• Boise River flows set to increase Monday, March 25

    BOISE, Idaho -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation will increase Boise River flows through the City of Boise starting on March 25. These releases will help reduce the risk of flooding during periods of high snow runoff anticipated later this spring. Officials encourage the public to be aware of risks associated with increased Boise River flows. The water is deep, cold and fast. Individuals should use extreme caution near the riverbanks.
  • User Guidelines on Catchment Hydrological Modeling with Soil Thermal Dynamics in Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA)

    Abstract: Climate warming is expected to degrade permafrost in many regions of the world. Degradation of permafrost has the potential to affect soil thermal, hydrological, and vegetation regimes. Projections of long-term effects of climate warming on high latitude ecosystems require a coupled representation of soil thermal state and hydrological dynamics. Such a coupled framework was developed to explicitly simulate the soil moisture effects of soil thermal conductivity and heat capacity and its effects on hydrological response. In the coupled framework, the Geophysical Institute Permafrost Laboratory (GIPL) model is coupled with the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model. The new permafrost heat transfer in GSSHA is computed with the GIPL scheme that simulates soil temperature dynamics and the depth of seasonal freezing and thawing by numerically solving a one-dimensional quasilinear heat equation with phase change. All the GIPL input and output parameters and the state variables are set up to be consistent with the GSSHA input-output format and grid distribution data input requirements. Test-case simulated results showed that freezing temperatures reduced soil storage capacity, thereby producing higher peak and lower base flow. The report details the functions and format of required input variables and cards, as a guideline, in GSSHA hydrothermal analysis of frozen soils in permafrost active areas.
  • Building Elevation in Mangrove Communities: Use of Regional Sediment Management to Increase Coastal Wetland Resilience to Sea-Level Rise

    Abstract: This Regional Sediment Management technical report outlines initial steps to implement a proof-of-concept physical model to develop demonstration scale evidence that supports managed wetland transgression through sediment augmentation via a thin-layer placement strategy. The proof-of-concept physical model will evaluate the ability of thin-layer placement to increase elevation and enhance recruitment within coastal scrub mangrove wetlands most vulnerable to sea-level rise. The investigation sought to identify feasible project locations, sediment sources that included beneficial use of dredged material opportunities, and environmentally acceptable construction techniques. Results of this initial step will be used to secure funding to permit, construct, implement, and monitor the proof-of-concept physical model. The results of this initiative will inform and direct management measure development for the ongoing Biscayne Bay Southeastern Everglades Restoration Project, the only coastal component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the only component with an obligation to increase habitat resilience. Results are applicable to areas throughout the Gulf, Atlantic, and Pacific Coasts of the United States where direct preservation, enhancement, and restoration of mangrove and other coastal wetland communities will build coastal resiliency, reduce storm hazards damage, and create habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species, particularly as sea levels rise.
  • Army Corps Completes Coastal Project Ahead of Schedule; Engages Community

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, recently completed placing 500,000 cubic yards of sand along 4,100 feet of coastline in Downtown Montauk on the eastern tip of Long Island in New York’s Suffolk County. With favorable weather conditions allowing for completion ahead of schedule, the $11.7 million project also refurbished dunes eroded by a series of storms.
  • Survey & Mapping Employees Earn Army Corps’ Innovation Award for Unmanned Survey Vessel

    Army Corps of Engineers’ employees in the New York District’s Survey and Mapping Branch, Operations Division, have been recognized with the 2023 Innovation of the Year Award from Army Corps Headquarters in Washington, D.C., a national honor recognizing outstanding accomplishments in engineering forwarding the mission and serving the Nation.
  • First Mississippi River towboat kicks off 2024 navigation season

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, locked the Motor Vessel Joseph Patrick Eckstein with 12 barges through Lock and Dam 2, in Hastings, Minnesota, March 17, en route to St. Paul, Minnesota.
  • Corps launches new web-based verification and application tool for Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project

    Calcasieu, Cameron and Vermillion Parishes property owners can now quickly and easily verify if they are eligible to participate and apply for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Project with a new web-based tool called “Is My Property Eligible.” The “Is My Property Eligible” tool allows property owners to complete questions in eight categories online to get immediate verification if they reside in the project area and submit an application.
  • First Titan 1-A Restoration Advisory Board meeting set for March 26

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District has scheduled its first Restoration Advisory Board meeting for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association’s Orchard Creek Ballroom.
  • MKARNS Nav Notice No. SWL 24-28 Lock 13 Intermittent Delays

    Mariners should expect to experience intermittent delays at James W. Trimble Lock (No. 13) NM 292.8 on March 19, 2024, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The intermittent delays are required to facilitate maintenance on the hydraulic system.
  • USACE issues small craft advisory for Arkansas River

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is issuing a small craft advisory for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System in Arkansas. Heavy rainfall in Arkansas over the last 24 hours resulted in Arkansas River flows exceeding 70,000 cubic feet per second at Ozark.