Construction equipment sits idle Dec. 3, 2014, near the future inlet of a new dry bypass as rain dampened progress that will help relieve a large bend in the Napa River that historically backs up and floods into downtown Napa. Construction of the bypass began in April and is scheduled for completion in summer 2015. (U.S. Army photo by Tyler M. Stalker/Released)

YUBA COUNTY, Calif. (March 24, 2001) --- A Sutter County Public Works crew view the high water levels on the Feather River near the recently completed setback levee at the Star Bend boat ramp in the Plumas Lake area here March 18. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District is monitoring flood control projects in the Sacramento region as a series of rainstorms continue to heavily hit the northern California region. Construction of the Feather River setback levee began in 2008. It was completed in October 2009 by the Sacramento District, the Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority and Teichert Construction. Levee maintenance and repair is the responsibility of local agencies. The Sacramento District continues to coordinate with the California Department of Water Resources and is ready to respond to flood emergencies if the state requests federal assistance.

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District commander, Col. Bill Leady (center right), explains the key features of the new Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway to Corps Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh (center left) in Folsom, Calif., July 18, 2012. The Sacramento District is building the spillway in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the existing dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. Walsh toured the project during a visit to Sacramento to learn more about the Corps’ projects in Northern California. (U.S. Army photo illustration by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Mark Boedtker (center), an engineering technical lead for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, speaks with residents living near the American River's Mayhew levee in Sacramento, California, during a public workshop on Sept. 30, 2014. The workshop helped answer residents' questions about a minor repair project scheduled to start in November that will widen, reinforce and improve drainage on a small portion of the levee. (U.S. Army photo by Todd Plain/Released)

NAPA, Calif. (Oct. 22, 2010) - U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (third from left) joined (from left) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District project managers Bert Brown and Dave Cook, Sacramento District deputy commander Lt. Col. Andrew Kiger, Napa Mayor Jill Techel and Napa Flood Control and Water Conservation District Supervisor Bill Dodd at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Napa Creek flood risk reduction project here Oct. 22. The $14.8 million project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is a joint effort of the Corps, the city of Napa, and the Napa Flood Control and Water Conservation District, to reduce flood risk for Napa, Calif.

Steve Stockton, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works director, addresses attendees of the Water 360 Integrated Water Management Summit in Sacramento, Calif., April 3, 2013. Hosted by the California Department of Water Resources and the California Water Education Foundation, the summit aims to advance discussion of integrated water management in California. Stockton’s remarks echoed remarks by California water leaders that both infrastructure improvements that provide ecosystem and flood risk reduction benefits are essential to reducing America’s growing flood risk. “I’m here to tell you, what we’ve been doing is unsustainable,” Stockton said. “To have a more resilient and robust society, we’re going to have to have a lot more resiliency built into our infrastructure.” (U.S. Army photo by Chris Gray-Garcia/Released)

FOLSOM, Calif. (April 28, 2011) – Excavation work (left) for the control structure of the auxiliary spillway – part of the third phase of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project (JFP) – continued here April 27. Ongoing work for the JFP at Folsom Dam will require daily explosive blasting until October of this year, said David Neff of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District’s engineering division. For the public’s safety, the Folsom Crossing roadway and bridge are closed Monday through Friday from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. during blasting.

A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District stands atop of a delivery of rebar to be used in concrete placement for the auxiliary spillway at the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project in Folsom, Calif., June 20, 2012. The project is a joint effort of the Corps, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the current dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Brigadier Gen. David Turner fires a hose on a work barge during a tour of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Englebright Lake near Smartsville, Calif., April 30, 2014. Park staff use the work barge and the hose to help maintain and clean campsites and other recreation areas that are only accessible by boat. The barge can also be used to help provide firefighters access to water at remote areas of the lake. Turner met with Englebright Lake park staff and was briefed on the facility’s dam and recreation operations. (U.S. Army photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

Two tower cranes, erected by contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, stand inside the construction site for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway in Folsom, Calif., May 10, 2012. A total of three cranes will be used in lifting form work, rebar and concrete in constructing the spillway starting later in May. The Sacramento District has shifted its focus to construction of the spillway's control structure, which is essentially a second dam. The spillway is scheduled to be ready for use in 2017 and will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely, helping reduce flood risk for the Sacramento region. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District adds dry ice to reduce pH levels in ponds of runoff water at the excavation site for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway Folsom, Calif., March 15, 2012. Runoff that enters the excavation site is treated, monitored and filtered before being pumped into Folsom Lake. The spillway, scheduled to be ready for use in 2017, will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District work in a web of rebar in preparation for concrete placement for the auxiliary spillway control structure at the Folsom Dam in Folsom, Calif., May 30, 2012. The spillway project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the Corps, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the current dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

When your area of operation covers roughly 226,000 square miles... expect to spend a lot time on the road.

Taking to the highway Jan. 25, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Commander Col. Kirk Gibbs visited two of the more remote projects in the District inventory.

"Alamo and Painted Rock Dams are very important to the watershed and Arizona's overall flood risk management," said Gibbs. "The professionalism of our dam tenders at each of those locations and their ability to build great relationships with State Parks, as well as other agencies throughout the state, prepares us to work together in the event of extreme rain events to protect people, structures and agriculture."

Public safety is the Corps' number one priority. Flood risk management structures reduce risk, but they don’t eliminate it.

"Our dams and the surrounding land is very well maintained, added Gibbs. "The District is proud of our professionals who work hard and are dedicated to our critical mission in these remote locations. I am honored to serve alongside them."

Because of the isolation, the Corps provides two houses on each project site.

Painted Rock was completed in 1959, Alamo a decade later. In total, the Corps owns and operates nearly 700 dams nationwide.

Deckhands Ben Birney and Matt Bustard aboard the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Debris Vessel Reynolds operate the vessel’s crane and basket to remove a large piece of wooden piling that was floating loose in Baltimore Harbor Wednesday, March 2, 2016. A piling of this size could pose a significant hazard to navigation to ships in the harbor of all sizes. (U.S. Army Photo by Chris Gardner)

Click here to read more about Baltimore District’s debris removal mission and other work on the harbor

Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at a press conference at the Corps' Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration Project site, Chicago, June 17, 2014. At right, Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency administrator; Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works); Michael Kelly, Chicago Park District superintendent. (U.S. Army Photo by Sarah Gross/Released)

Man-made ponds collect runoff water at the excavation site for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway in Folsom, Calif., Feb. 17, 2012. Rain that falls into the construction site is cleaned and filtered and then pumped into Folsom Lake. The spillway will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

lighting the underside of a road flyover

John Hoge, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager (center right), explains construction progress on an American River levee improvement project to U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (center left) and Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (center), in Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 27, 2011. Under its American River Common Features project, the Corps’ Sacramento District is building a seepage wall into the levee to strengthen it and help prevent water from leaking through or under it. (U.S. Army Photo/Chris Gray-Garcia)

John Menniti (right), senior project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project, discusses impacted properties and proposed real estate actions with local residents at a public meeting March 27, 2014 in Lake Isabella, Calif. (U.S. Army photo by John Prettyman/Released)

David Gore, assistant regional director for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, addresses the crowd at a ceremony commemorating the first concrete placement for the auxiliary spillway control structure at Folsom Dam in Folsom, Calif., May 24, 2012. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, together with the Bureau and state and local partners, is building the spillway to reduce flood risk throughout the Sacramento region. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Corps resident engineer Floyd Bolton (right) explains some of the features of the new bypass to Napa Valley Register reporter Kevin Courtney during a site visit Sept. 24, 2014. The bypass will shortcut floodwater to avoid a horseshoe-like bend in the river that often backs up and causes flooding into downtown Napa. Construction of the bypass is the latest of several Corps projects to reduce the risk of flooding in Napa, and is scheduled for completion in summer 2015. (U.S. Army photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

USACE's Civil Works mission provides a key foundational component of the nation's public infrastructure that facilitates economic growth, quality of life, environmental health and national security.

(From left to right) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division commander Col. Mike Wehr, Yuba County Water Agency general manager Curt Aikens and Sacramento District commander Col. Bill Leady pose for a photograph at the base of New Bullards Bar Dam on the north fork of the Yuba River outside Marysville, Calif., Dec. 9, 2011. Aikens provided a tour of the dam and New Bullards Bar Reservoir to the Corps officials, demonstrating the water agency’s existing and planned flood-risk reduction projects. The tour also included a visit to the agency’s water supply facilities, fishery enhancements, recreation and hydro-electric generation at Daguerre Point, Englebright and Bullards Bar Dams. (U.S. Army Photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Gene Maak (center), an engineering technical lead with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, shows two attendees the area in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta the Corps will study as part of the Delta Islands and Levees Feasibility Study during a public scoping meeting Feb. 19, 2013, in Clarksburg, Calif. An additional meeting was held Feb. 20 in Sacramento. The public scoping meetings are the first step in the planning process for the study, which will determine potential Corps participation in flood risk management and ecosystem restoration projects in the Delta. (U.S. Army photo by Tyler M. Stalker/Released)

Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), speaks at a press conference at the Corps' Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration Project site, Chicago, June 17, 2014. At right, Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency administrator; Michael Kelly, Chicago Park District superintendent; Mayor Rahm Emanuel. (U.S. Army Photo by Sarah Gross/Released)

Pouring of External Concrete Base to the North Side of D1 Building - May 2014

A crane raises a boom lift from the approach channel to the top of the auxiliary dam at Folsom Dam on Jan. 20, 2016. Cranes were used to pull abandoned equipment out of the approach channel after a temporary construction cofferdam began to experience significant seepage. (U.S. Army Photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

A surveyor, contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, works atop of the excavation site for the auxiliary spillway for the Folsom Dam in Folsom, Calif., April 26, 2012. The surveyor was creating points for accurate crane placement for upcoming concrete construction of the spillway in May. The Sacramento District has shifted its focus to construction of the spillway's control structure, essentially a second dam. The spillway is scheduled to be ready for use in 2017 and will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely, helping reduce flood risk for the Sacramento region. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Dwayne Ponds (Right), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District project geologist, explains the ongoing work to place concrete and construct a new navigation lock to R.D. James, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, during a walking tour Nov. 14, 2019 at Chickamauga Lock on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Nashville District is constructing a new 110-foot by 600-foot navigation lock at the Tennessee Valley Authority project. (USACE photo by Lee Roberts)

Construction machinery is driven out of the approach channel for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway Jan. 20, 2016. The darker area to the right of the roadway is where crews dumped a significant amount of rocks and material to help stabilize the cofferdam after water began to seep through. (U.S. Army Photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

Downstream of the Mansfield Hollow Dam, Mansfield, Conn. Mansfield Hollow Dam lies on the confluence of the Natchaug, Fenton and Mt. Hope Rivers, in Mansfield, Conn. The dam is part of a network of six flood control dams in the Thames River Basin constructed and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This network helps to reduce flooding in communities within the Thames River Basin by regulating water levels on upstream tributaries in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

David Thomas (center), director of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, and civil engineer Jeff Wisniewski (right), both with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, speak with Nathan Dietrich, from Congresswoman Doris Matsui’s office, during an Industry Day event June 7, 2012, at Folsom City Hall in Folsom, Calif. The Sacramento District hosted a pre-solicitation Industry Day for specialized underwater construction for the project’s auxiliary spillway, providing prospective contractors with information about the generalized scope and site conditions for the proposed Phase IV underwater construction. The Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project is a joint effort of the Corps, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the current dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Looking up in a maze of a steel rebar, Dennis Griffin, a construction representative with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, examines the support system for concrete placement for the auxiliary spillway at the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project in Folsom, Calif., June 14, 2012. The Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project is a joint effort of the Corps, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the current dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks with Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), prior to a press conference at the Corps' Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration Project site, Chicago, June 17, 2014. (U.S. Army Photo by Sarah Gross/Released)

R.D. James (green coat), assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works, overlooks ongoing work to place concrete and construct a new navigation lock during a walking tour Nov. 14, 2019 at Chickamauga Lock on the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Nashville District is constructing a new 110-foot by 600-foot navigation lock at the Tennessee Valley Authority project. (USACE photo by Lee Roberts)

A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District checks water lines in preparation for concrete placement for the auxiliary spillway control structure at the Folsom Dam in Folsom, Calif., May 30, 2012. Water in cooling tubes will aid in curing the concrete. The spillway project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the Corps, U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the current dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Excavation of Folsom Dam’s new auxiliary spillway continues in Folsom, Calif., Dec. 29, 2011. The spillway will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Gina McCarthy, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, speaks at a press conference at the Corps' Northerly Island Ecosystem Restoration Project site, Chicago, June 17, 2014. (U.S. Army Photo by Sarah Gross/Released)

Nearly 90 property owners and local residents near the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District’s Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project met with project and real estate experts at two public meetings March 26-27, 2014 to discuss impacted properties and proposed real estate actions. (Photo courtesy of Lake Isabella Dam Task Force)

Maj. Gen. Michael J. Walsh (center), Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, tours the construction site for the new Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway in Folsom, Calif., July 18, 2012. The Sacramento District is building the spillway in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the existing dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. Walsh toured the project during a visit to Sacramento to learn more about the Corps’ projects in Northern California. (U.S. Army photo illustration by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

A four-man crew is lowered into the approach channel to gather abandoned equipment and prepare several boom lifts for removal from the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway on Jan. 20, 2016. After stabilizing the seepage in the cofferdam, work crews will remove equipment from the site before the end of the day. (U.S. Army Photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

Taeho YUN directs videographer Kevin Nha both with Korean Broadcasting Systems to get shots of Cottrell Contracting Corporation’s dredge LEXINGTON as the crew prepares to lower the vessel’s cutter head into the water to dredge the Norfolk International Terminals port facility to 50 feet. The Korean Broadcasting crew is working on a piece comparing and contrasting dredging projects in the U.S. versus those in South Korea. (U.S. Army Photo/Patrick Bloodgood)

Contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District set blasts at the excavation site for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway in Folsom, Calif., March 23, 2012. Blasting for the shear zone, the spillway’s foundation, is nearing completion. The spillway, scheduled to be ready for use in 2017, will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Construction crews work into the night to remove abandoned equipment after water began seeping through a temporary construction cofferdam at the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway on Jan. 20, 2016. (U.S. Army Photo by Tyler Stalker/Released)

Excavation of Folsom Dam’s new auxiliary spillway continues into the night in Folsom, Calif., Jan. 13, 2012. The spillway will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Cashman Dredging and Marine Contracting Company, LCC of Quincy, Mass., performs work in Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut.

A contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District adds dry ice to reduce pH levels in ponds of runoff water at the excavation site for the Folsom Dam auxiliary spillway Folsom, Calif., March 15, 2012. Runoff that enters the excavation site is treated, monitored and filtered before being pumped into Folsom Lake. The spillway, scheduled to be ready for use in 2017, will allow Folsom Dam to release water sooner and more safely. The project is part of the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project, a joint effort of the Sacramento District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to improve the safety of the dam and reduce flood risk for the greater Sacramento area. (U.S. Army photo by Michael J. Nevins/Released)

Sail boarding is a popular water sport at Black Butte Lake near Orland, Calif., shown May 26, 2002. The lake was formed from the impoundment of Stony Creek in 1963, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District completed construction of Black Butte Dam. When full, the lake has a surface area of 4,460 acres, is seven miles long and boasts a shoreline of 40 miles. The dam reduces flood risk for nearby towns and agricultural lands. Black Butte Lake and Dam are managed by the Sacramento District. (U.S. Army Photo/Michael J. Nevins)