Spotlight on Brazos River Floodgates Lockmaster Robert Page

Ensuring operational readiness and compliance

of the Brazos River Floodgates for nearly

2,500 commercial and recreational vessels

each month is no easy task, but it's one that a handful

of talented U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a

dedicated lockmaster make look easy.

Robert Page, an employee of the Corps for

more than 28 years, has held the position of the

Brazos River Floodgates lockmaster since 2009,

successfully juggling a variety of responsibilities

ranging from supervisory and administrative tasks to

maintenance and project rehabilitation.

"In May 2011 we removed the north and south

sector gates from their hinges as part of our first

major milestone in the Brazos River Floodgates

Rehabilitation Project," said Page. "Each of the

90-ton sector gates along with an additional 30

tons of organic material were removed for repair

and cleaning which will restore and enhance their

structural integrity and operation."

Part of a routine 9-10 year maintenance cycle

gate rehabilitation conducted by the Corps, this

project (once completed by early 2012) will help

decrease the number of future closures for corrective

repairs to sector gates and provide increased service

for commercial customers.

The rehabilitation project is one of the many

initiatives Page and his team have taken to reduce

dredging costs and improve customer service.

"I instituted an 'Industry Day' with our customers

to facilitate an open dialog with our users and learn

how we can implement measures to better serve both

our pleasure boaters and commercial industry," Page

said.

Though managing the locks is a demanding

job, Page says that his 20 years as a lock and

dam equipment mechanic and five years as a lock

and dam operator have prepared him well for the

challenges and problem solving needed to maintain

operational readiness, but acknowledges that he could

not complete the mission without the support and

dedication of his close-knit team.

A U.S. Navy veteran and Terre Haute, Indiana

native, Page graduated with an associate's degree

from Brazosport Community College in 1987 and

calls Lake Jackson, Texas, home.