The Monongahela River Navigation System was acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1887. Soon after acquisition, the corps started replacing the locks and dams on the lower portion of the river and upgrading the navigation system to accommodate the growing commercial use of the river.

This video describes how the Monongahela River navigation system jumpstarted the Pittsburgh regional economic growth during the Civil War.

The movie describes the duties and responsibilities of lockmasters and crew working on the historic locks and dams.

This video depicts other benefits gained by the region due to the construction of the Monongahela River Navigation System.

The Monongahela River Navigation System was acquired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1887. Soon after acquisition, the corps began replacing the locks and dams on the lower portion of the river and upgrading the navigation system to accommodate the growing commercial use of the river.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District used a helicopter to lift 29 trees bundles and concrete blocks to create a new fish habitat in a water basin on the Ohio River. A wide range of freshwater species live in the Ohio River including various types of shiners, catfish, carp, herring, bass, walleye and more. The brush bundles will help juvenile fish by providing cover and places to hide from larger predator fish. The fish reefs will mitigate impact caused by construction planned in the coming years at three locks and dams nearby. The construction of the three new locks is part of the Upper Ohio Navigation Project, a multi-billion-dollar project that will benefit inland navigation. The district will remove the auxiliary chambers at the Montgomery, Dashields and Emsworth locks and dams, replacing them with larger navigation chambers. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

It's all fun and games operating a boat on the water until someone drowns in a preventable accident! You may be a great operator or even a good swimmer, but 85% of drowning accidents involved victims not wearing a #LifeJacket #KnowTakeWear #PleaseWearIt @pleasewearit @NationalSafeBoatingCouncil (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

The mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is so broad that it's impossible to summarize it in one sentence. The district offers services in engineering, construction, design, navigation, water management, regulatory, real estate, environmental, recreation and much more. The Pittsburgh District serves the region by helping solve water resource problems of all sizes, from local municipal flood mitigation to river navigation. This video highlights just some of the core competencies of the Pittsburgh District mission, to include engineering, navigation, flood-risk reduction, recreation, emergency response, regulatory, environmental, maintenance, and more! (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

Without power, life and death hang in the balance in the aftermath of a catastrophe. June is the start of Hurricane Season, but no matter when or where a disaster strikes, if a community loses power in a crisis, there is only one district that manages the Emergency Power Mission on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District leads the effort to deploy Planning and Response Teams and generators to restore electricity for critical facilities for people in need. The Pittsburgh District responds to the nation's call, and is proud to be trusted by those they serve. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret) #EmergencyPower #TemporaryPower #USACE #ArmyCorps #Emergency #DisasterRelief #Service #Army U.S. Army | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Headquarters | FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

Drone and time-lapse video of final stages of construction of the Charleroi Locks and Dam, officially known as the Monongahela River Locks and Dam 4 in Monessen, Pennsylvania, April 12, 2023. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District operates, maintains and oversees the construction at Charleroi. The chamber is currently empty, projected to refill with water to install the miter gates by summer 2023. The new 720-foot chamber at Charleroi is projected to open to navigation next year as part of a navigation system called the Lower Mon Project, involving two other locks on the Monongahela River. (Drone: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers video by Huan Tran) (Time Lapse: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers video by Michel Sauret)

Join the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District to design and develop construction projects that support key infrastructure. Your work will directly serve your community and our nation. Build big! The Pittsburgh District offers work on some of the most exciting and largest constructions projects in the country. We employ a total of 130 engineer positions with a broad range of specialties: civil design, geotechnical, water management, hydraulic & hydrology, electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental construction and more! Our projects can range from construction at reservoirs enjoyed by recreational visitors to flood-mitigation projects that offer safety and protection to downstream residents, or construction that assist navigation on the rivers. We offer jobs in the specialties of civil design, geotechnical, water management, hydraulic and hydrology, electrical, mechanical, structural, environmental, construction and more. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

Where would we be today without the women of the Pittsburgh District? Women fill every role of our organization. We build strong because our women are strong. We provide solutions to the nation’s problems because we are engineers. We are maintenance biologists. Maintenance workers. Park rangers. Administrators. Problem solvers. Leaders, built up by our knowledge and experience. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is an organization that embraces the excellence of women every day. Women succeed across the district at every level of leadership. We could not accomplish what we do without the contributions of women. We have been part of this organization for decades, and our history is not over yet. The district grows, as we grow. It thrives, as we thrive. Throughout the month of March, and every day, we celebrate women’s contribution to our history and to the nation’s success. To women everywhere: You inspire everyone! (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

Steve Dine, P.E., resident engineer for the Charleroi Construction Project, takes viewers on a walking tour of the latest lock and control tower construction at Locks and Dam 4 on the Monongahela River in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, just a few months before the chamber is scheduled to fill with water. The video offers one of the last opportunities people will have to look through the construction site before it is completely submerged and becomes part of the river navigation. The facility is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District. The locks and dam were originally constructed in 1932, but the most recent modification to build a larger lock began in 2004. Once finished, the Charleroi project will cost approximately $1 billion, completed over a span of 20 years, expected to finish by 2024. The new chamber is measured 720 feet long by 84 feet wide, allowing a commercial tow with nine barges to lock through in 25 minutes instead of two hours. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)

Crooked Creek recently received four new hoist mechanisms in the control tower, located in Ford City, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District operates the tower and reservoir to hold water to reduce the risk of flooding downstream. The old hoists were original to the tower’s construction in 1938. Each new hoist weighs 38,000 pounds, requiring detailed coordination between multiple offices at the Pittsburgh District and their contractor counterpart. The hoists control the opening and closing of the gates that control the flow of water from the reservoir through the dam downstream. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District video by Michel Sauret)