• June

    SWG celebrates Houston Ship Channel expansion kickoff

    The Galveston District, Port Houston and the Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company jointly officially kicked off the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) Expansion—or Project 11—with a ceremony at the District’s Headquarters June 1.
  • May

    Local author recalls writing definitive SWG history

    A concerned brow forms on Lynn Alperin’s face. Her petite stature holds court in the Galveston District Headquarters executive office where she scans the room and everything in it. Her tour guide, the office administrator, and even the deputy district engineer all give way as Alperin quietly examines the rows of bookshelves lining the room. They listen attentively as she relays a story about the last time she set foot in a district building. She doesn’t find what she’s looking for.
  • April

    Chris Lannutti named Logistic Activity’s 2021 ‘Employee of the Year’

    Chris Lannutti is a nice, easygoing guy. He comes to work every day, tries his best, communicates as clearly as possible, and asks the right questions. That’s not just a typical workday for him; it’s his philosophy.
  • March

    Crab trap roundup keeps fish and boaters safe

    A heavily bundled up man looks out over the murky waters of the Trinity River. A thick overcast is muting the sunrise sky to a washed out gray. His bright orange jacket stands out like highlighter marks on dull white paper. He waits for the thumbs up from his comrades on the airboat below. Within seconds, the mechanical lock gates create a stir in the still water. Salt and fresh water collide, waking up wildlife along the Wallisville Lake Project. Egrets and pelicans—the proverbial early birds—are getting their fill.
  • Galveston hosts Winter 2022 Stakeholder Partnering Forum

    The Galveston District hosted the winter edition of our biannual Stakeholder Partnering Forum (SPF) at the Texas A&M University Galveston Campus Feb. 23-24, 2022. The theme of the SPF was: “Environmental and Social Justice: Integral to Comprehensive Coastal Resiliency.”
  • BHM panel discussions create meaningful conversations

    The Galveston District celebrated Black History Month with a series of weekly panel discussions throughout the month of February 2022.
  • January

    District Observes MLK Jr. Day with Virtual Presentation

    The Galveston District officially observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual presentation hosted by the district’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office on Jan. 11, 2022.
  • November

    SWG Observes National American Indian Heritage Month

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District officially observed National American Indian Heritage Month (NAIHM) with a virtual presentation hosted by the district’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office, November 18.
  • October

    SWG Observes Hispanic Heritage Month

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District officially observed Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) with a virtual presentation hosted by the district’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office today.
  • SWG Employees reflect on Hispanic Heritage Month

    Every year, we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) from September 15 through October 15. During this time, we celebrate and learn about the contributions of the 60.5 million Americans who trace their ancestry to Spain and Latin America.
  • SWG Hosts Gator Hunt for Wounded Veterans

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District hosted the 7th Annual Lone Star Warriors Outdoors Gator Hunt at its Wallisville Lake Project location from September 28 through October 1. More than a dozen combat injured veterans took part in the event USACE co-hosts in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Anahuac Emergency Medical Services, and Lone Star Warriors Outdoors (LSWO)—a Texas-based nonprofit 501c3 organization.
  • August

    Cartographer's Innovation Puts SWG on the Map

    There are people who like their jobs. There are even people who love their jobs. Then there are people who got out of their way—and out of their own pockets—to learn a new skill and make their jobs easier for their colleagues.
  • District working to combat COVID spike

    Galveston District Commander Col. Tim Vail held a town hall August 2 with the entire workforce, to discuss new COVID-19 mitigations in light of the newest COVID-19 strain -- the Delta variant. Vail recommended the District workforce continue following all current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Defense (DoD) installation requirements on COVID-19 prevention.
  • July

    District's FY21 'of the year' recipients named

    The Galveston District honored eight awardees for their exceptional contributions and work during Fiscal Year 2021 and in previous years. Commander Col. Tim R. Vail and Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Mangement Mr. Byron Williams presented the awards during a ceremony held at the District's Headquarters in Galveston on July 19, 2021, where they spoke about the accomplishments of the awardees.
  • Galveston hosts park ranger training, appreciation event

    The Galveston District hosted an annual refresher training and appreciation event for Southwestern Division’s district Park Rangers July 13-15, 2021. Policy requires all USACE Rangers to receive eight hours of training annually on a variety of topics such as self-defense, de-escalation techniques, tactical communications, policy, and cultural demographics.
  • June

    Galveston District supports nourishment project at Babe’s Beach

    This summer, Galveston Island’s Babe’s Beach, is getting a new round of fresh sand. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District is partnering with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the City of Galveston, and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) in an ongoing effort to maintain and protect Galveston’s beaches – all at no additional cost to local residents. USACE is placing the Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDM) or sand from its required dredging of Galveston’s ship channel to replenish this beach area. The BUDM is dredged and collected into a dredging ship, which is then pumped through pipes from the dredging ship onto the beach. This beach nourishment project is expected to take several months ending in late summer.
  • District Prepares for 2021 Hurricane Season

    The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1through November 30, is expected to be “above-average” according to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency predicts between 13 and 20 named storms in the 2021 season in the Atlantic, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes, with top winds of at least 74 mph. NOAA is also forecasting three-to-five of those storms will become major hurricanes ranked as Category 3, 4, or 5, with top winds of at least 111 miles per hour. To prepare for this year’s onslaught of storms, SWG kicked off Hurricane Season with a virtual townhall to discuss preparations, recently.
  • March

    Abandoned Crab Traps Removed From Wallisville Lake

    From February 19th through the 28th, Texas coastal waters were closed to crabbing with wire mesh crab traps to facilitate the 3rd Annual Statewide Volunteer Crab Trap Cleanup. This closure allowed for the legal removal on February 25, of any crab traps which remained in the water.
  • January

    Galveston District announces annual award recipients for 2020

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District held a Town Hall Dec. 17, 2020, to update employees on what occurred in 2020 and where the District is heading in 2021. The event was also used to announce the lengthy list of annual award recipients, say farewell to retiring employees, and recognize District personnel who graduated from the USACE Leadership Development Program.
  • March

    Memo from the Director of Contracting re: COVID-19

    For USACE Contractors, As the Director of Contracting for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, I wanted to personally reach out to all of you and let you know that we are actively monitoring the situation in regards to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Attached is the guidance we received on planning for potential Novel Coronavirus Contract Impacts.