{"id":273930,"date":"2026-08-28T13:16:51","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/273930\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T13:16:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T13:16:51","slug":"the-swiss-army-knife-of-lake-erie-inside-a-u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-floating-plant-article","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/273930\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Swiss Army Knife\u2019 of Lake Erie: Inside a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Floating Plant | Article"},"content":{"rendered":"

BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 With a seven-person crew, a tugboat and a crane barge, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District\u2019s Repair Fleet provides an in-house capability to tackle a wide range of maintenance and repair projects across Lake Erie.<\/p>\n

From reinforcing breakwaters and placing armor stone to dredging, concrete work and specialized maintenance, the crew and its floating plant support federal navigation infrastructure all across Lake Erie.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of utility. We can do just about anything,\u201d said Jason Lisner, first mate with the Repair Fleet. \u201cWe\u2019re very versatile. We are much like a Swiss Army knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

That versatility allows the Buffalo District to use its own experienced workforce and equipment for projects that may be smaller, more intricate or require the flexibility to respond to changing needs.<\/p>\n

Lisner, a retired U.S. Coast Guardsman who has spent 26 years working on the water, has been with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 10 years. He said the floating plant currently operates with seven employees, four aboard the tug and three aboard the crane barge, each filling a specialized role.<\/p>\n

The crew includes a captain, crane operator, marine engineer and deckhands who work together to move equipment and material and perform projects throughout the region.<\/p>\n

One of the repair fleet\u2019s primary missions is maintaining breakwaters and revetments that protect harbors and support safe navigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take armor stone, rubble mound, underlayment out to the breakwalls and just bolster them up to endure the weather,\u201d Lisner said.<\/p>\n

But the crew\u2019s work extends well beyond breakwaters.<\/p>\n


\n \"Buffalo
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District\u2019s Repair Fleet conduct operations aboard the district\u2019s floating plant in Lake Erie on August 12, 2026. The seven-person crew provides a versatile, in-house capability to maintain and repair critical federal navigation infrastructure across Lake Erie. (U.S. Army photo by Kaylee Wendt)
\n (Photo Credit: Kaylee Wendt)<\/p>\n

VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a><\/p>\n

The repair fleet has supported concrete projects in Buffalo, cleared culverts, performed dredging at the Black Rock Lock and transported crews conducting core sampling. When Lake Erie conditions become too rough for marine operations during the winter, the team shifts its capabilities to landside projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can do just about anything that they can come up with,\u201d Lisner said.<\/p>\n

Having that capability within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District can also provide an efficient option for work that might otherwise require an outside contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re like the ultimate force multiplier because we can do the same functions and perform the same projects that outside contractors do, but we do it in-house,\u201d Lisner said.<\/p>\n

That capability is particularly valuable.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny smaller or intricate or more detailed jobs, they can send us, and we\u2019ll just take care of it and it\u2019s done,\u201d Lisner said.<\/p>\n

Behind that versatility is a small crew accustomed to working in a demanding environment where each member plays a role in completing the mission safely and efficiently.<\/p>\n

For Lisner, that work, and the results the team delivers, are a source of pride.<\/p>\n

The Buffalo District delivers world class engineering solutions to the Great Lakes Region, the Army and the Nation to ensure national security, environmental sustainability, water resource management, and emergency assistance during peace and war. Learn more at www.lrd.usace.army.mil\/buffalo<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUFFALO, N.Y. \u2014 With a seven-person crew, a tugboat and a crane barge, the U.S. Army Corps of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273931,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":["post-273930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-erie","tag-erie","tag-erie-headlines","tag-erie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273930\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}