harbor near the shoreline of the Old Village in Mount Pleasant.

  • December

    Chris Murden, a small craft operator for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Charleston District, navigates the Survey Vessel Evans

    District survey team helps maintain South Carolina waterways

    The Charleston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for 15 navigation projects along the South Carolina coast, stretching from Little River Inlet near the North Carolina border to Port Royal Harbor on South Carolina’s southern coast.
  • Erica Fritz is a Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District Regulatory Division. The role of the USACE Regulatory Division is to balance reasonable economic development with environmental protection and Fritz is the front-line of that mission.

    A day in the life of a USACE regulatory project manager

    It’s 9 a.m. and Erica Fritz just sat down at her desk. She not only carries her morning cup-of-joe, but also a pair of tall boots. Fritz is a Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District Regulatory Division, and her day is just beginning.