Crosscurrentsufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/14/26/00075/Summer...Crosscurrents Summer 2009 2...

CrosscurrentsVol. 32, No. 3 Summer 2009

��

Photo by Sonya Goines

Crosscurrents Summer 2009

2

CrosscurrentsCrosscurrents is an unofficial publication,authorized under the provisions of AR360-1. It is published monthly for theSt. Paul District, U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers.

Editorial views and opinions are notnecessarily those of the Corps ofEngineers, nor of the Department ofthe Army.

Address all inquiries to:

Editor, CrosscurrentsU.S. Army Corps of Engineers190 Fifth Street EastSt. Paul, MN 55101-1638

Phone: 651-290-5202

District Commander Col. Jon ChristensenPublic Affairs Chief Mark DavidsonMedia Specialist Shannon BauerEditor Peter VerstegenE-mail: [email protected]


Maureen Taggatz, right,widow of the late HaroldTaggatz, christens theQuarters Boat Taggatz,May 15, in St. Paul, Minn.At left is Robert Gross,captain and master of thedredge fleet.

Team,The end of the fiscal year is fast approaching, and

what a year it has been. You responded wonderfully tothe many challenges set before you. Together, we haveconquered the floods along the Red River, laid thefoundation for success in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, orARRA projects, and overcame obstacles on the high visibility projects such asDevils Lake, Lock and Dam 3, St. Bernard Parish (New Orleans) and theFargo-Moorhead Metro Study.

These projects, along with our normal workload, will continue to provideopportunities to excel in the next fiscal year. On top of this, we will face theadditional challenges presented by the district move and changingorganizational structure as we move farther along the path towards regionalinterdependence. As hard as it is to imagine, the next fiscal year may prove tobe even more exciting than the last.

We must continue to deliver on the schedules we set for ourselves, whilefinding ways to do things better, faster, greener and with more transparencyand collaboration. Our journey down the road to enhanced regionalinterdependence will help us accomplish these goals.

As a result of the July Command Council decisions, we embarked on a pathto regionalize our division’s contracting, planning and real estate functions. Thefirst step was to assign district responsibilities for these functions under the“POD” concept. After much discussion and debate, St. Paul became theresponsible district for planning for the upper three districts, and we havebegun to formulate plans on how to implement these new duties.

A similar process assigned real estate to Rock Island District andcontracting to St. Louis District. The next round of Command Councildecisions in October will approve the detailed path forward for these PODsand also explore possible regional interdependence methodologies for theengineering and construction community. We expect these regional changeswill have profound impacts on how we do business and will enable us to:

1) Improve Mississippi Valley Division’s flexibility and adaptability to deliverlarge and complex projects with short deadlines;

2) Increase regional responsibility and accountability while decreasing theamount of stress placed on one district;

3) Build and enhance technical capability;4) Maintain a keen focus on customer and stakeholder relationships;5) Better leverage the resources of the entire region to deliver projects;6) Promote a regional perspective on watershed issues;7) Provide greater developmental opportunities; and8) Achieve greater consistency in project delivery throughout MVD.Together, we can make these goals a reality. Please approach these

changes with an open mind and provide the leadership with your ideas on howto best set up these new structures.

As always, thanks for all you do.

��

CrosscurrentsSummer 2009

3

��

��

�� By Sonya Goines

��

��

!!�"�#�$��%��&��"�&��'��(()By Shannon Bauer

!*�%��&�� +��+�&��By Shannon Bauer

!��,��,�� !��!��!��

!-�.��/��0��1��2��%��*By Sonya Goines

�

!*


4

�� By Sonya Goines, Jacksonville District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, christenedthe Quarters Boat Taggatz as the newest addition to its dredge fleetMay 15. The christening took place aboard the Taggatz, docked atHarriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, Minn. The christening wasfollowed by an open house aboard the three vessels in the fleet – theTaggatz, the Dredge Goetz and the Motor Vessel General Warren.

The fleet is used to maintain the nine-foot navigation channel onthe Upper Mississippi River.

The Taggatz, named for the late Harold E, Taggatz, a formerCorps’ employee, completes the district’s dredging fleet. The fleetreplaces the Dredge William A. Thompson, which dredged thewaters of the Mississippi River for 70 years.

Public tours continued on May 16, when the fleet moved toLambert’s Landing for an all-day open house. More than 400 peopleboarded the three vessels to hear firsthand from the men andwomen who work on the dredge. The fleet then headed downriver tobegin a two-week dredging project near the St. Paul airport.

This was a rare appearance for the three vessels in the TwinCities and the first opportunity for the public to see the new 160-footquarters boat. The fleet is based out of Fountain City, Wis.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers castle logo on the smokestacks ofthe Dredge Goetz (above logo) and Quarters Boat Taggatz aresimilar.


Photo by Peter Verstegen


5

��


Above is the Quarters Boat Taggatz, docked for the christening at Harriet Island RegionalPark in St. Paul, Minn. , May 15, 2009.

St. Paul DistrictCommander Col. JonChristensen (left photo)and Ben Wopat,retired assistant chiefof construction-operations division,paid tribute to HaroldTaggatz in remarksduring the ceremony.

Photos by Peter Verstegen



6

Left to right: Brian Krause, boat operator and second mate;Chris Hill, marine equipment operator; Bruce McFarlin, deckhand;Jacob Bernhardt, chief engineer; and Robert Gross, captain andmaster of the dredge fleet, after the christening of theQuarters Boat Taggatz.


Michael Seibel, leverman,hosted visitors and answeredquestions about the dredgefleet after the christening.




7

The Motor Vessel General Warren (left), the Quarters Boat Taggatz( center), the Dredge Goetzand support vessels docked together for an open house in St. Paul, Minn., May 16.This fleet is based out of the district’s service base in Fountain City, Wis., and used to maintain850 miles of the Upper Mississippi River and its navigable tributaries in the basin, including theIllinois River and other rivers throughout the Midwest and southern portions of the nation. Thisfleet replaced the district’s former dredging vessel, the self-propelled Dredge William A.Thompson and its sleeping quarters. The Taggatz is part of the Corps’ minimum fleet of 12dredges used for self-defense and emergency dredging work. It is the only cutter-head dredgeoperation within the minimum fleet. There are also three dustpan dredges in the Corps’ fleet,all within the Mississippi Valley Division with the remainder of the fleet consisting of ocean-going dredges on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts.


��



8

Angel Stellmach (above, second to right), deckhand and tender-operator-in-training, answers questions during the open house inSt. Paul, May 16. Jack Grossell (photo at left), a retired deckhandand service base foreman from the district’s Fountain City, Wis.,Service Base, attended.

Photos by Peter Verstegen



9

Nancy Peck, cook-steward, and Phyllis Hedberg, food serviceworker, aboard the galley on the Quarters Boat Taggatz.Hedberg now works as a deckhand aboard the DredgeGoetz.


Dan Hentges, second matewith the dredge fleet, staffedthe EnvironmentalManagement Program displayand answered generalquestions about the district’snavigation mission during thechristening and open house.




10


Jake Bernhardt,chief engineer; BillHeublein, engineerequipment operator;and Sam Banicki,deckhand, wrap upthe open house inSt. Paul and preparefor the nextdredging job on theMississippi Rivernear St. Paul.



11

��"��

Position Title: CivilEngineer

Duties: Senior level civil/site engineer, as well as CADsystems manager in design branch. This consists oflaying out the features of a project and compiling thedrawing package together for construction. I alsoconsult and provide technical advice to peers. As theCAD systems manager, I assist the users with thedesign software as well lead the region in CADmatters.

Total Years with St. Paul District/Corps ofEngineers: 24

Total Years with federal government: 24Previous Positions/Employment: I started

working with Corps in the drafting department a fewweeks after I graduated high school. After graduating,I was hired on the training program, where Icompleted a 12-month rotation. General engineering(now civil section) became my home. I did a six-monthdetail in hydraulics in 1994.

Education: Bachelor of Science in CivilEngineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Hobbies: My hobbies include spending time withmy family and friends, golfing, drinking wines, bowling,exercising, reading and playing cards.

Residence: Elmwood, Wis.Family: husband of 12 years, three children (22, 17,

10) and one granddaughter (1).Comments: “I enjoy working with the Corps with

the different opportunities that I have received and thedifferent people that I have had the opportunity tomeet and work with. I am honored to be nominatedand selected as Civil Servant of the Year underLeadership and Professional.”

Civil Servantof the Year

By Shannon Bauer

The St. Paul District presents the Civil Servant ofthe Year Award annually to the top three of its 625employees for the year. The district and the FederalExecutive Board of Minnesota honored Chris Afdahl,Kathy Halverson and Mark Koenig and awardrecipients from other federal agencies throughoutMinnesota at the 32nd Annual Minnesota Federal CivilServant of the Year Awards in Bloomington, Minn.,May 8.

��"�� Afdahl has worked for the Corps of Engineers for

more than 24 years. She is a senior level civil/siteengineer, as well as the district’s computer-assisteddesign systems manager.

��#� $��Halverson has worked for the Corps of Engineers

for more than 17 years and is an office administratorat the district’s field office in Fargo, N.D.

%�&��'Koenig has worked for the Corps of Engineers for

more than 30 years. He is the district’s chief ofconstruction activities quality assurance program.

See profiles for Afdahl, Halverson and Koenigon pages 11-12.

St. Paul DistrictCivil Servants

of the Year 2009


12

��#� $��

Position Title: Secretary/Office Administrator

Duties: OfficeAdministration

Total Years with St. Paul District/Corps ofEngineers: 17 years

Total Years with federal government: 17 yearsPrevious Positions/Employment: Mom, surgical

technician, owner/operator of daycare center Education: Two years of college Hobbies: Traveling with my daughter and visiting

my son and his family in CaliforniaResidence: West Fargo, N.D.Family: My son and his family reside in California

and my daughter teaches in West Fargo, N.D.Comments: “I was truly surprised with receiving

this award and honored. It has been a learningexperience from the day I started, and I owe thisachievement to the great people I work witheveryday.”

Position Title: Chief,Quality Assurance

Duties: Responsible foroversight of the qualityassurance program for construction activities withinthe St. Paul District. Part-time assistance to the safetyoffice in administration of the district’s safety program.Additional concurrent emergency managementresponsibilities include: flood engineer (Little Falls,Minn., to Prescott, Wis.), housing planning andrecovery team subject matter expert and residentengineer for contingency operations - ForwardEngineering Support Team Maintain, or FEST M.

Total Years with St. Paul District/Corps ofEngineers: 30

Total Years with federal government: 30.5Previous Positions/Employment: U.S. Army -

2nd Lt.Education: Bachelor of Science in Civil EngineeringHobbies: Running, all sports and coaching youth

athleticsResidence: St. Paul, Minn.Family: Married 33 years and 5 childrenComments: “The civilian sector of the Army Corps

of Engineers plays a vital role in support to our nationand to our men and women in uniform. I am thankfulto have had the opportunity to work alongside ourtroops, as well as being a part of all the history that hasbeen forged during my tenure with the St. PaulDistrict.”


%�&��'



13

(""��$��)*�� "�'�� $��+,�� '��'��$� �

By Shannon Bauer

What goes up must eventuallycome down.

At least according to the FederalEmergency Management Agency.

After the district spent more thana month-and-a-half last springbuilding emergency levees andproviding millions of sandbags inthe Red River of the North rivervalley, the Corps was tasked byFEMA to remove the temporaryflood protection materials placedduring the flood fight. The district,as well as the division, has not hada similar mission since after the1997 floods in the same riverbasin.

The division’s debris team, theVicksburg District Debris Planningand Response Team, led thecleanup mission and was supportedby the St. Paul District, althoughseveral individuals from around theCorps also deployed to assist in thecleanup.

This particular effort involvedremoving more than 70 miles ofemergency levees and 12 millionsandbags throughout the valley.What was complicated about it is itinvolved two FEMA regions (Vand VIII), two states andnumerous individual cities andcounties, as well as the awarding

of 18 different debris removalcontracts and the collection ofhundreds of right-of-entry forms.

What took only a few weeks toput in place ended up takingaround two months to remove –mainly because under emergencyconditions, the Corps did not needto obtain the permission, or right-of-entry, of each of the individuallandowners to work on his or herproperty during the flood fight as itdid during the cleanup.Additionally, it did not need tofollow the same environmental andcultural regulations during theplacement as it did when removingthe materials.

Further, mid-June, as the workwas close to completion andmembers of the team weredeparting the area, FEMAextended the deadline until Augustfor communities to apply for debrisremoval assistance. As such, threemore communities, to includeValley City, N.D., requestedassistance. Another debris teamfrom outside the division, theMobile District Debris PRT, wascalled in for this mission.

Three more contracts have beenawarded and cleanup in the basincontinues to this day. All workshould be completed by the end ofOctober, with Valley City beingthe final community.

From the left: Ed Claypool, Vicksburg District; Bill Venneman, St.Paul District; Stephanie Dupey, St. Paul District; and Eddie Milton,Vicksburg District, all real estate specialists, look over maps ofFargo, N.D., to deterimine where rights-of-entry need to be obtainedin FEMA’s Fargo Area Field Office, April 29.

Photo by Shannon Bauer

��


14

��3�0��/��

The Department of the Armyawarded U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers’ St. Paul Districtemployee Tom Koopmeiners itsSmall Business Programs Managerof the Year award in Las Vegas atthe fifth annual National VeteranSmall Business Conference andExpo Awards Luncheon, July 21-23.

Koopmeiners was selected asthe U.S. Army Corps of EngineersSmall Business Programs Managerof the Year last December. Asrecipient of the Corps’ award,Koopmeiners competed againstother award-winning smallbusiness program managersthroughout the major commands ofthe Army to be selected as theDepartment of the Army recipient.

Koopmeiners has been the St.Paul District’s small businessprogram manager since 2002 and aCorps’ employee since 1998, whenhe started as a contracting officer.As the small business programmanager, Koopmeiners assistssmall businesses in obtaininggovernment contracts.

Koopmeiners received thisaward for his expert managementof the district’s small businessprogram. Through his leadership,the district exceeded its smallbusiness goals for two years in arow, as well as ranked third in thenation, Corps-wide for overallsuccess.

��Matthew Anderson, natural

resources student, PokegamaAdam Arnoldy, natural

resources student, BlackhawkWhitney Austfjord, natural

resources student, Lake AshtabulaBob Ayotte, program

managementFrancis Beauchamp-Perez,

project managementSean Berens, natural resources

student, Cross LakeKarl Berg, engineering internGarrett Blomstrand,

engineering studentKevin Bokay, librarianTravis Brantner, Lock and

Dam 4John Bostrack, physical

support, Fountain CityNathan Campbell,

environmentalWade Carr, Lock and Dam 2Kevin Casserly, real estateMiguel Cedeno-Morales,

engineering internMaura Conlin, natural

resources student, Eau Galle

Jeff Cook, natural resourcesstudent, Cross Lake

Todd DeCosse,Lock and Dam 2

Ellen Engberg, engineeringJacob Fall, engineering internLarry Fisher, Lock and Dam 3Gloria Franke, natural

resources student, Eau GalleWilliam Grinde,

Lock and Dam 7Steve Grote, Lock and Dam 1Jeff Hallam, Lower St. Anthony

Falls Lock and DamAbby Hansen, civilian personnelMichael Hanks,

Lock and Dam 4Sarah Johnson, natural

resources student, La CrescentElizabeth Killian, engineeringChanel Kass, engineeringBradley LaBadie, natural

resources student, Eau GalleGreg Larson, regulatoryCarolyn Ann Latour, project

managementLong (Alex) Le, engineering

studentBryanna Linscheid,

environmentalSam Mathiowetz, Lock and

Dam 1Shaun McClary, real estateMatthew McDonough, Lower

St. Anthony Falls Lock and DamRegina McKonly, regulatoryJosh Mitchell, Lock and Dam 2Kyle Moore, Dredge GoetzGary Morin, natural resources

student, Sandy LakeGuy Munson, Lock and Dam 1Alexander Nelson, engineeringPeggy Noplos, Upper St.

News and Notes, see page 15

��

Lt. Col. Kevin Brownjoined the St Paul District onMay 15, 2009, as the district’sdeputy commander anddeputy district engineer. Hegraduated from the UnitedStates Military Academy witha Bachelor of Science degreein mechanical engineering.


15

Anthony Falls Lock and DamMark Odegard,

Lock and Dam 1Kelsey Olson, natural

resources student, Cross LakeMarcus Patterson, operationsCheryl Paulson, resource

managementRodney Peterson, real estateNickolaus Phillips, natural

resources, Gull LakeRichard Polta, Upper St.

Anthony Falls Lock and DamDavid Potter, environmentalLawrence Puchalski,

environmentalApryl Radel, Blackhawk ParkBenjamin Reeser, Lock and

Dam 3Ben Reile, natural resources

student, Lake AshtabulaDamien Reinhart,

environmental studentAudrey Rich, operationsDamon Roberts, office of

councilMegan Roberts, natural

resources student, Sandy LakeDavid Saddoris, project

managementZachary Santjer, natural

resources, Lac Qui ParleGreta Schmalle, engineering

studentLuke Schmidt, engineering

internThomas Schmit, engineeringKeith Schindler, Lock and

Dam 7Joe Schroetter, project

managementMichael Setering, regulatoryBruce Sherwood, Lock and

Dam 3Jerome Stussy, Lock and Dam 9Brandon Svejda, Lock and

Dam 9Eduardo Torrens-Bonano,

engineering internTodd Vandegrift, engineering

studentAaron Wallace, natural

resources student, La Crescent,Minn.

John (Jack) Westman, projectmanagement student

Tom (Phil) White, securityBobby Wunderlich, Dredge

GoetzMike Wyatt, project

managementValerie Yarbrough, civilian

personnelCheryl Yeschenko,

engineering

-��Rita Beaudry, Baldhill Dam,

with more than 27 years federalservice

John Berger, Jr., Lock andDam 4, with more than 25 yearsfederal service

Ralph Berger, construction,with more than 31 years federalservice

Karen Cassidy, construction,with more than 34 years federalservice

Tom Clay, Lock and Dam 7,with more than 31 years federalservice

Greg Dasovic, engineering,with more than 37 years federalservice

John Fisher, engineering, withmore than 21 years federal service

Esther Gilbertson, LakeTraverse, with more than 21 yearsfederal service

Carl Gray, engineering, withmore than 23 years federal service

Linda Haberkorn,environmental, with more than 36years federal service

Brent Johnson, programmanagement, with more than 38

years federal serviceDavid Kriesel, physical

support, with more than 37 yearsfederal service

Tom Kupietz, physical support,with more than 19 years federalservice

Fred Maule, Lock and Dam 4,with more than 37 years federalservice

Regina Mckonly, regulatory,with more than 26 years federalservice

Jeff Pfannes, safety, with morethan 31 years federal service

Jan Pream, operations, withmore than 39 years federal service

George Rodriguez, Lower St.Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, withmore than 27 years federal service

Rob Roffler, physical support,with more than 32 years federalservice

Jim Ryan, Lock and Dam 1,with more than 37 years federalservice

Terry Schneider, Upper St.Anthony Falls Lock and Dam, withmore than 24 years federal service

John Shyne, environmental,with more than 38 years federalservice

Orville Taylor, physicalsupport, with more than 30 yearsfederal service

Keith Traynor, physicalsupport, with more than 36 yearsfederal service

Bill Vennemann, real estate,with more than 37 years federalservice

Bob Whiting, regulatory, withmore than 36 years federal service

.��Chris Beaman, former St. Paul

District then Kansas City Districtsafety, passed away May 22.

News and Notes, from Page 14

News and Notes, see page 16


16

Eugene Brummel, retired realestate, passed away Jan. 13.

Marsha Gilliland, retiredcontracting then construction,passed away July 12.

Kenneth Hovell, retired, Lockand Dam 5A, passed away Feb. 19.

Doug Hoy, retired design,passed away Jan. 13.

Burton Morris, retired Lockand Dam 7, passed away May 3.

Joseph Stoltman, retired Lockand Dam 5A, passed awayMarch 2.

/��'�Kurt Heckendorf, design,

married Roshell Mills, in Wausau,Wis., Jan. 17.

��Jason Hauser, Leech Lake,

celebrated the birth of a son,Colton John, Dec. 15, 2008.

Mark Nelson, real estate,celebrated the birth of agranddaughter, Genevieve IreneO’Sea, Dec. 13, 2008.

��Tamara Cameron, regulatory,

was selected as the chief ofregulatory Dec. 18.

Robert Gross, physical support,was selected as the captain of theDredge Goetz fleet April 22.

Gordon Holman, Lock andDam 4, was selected aslockmaster Dec. 15.

Tom Sully, project management,was selected as the district’sexecutive assistant June 16.

St. Paul District employeesdonated a total of 1,288 pencils forIraqi school children last fall aspart of a Gulf Region Division’sMarking History Campaign. For itsefforts, the district received acertificate of appreciation.

.��/��0��1��2��%��*

By Sonya GoinesJacksonville District

A family of four that set out fora Saturday fishing trip at the endof the day became the catch-of-the-day for two trained andobservant Corps of Engineers lockoperators.

Lock Operator George Mead, byforce of habit, was keeping awatchful eye on a small fishingboat, Saturday, May 2, as itmaneuvered from bank to bank onthe Mississippi River at Lock andDam 3 near Red Wing, Minn.Mead noticed the boat had veeredinto the restricted area.

All dams have restricted areasas dams can create dangerouscurrents that pose special hazardsto boaters. Restricted areas aremarked with signs, buoys or lightsto warn boaters of the dangersthat exist as they get closer to adam, but it is not uncommon to seeboaters in the restricted areas.

Mead says Lock and Dam 3 is afairly small dam, and boaters havelittle time to react when they’reinside the restricted area. “In thespring, you have heavy flow ofwater from the winter snow melt.That, along with a fairly small dam,makes navigation more difficult.”

When Mead sees a boater in therestricted area, he uses his trustybull-horn to warn them. But on thisday, the family was not heading hiswarning.

As Mead used his bull-horn totell them to move upstream, thefamily began waving their lifevests at him.

“A universal sign that there’strouble,” said Mead.

Mead said he yelled to them tothrow out their anchor but said hewas pretty sure it was already out,and they were still sliding towardthe dam.

It was then that Mead’s trainingand years of experience took over.

“I yelled to Neal [Knutson] tocome quick, we had a rescue todo.”

Neal Knutson, lock operator, andMead raced to the Corps’ rescueboat and got it started.

Mead said the wind was blowinghard,*9 and they had a difficulttime getting the boat unhookedfrom the hoist. In spite of the wind,he and Knutson were on their wayto the family in about one minute.

Mead and Knutson raced towardthe family’s boat and attempted tohook a carabineer on the eye oftheir boat. The eye was small andthe occupants, frightened andanxious to be rescued, were allcrowding to the front of the boatwhich then submerged the eyeunder water.

With that, Mead said theydecided to just throw them the lineand have them hook it ontosomething, or anything, on theirboat.

By this time, the family’s craftwas less than 10 feet from rollergate number three. Lock and Dam3 consists of concrete 365 feetlong with four roller gates. Theroller gates are part of a powerfulhydraulic system that help tomaintain the pool level.

“If you looked at them from theside, they look like a tin cancreating a large whirlpool in thewater,” said Mead. “This is thearea boaters want to stay awayfrom.”

News and Notes, from Page 15


17

Mead said they hooked thecarabineer onto their railing and heand Knutson slowly began to pullthem away from the dam. “Therailing held and that wasfortunate.”

After towing them safely to theloading dock, Mead learned theirbattery had died. Although thefamily had a cell phone with them,they did not have service in thearea and did not have a radio onboard.

This is one of those occasionsthat Mead’s good advice to boaterswould have come in handy. Hesaid it is a good idea for people tocall ahead and tell the lockoperators they will be in the area.

“If they have a radio, they cancall us and let us know whenthey’re going to be out here,” saidMead. Even without receiving acall from boaters, Mead is always

on the look out for boatersapproaching the lock and dam. Hecredits his Corps training with hisability to respond in any situation.

“The Corps spends time andmoney on training us. It is wellworth it. It is worth every penny,”Mead said, adding that saving evenone life is worth it.

Knutson later told Mead that oneof the boaters thanked him forsaving their lives.

Mead also credits his co-worker,Knutson, with the successfulrescue. “I was happy to have Neal[Knutson] with me. “He’s one ofthe best boat operators in thedistrict.” I was glad to have him onthe boat.”

After Knutson gave their batterya jump, he and Mead gave themsomething more valuable – a sternwarning about fishing above thedam and about being prepared.

��"�(�'��'��"��• Know your boat: check for all required safetyequipment.• Use extra caution around dams. Pay close attentionto all signs and buoys that mark areas where boats arenot allowed.• Consider the size of your boat, the number ofpassengers on board and the amount of extra itemsthat will be on board. Don’t overload the boat.• In power boats, check the boat’s electrical and fuelsystems for excessive gas fumes.• Follow any procedures the manufacturer suggestsbefore starting the engine.• Leave the alcohol behind. Work to increase yoursafety and not increase your risks.• Check the weather forecast. Listen to the latestweather report and take a weather radio to monitorNational Weather Service forecasts.• Wear your life jacket. Don’t just carry it on board.• Once on the water, be aware of and alert fornavigation aids, such as buoys that mark navigationroutes or hazards.

��'��"��&��0��1�'�%��

Take a safe boating course through the Coast GuardAuxiliary and take advantage of their free boatinspections. They will tell you if you have the rightsafety gear on your boat and any other discrepanciesor limitations your boat may have.

Practice with your family what you would do in anemergency situation on the water.

Purchase an inexpensive marine radio and keep it ina water-proof bag for emergencies. Charge and/orreplace the batteries before each excursion.

Locks and dams often monitor channel 14. Adistress call can also be made on channel 16.

Always have life preservers within reach of eachperson on the boat and not stowed in the cabin.

Know the “rules of the road,” and what thechannels markers and other buoys mean.

Purchase and carry a navigation chart for any riversthat you will be traversing.

There are hazards like wing dams– unmarked navigation structures(rock piles) that lie just below thewater line and are used to directwater flow to the main channel.

In his almost nine years with theCorps, Mead said this is the firstrescue that he has been involved inthat was a close call. Two otherincidents stand out in Mead’smind.

“A couple on jet skis lost powerand ended up going into the gatebut they were rescued,” he said,“and once we towed a houseboatover the river during my earlyyears here.”

Fortunately, the incidents arefew. “It seems to be somethingthat happens one or two times ayear,” said Mead. And when theydo, Mead, Knutson and manyothers at Corps locks and dams allover the country are prepared torespond.

Crosscurrentsufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/14/26/00075/Summer...Crosscurrents Summer 2009 2...

Documents

Transcript of Crosscurrentsufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/14/26/00075/Summer...Crosscurrents Summer 2009 2...