EPA Region 9 · USACE South Pacific Division
Articles & Features
Bringing journalism skills to a public affairs mission means writing stories that work for two audiences at once — the agency and everyone beyond it. These features keep an institution's people informed about the work being done in their name, while giving those on the outside a clear, accurate picture of what that work looks like on the ground. Telling the story to ourselves and an external audience simultaneously isn't a secondary goal — it's the mission.
These stories are written for an internal audience, but always with an awareness of who else will read them. You can't keep the scientists, engineers, and first responders featured in these pages from sharing them with friends and family — and there's no reason to try. That reach into communities who care about environmental protection and public safety is exactly what good public affairs writing does.
Undamming the Klamath: Toxic blooms and a river reborn
From the early 1900s to the 1960s, California and Oregon Power Co. (Copco), now known as PacifiCorp, built a series of four dams along the Klamath River to generate hydroelectric power for thousands of residents. Following decades of ecological impacts, including to native salmonid fisheries and water quality, the last of these dams was removed in 2024.
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Addressing the Tijuana River sewage crisis
Communities in the Tijuana River Valley along San Diego County's beachside have long endured the complex realities of the pollution and raw sewage flowing from Mexico through the Tijuana River and into the Pacific, impacting nearby beaches.
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Protecting human health and the environment at our ports
Every day, workers at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles — the highest volume ports in America — move approximately 50,000 containers, translating to around $1.2 billion of goods movement supporting retail, construction, the automotive industry and other sectors of the economy. Enter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspectors.
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South Pacific Division responds to hurricanes, wildfires
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division's area of responsibility covers ten states in the Pacific Southwest, stretching from northern California to West Texas. When disaster strikes, our area of operations expands as Corps experts join a global team, immediately responding with assets all over the world.
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Remembering the fallen and those who mourn them
For those who've served and for the families of those who have served, Memorial Day has a much deeper and sometimes dreadful meaning than a long weekend. Two Region 9 veterans reflect on the friends they've lost — in training accidents, in combat's aftermath, and to the invisible wounds that follow soldiers home.
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