David Bogema, a hydraulic engineer in the Water Management Section’s Hydrology and Hydraulics Branch, is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Employee of the Month. He is recognized primarily for leading the water management efforts for the Wolf Creek and Center Hill gates Replacement Projects.
Lt. Col. Joseph Sahl, Nashville District commander, announced Bogema’s selection and said, “David is an integral member of the district’s team, and we are lucky to have him serving alongside us.”
Anthony Rodino III, P.E., chief of the Nashville District’s Water Management Section, describes Bogema as having a “stellar work ethic and ability to produce quality and timely products. Through his hard work and innovation, David has helped moved the Water Management Section in Nashville to the forefront of the Community of Practice.”
For months, Bogema diligently worked to analyze risk data relating to water management operations, dam safety, and other projects, related to plans to replace the spillway gates at Wolf Creek Dam in Jamestown and Center Hill Dam in Lancaster, Tennessee.
His analysis of a variety of data including historical rainfall, provided leaders with an optimal timeframe to replace the gates. His analysis included an interim risk reduction measure addressing dam safety concerns, while simultaneously recommending two gates being replaced per season, as opposed to the previous schedule.
Doug DeLong, project manager for the Wolf Creek and Center Hill project, nominated Bogema and said, “I appreciate his willingness and dedication to complete a task. He was given a difficult task with schedule fluctuations and scope changes, but he still got it done in a timely manner.”
Bogema said one of the most difficult aspects of this project involved managing multiple computers and keeping track of results and then further synthesizing the results to understand the risks to the project, the communities, and impacts to the multiple purposes that each dam provides to the region.
Typically, Bogema is responsible for a wide range of duties, including the management of 10 multi-purpose projects in the Cumberland River System, and evaluating and implementing reservoir operating plans to balance the competing needs of the region. He also serves as the Water Management section’s lead Corps Water Management System (CWMS) model developer.
In March 2022 Bogema began a two-to-three-year temporary detail in the Mobile District working on a feasibility study to improve water reliability of the Panama Canal, an endeavor Sahl notes as, “another demonstration of the great talent we have in Nashville District.”
Bogema said he feels “honored and thankful to work with a great group of people and in a great organization,” and notes his success didn’t come from working by himself. “We don’t work in a vacuum, an award like this is as much a reflection of the branch and section, as the individual.”
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps.