The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presence began in Charleston in 1821 with the construction of Forts Sumter, Moultrie and Johnson as defensive fortifications. In 1871, a permanent Corps of Engineers office was established in Charleston. One of the first missions was to clear Charleston Harbor of all the ships that were sunk during the Civil War and making the harbor more stable. Col. Quincy Gilmor...e, the first District Engineer, decided to install a pair of jetties at the harbor's mouth to harness the scouring power of the tide by funneling its flow.

More than 140 years later, one of the main Civil Works missions of the Charleston District continues to be the operations and maintenance of Charleston Harbor. Every year, we spend $10-12 million removing 2-3 million cubic yards of material from floor of the federal channel. The Charleston District is also in charge of the Post 45 harbor deepening project to determine the most economically beneficial and environmentally acceptable option to the nation for a harbor deepening.

Another mission of the Charleston District is our vast Regulatory program. The Charleston District serves to make fair, reasonable and balanced permitting decisions when making determinations on various projects' impacts to waters and wetlands of the United States. The Charleston District also hosts a large Military Construction program designing, contructing and renovating buildings at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC where 50% of new Soldiers go through basic training to enter the U.S. Army every year. Our projects don't end here though. Our program is very diverse and we hope you learn more about the Charleston District's role in South Carolina, the nation and the world through our Flickr page!