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Archive: 2024
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  • August

    Deshotels began working as a district summer hire in 1999 and began his full-time career with SWG in 2004. “I started out as a lock operator at the Colorado River Locks (CRL),” Deshotels said. “I was a lock operator for five years and got promoted to maintenance mechanic.” Deshotels worked as a maintenance mechanic there for 12 years before he transferred to the BRFG to take over the Lockmaster role.

    Meet the Brazos River Floodgates Lockmaster

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), has operated the Brazos River Floodgates since 1943. Located seven miles southwest of Freeport, Texas, the Brazos River Flood Gates (BRFG) have been instrumental in mitigating sediment deposits and aiding navigation at the intersection of the Brazos River and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway for eight decades. The primary mission of BRFG Champions is to facilitate the safe navigation of commercial and recreation vessels through the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) and Brazos River interchange, which currently includes a 60-degree angle change from the West Gate and the East Gate. Jesse Deshotels has been the Brazos River Floodgates Lockmaster since 2022.

  • July

    Taira Baldauf, a hydraulic engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, stands on top of the Hollandsche IJssel storm surge barrier near Rotterdam, Netherlands. Baldauf recently spent five weeks in the Netherlands participating in the International Network for Storm Surge Barriers, or I-STORM, a knowledge sharing network of countries and entities that manage storm surge barriers.

    Hydraulic engineer learns key element in water infrastructure projects

    Hydraulic engineers specialize in the properties and movement of liquids, namely water. Their job entails making highly educated guesses on how water will interact with infrastructure like dams, bridges, and canals. However, a young U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) hydraulic engineer’s approach focuses on another—and most important—element tied to their projects, the human element.

  • June

    The district has been instrumental in hurricane and storm management and recovery efforts for more than 100 years since the initial construction of the Galveston Seawall was completed in 1904.

    Get Ready for Hurricane Season! Galveston District Holds Hurricane Prep Exercise

    The Galveston District routinely conducts hurricane preparedness exercises in efforts to continuously execute their mission should the need arise. The district has been instrumental in hurricane and storm management and recovery efforts for more than 100 years since the initial construction of the Galveston Seawall was completed in 1904.

  • May

    Because of its location along the Gulf of Mexico, Texas receives 10 times more trash on its beaches than most other Gulf states. The Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees is responsible for keeping this litter off the local beaches. This mission requires a lot of effort, and a lot of waste containers, 4,000 to be exact.

    Real Estate Team Building 'Beautifies the Bucket' for beach cleanup

    Because of its location along the Gulf of Mexico, Texas receives 10 times more trash on its beaches than most other Gulf states. The Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees is responsible for keeping this litter off the local beaches. This mission requires a lot of effort, and a lot of waste containers, 4,000 to be exact. To help spruce up the trash receptacles, the Park Board sponsors a “Beautify the Bucket” contest, where community members can decorate barrels with their own art creations. This year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), Real Estate Division wanted to join the beach beautification effort. “We decided to do it as a (in-house) real estate competition, as well as entering it there,” said Britney M. Nealon, SWG realty specialist. The Real Estate Division was split into four teams; the Jellyfish, Work Smart Not Hard, Team Cutthroat and Art and the Perception of Real(i)ty.

  • April

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), named two “Administrative Professionals of the Year” for 2024, in a ceremony at the Jadwin Building, April 23, 2024.

    SWG Honors Administrative Professionals of the Year

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), named two “Administrative Professionals of the Year” for 2024, in a ceremony at the Jadwin Building, April 23, 2024. Six administrative professionals were nominated by their offices: Mellissa Delehanty, Office of Counsel (OC), Mostafa Elsaka, Contracting, Leilani Gonzalez, Southern Area Office, Kelvin Harrison, Houston Project Office, Susan Martin, Project Management (PM-J), and Shari McDonald, Port Arthur Resident Office.

  • February

    Each year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (TPWD) closes crab fishing with wire mesh crab traps for ten days to give volunteers the opportunity to round up lost and abandoned traps. The closure is traditionally in late February or early March. Unattended traps “ghost fish” and kill blue crabs and other species unnecessarily and can also create a navigation hazard for boaters. According to a press release from TPWD, since the “Crab Trap Roundup” began 22 years ago, volunteers have removed 42,500 derelict traps, saving an estimated 700,000 blue crabs, a valuable natural resource. Each year at the Wallisville Lake Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG) personnel join the Crab Trap Roundup, while they patrol.

    Wallisville Lake Project staff clean up abandoned crab traps

    Each year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Division (TPWD) closes crab fishing with wire mesh crab traps for ten days to give volunteers the opportunity to round up lost and abandoned traps. The closure is traditionally in late February or early March. Unattended traps “ghost fish” and kill blue crabs and other species unnecessarily and can also create a navigation hazard for boaters. According to a press release from TPWD, since the “Crab Trap Roundup” began 22 years ago, volunteers have removed 42,500 derelict traps, saving an estimated 700,000 blue crabs, a valuable natural resource. Each year at the Wallisville Lake Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG) personnel join the Crab Trap Roundup, while they patrol.
  • A vintage postcard of the Galveston Sea Wall shows two men standing on rip rap, which is rock or other material used to protect shoreline structures against scour and water, wave, or ice erosion.

    Galveston District celebrates 144 years

    On February 25, 1880, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) established its first engineer district in Texas on an island off the Gulf Coast. One hundred forty-four years, 52 district commanders, and several major hurricanes later, the Galveston District (SWG) continues to play a key role in keeping the country’s vital waterways open and protecting coastal Texas communities.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), hosted PROSPECT (Proponent-Sponsored Engineer Corps Training) Course 183, Formal Source Selection, at the Jadwin Building in Galveston, Texas, Feb. 13-16, 2024. Source selection is the federal government’s process for selecting contractors to perform work or provide a supply or to construct a building.

    USACE's ERDC and SWG Team Up To Provide Important Federal Acquisitions Training To Joint Audience

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG), hosted PROSPECT (Proponent-Sponsored Engineer Corps Training) Course 183, Formal Source Selection, at the Jadwin Building in Galveston, Texas, Feb. 13-16, 2024. Source selection is the federal government’s process for selecting contractors to perform work or provide a supply or to construct a building. Dr. Christopher Barnett, USACE, Engineer Research & Development Center (ERDC), Business Operations Branch (BOB) chief, Vicksburg, Miss., led the team of five instructors.

  • January

    Col. Rhett Blackmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG) commander, gives opening remarks during USACE SWG Industry Day at Moody Gardens, Galveston, Texas, Jan. 17, 2024. Industry Day is an opportunity for SWG to engage with businesses face to face, collaborate on projects and give contractors important information about contracting with USACE. U.S. Army photo by Luke Waack.

    USACE holds Industry Day in Galveston

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Galveston District (SWG) held its latest Industry Day, Jan. 17, 2024. Industry Day is an opportunity for SWG to communicate face-to-face with small businesses the requirements for doing business with USACE.