Deputy District Engineer for Project Management
Durund Elzey, P.E. serves as the Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Mr. Elzey is responsible for making management decisions related to all major District Civil Works and Environmental programs and projects while supporting other district activities. The New Orleans District’s area of responsibility encompasses the majority of South Louisiana, and includes 2,800 miles of navigable waterways, 1,300 miles of levees and floodwalls, eleven navigation locks, six major flood control structures, and numerous other projects designed to create and protect coastal wetlands. The projects that fall under Mr. Elzy’s authority include flood risk management, storm damage risk reduction, navigational projects (such as channel improvements, and lock and dam construction), environmental and coastal restoration/sustainability, river stabilization and harbor development.
Mr. Elzey is responsible for executing several projects that fall under the authority of the USACE New Orleans District. These projects include the Mississippi River & Tributaries Project, a $14.6B Hurricane and Storm Risk Reduction System, projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA-18); Program, the Environmental Infrastructure Program, Interagency Support Program, the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP), the Planning Assistance to States (PAS) Program, and other projects. All told, these projects are authorized an average of about $900 million to $1.2 billion in Congressionally-appropriated funds per year.
During his time at USACE, Mr. Elzey has worked on a broad range of projects and initiatives while serving to build strong relationships both internally within the Corps and externally with local, state and federal partners. These relationships strive to enable the effective and efficient delivery and implementation of water resource projects that are designed to be sustainable, increase public safety, and improve quality of life for the people within the New Orleans District. Mr. Elzey also serves fulltime as the Assistant Deputy District Engineer and Deputy Chief of Programs and Project Management, working closely with the Deputy District Engineer. Additionally, he has served as the Acting Deputy Project Manager for the Institute for Water Resources.
Mr. Elzey received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Orleans in 2004. During his college years, he worked as an aid to the Dean of Engineering, served as the president of several engineering societies, and joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an intern in 2001. In addition, Mr. Elzey is a 2010 graduate of the Planning Associates Program, which is equivalent to obtaining a Master of Science in Water Resources, and he is also a Certified Floodplain Manager.