The Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is made up of many dedicated professionals. We are engineers, of course, but we are also biologists, natural resource specialists, accountants, communications specialists and more.

The Willamette River has had a long history of devastating flooding, which spurred the people of Oregon and the U.S. Congress into action in the 1930’s. Congress granted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the authority to build a system of dams on the Willamette River’s tributaries.

The Portland District commemorated the 50th anniversary of the ceremonial spillway opening at John Day Lock and Dam, which took place Sept. 28, 1968. The John Day project had first been conceived decades earlier, in 1932, but was put on the shelf until 1948.

In 2009, dam safety inspectors dangled from ropes to inspect the spillway gates at federal dams throughout Oregon. The team, in their top-to-bottom inspection, determined that the aging spillway gates might malfunction when the water levels were high.

The Corps Foundation is creating a history book about the Corps of Engineers' Natural Resource Management (NRM) program. To create this book, they need stories from current, former and retired rangers, as well as other NRM staff.