U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Story Archives - Page 3 of 3

Corps of Engineers Offering Tours of Marmet Locks and Dam

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is offering public tours at the Marmet Locks and Dam in Belle, West Virginia on June 4 in observation of National Dam Safety Awareness Day.

Tours will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day, and participants can meet at the Operations Building. Reservations are not required. Cameras are not permitted.

A news release from the Corps of Engineers says the tours will explain why and how the locks were built, how the dam is operated and the benefits the project brings to the local area.

Corps Seeks Volunteers to Help at Burnsville Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for volunteers to work at Burnsville Lake.

The corps says volunteer jobs could include giving tours, mowing, cleaning the grounds and facilities, string trimming and staffing a visitor center.

Volunteers will receive a free full-hookup campsite at either Bulltown or Riffle Run Campground for providing at least 24 hours of work per week.

The corps says volunteer support helps keep areas at the lake open. In 2015, 135 volunteers provided help that represented more than $380,000 in savings.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact a Burnsville Lake park ranger at 304-853-2371.

Fall Rafting Season Begins on Gauley River in W.Va.

Whitewater outfitters are offering customers the rides of their lives during the fall rafting season on the Gauley River.

The season started Friday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the valves at Summersville Lake Dam to start lowering the lake from its summertime pool to its winter level.

The extra flows that give the Gauley its punch will continue on weekends until Oct. 18.

Lock Agreement to Make Mon River More Accessible

Recreational boaters can travel the Upper Monongahela River without hindrance for the first time in several years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers agreed to reopen the Opekiska and Hildebrand locks for recreational use. The locks will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends for a total of 18 days during the summer.

The corps also has opened the Morgantown Lock on weekends.

The Dominion Post reports that the agreement between the corps, the Upper Monongahela River Association and the Monongalia County Commission will make the river more accessible.

The corps closed the Opekiska and Hildebrand locks to recreational use in 2012 because of budget cuts. The Morgantown Lock previously was closed on weekends.

U.S. Appeals Panel Stands by EPA in Coal Ruling

A federal appeals court is declining to stand in the way of the Obama administration’s efforts to block water pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining.

A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued the ruling Friday, according to The Charleston Gazette.

It concluded that the Environmental Protection Agency was within its authority to consult with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about Clean Water Act permits for mining operations.

The panel rejected a 2012 District Court ruling that that the EPA had overstepped its authority under federal water pollution and strip mining laws when the agency tried to reduce water pollution from Appalachian coal mining operations.

West Virginia and Kentucky are among those that challenged the EPA’s actions.

W.Va. Campgrounds Opening for Season

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to open campgrounds at five West Virginia lakes.

The corps says the Bakers Run and G.R. Freeman campgrounds at Sutton Lake will open April 18. The Bee Run campground opened on April 1.

At Burnsville Lake, the Riffle Run and Bulltown campgrounds will open April 25.

The Battle Run campground at Summersville Lake opens May 1, followed by the East Fork campground at East Lynn Lake on May 9.

R.D. Bailey Lake’s Guyandotte campground will open on May 19.

The corps says East Lynn Lake’s overlook day use area above the dam will open for the season on Monday. The lake’s East Fork and Lick Creek day use areas will open April 18.