[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 172 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SAINT PAUL DISTRICT ON 150 YEARS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2016

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers Saint Paul District on 150 years of service to residents 
of Minnesota and the entire upper Mississippi region. The Saint Paul 
district has, over the past century-and-a-half, conserved our aquatic 
habitats, managed the effects of drought and flood damage, provided 
outdoor recreation areas for the public, and ensured that the products 
and services produced in our region have the ability to be transported 
safely via our waterways. This is only to name a few of the critical 
tasks performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Saint Paul 
District.
  The Saint Paul District celebrates its birthday on August 17th every 
year because it was on that day in 1866 that Major General G.K. Warren, 
a West Point Graduate acclaimed for his leadership in the battle of 
Gettysburg, arrived in Saint Paul. His orders were seemingly modest: To 
establish an engineering office. He could not have known at the time, 
but the office that he established would go on to be entwined with the 
economy and history of the entire region. The first emergency that the 
St. Paul District responded to was the collapse of the Eastman Tunnel 
of Nicollet Island in Minneapolis. With expertise and precision, the 
Saint Paul district constructed structures to save both the island and 
nearby St. Anthony Falls. The structures that they built are still in 
use to this day.
  Later on its history, the Saint Paul District supported the nation's 
mobilization during World War II. The Saint Paul District dredged the 
Minnesota River to the Port of Cargill, where Minnesota-based Cargill 
was building ships for the war effort. In addition, they also built an 
ordnance plant in Arden Hills, Minnesota, and airports in Fargo and 
Devil's Lake, North Dakota.
  Today, any visit to the Mississippi River in St. Paul, showcases the 
work that the Saint Paul District does. The 13 locks and dams, and 9 
foot navigation channel that the Saint Paul District operates and 
maintains, goes to support economically crucial inland navigation that 
benefits the entire upper Mississippi region. One of the most important 
tasks that the Saint Paul District has is to help communities combat 
the effects of flooding through disaster support and by the 
construction of flood risk management projects. This includes 16 large 
reservoirs for flood risk reduction that also offer recreation and fish 
and wildlife habitat. Another little known operation of the Saint Paul 
District is the operation of 49 separate recreation areas open to the 
public.
  The Saint Paul District has supported the citizens of the Fourth 
Congressional District, and thousands of people in the upper 
Mississippi River region for 150 years. Every task that they undertake 
goes to benefit the people they serve by strengthening the local 
economy, enabling the movement of goods and people, maintaining and 
restoring natural aquatic ecosystems, and reducing and preventing the 
effects of floods and droughts. Mr. Speaker, please join me in 
congratulating the Saint Paul District of the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers on 150 years of service.

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