31 Jul 2020

Public review begins for dredged material pilot project draft feasibility study

Today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District posted a draft feasibility report, Public Beach Protection in Four Illinois Coastal Communities Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Pilot Project, for a 30- day public review period that will end on Aug. 31, 2020.

31 Jul 2020

Tule River Spillway construction set to begin Aug. 2

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District will begin construction operations to realign Avenue 146 and widen the existing Tule River Spillway at Success Lake in Porterville, California, starting August 2.

31 Jul 2020

Swimming Not Recommended at Lake Red Rock Beaches

Due to elevated bacteria levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District does not recommend swimming at the North Overlook and Whitebreast beaches at Lake Red Rock.

31 Jul 2020

Federal agencies release final Columbia River System Operations environmental impact statement

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration today released the Columbia River System Operations Final Environmental Impact Statement. The issuance of the final EIS is a substantial step toward accomplishment of a priority item of the Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West issued in October 2018.

31 Jul 2020

Boundary line maintenance to begin on Beaver Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is advising landowners adjacent to public lands on Beaver Lake that contract work crews are currently conducting boundary line maintenance around Beaver Lake.

31 Jul 2020

Edward MacDowell Lake celebrates 70th year commemoration

 July 31 marks the 70th anniversary of the completion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Edward MacDowell Lake Dam. The project was completed in 1950 at a cost of $2,014,000 and is named after the late composer, Edward MacDowell. The dam, located on Nubanusit Brook in Peterborough, east of Keene, provides flood protection primarily to Peterborough. The project also provides flood protection to the downstream communities of Hancock, Bennington, Antrim, Deering, Hillsboro, and Henniker, all located on the Contoocook River.

31 Jul 2020

Public invited to comment on planned autumn releases from Rathbun Lake

In 2016 in response to stakeholder input, the Corps of Engineers revised its operating guidance for Rathbun Lake. The new guidance allows for an annual opportunity, every autumn, for the lake to schedule a release of water to benefit state and privately managed conservation and recreational areas downstream in the Chariton watershed. This release of water will not exceed 2,700 cubic feet per second from Rathbun Dam and would be sustained for no longer than 3 or 4 days, excluding ramp up and ramp down.

31 Jul 2020

Virtual public meetings set for Collier County study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Collier County, Florida, its nonfederal sponsor, have released the Collier County Coastal Storm Risk Management Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement.

30 Jul 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Erosion Thresholds and Rates for Sand-Mud Mixtures

Abstract: Differences in erosion behavior of non-cohesive and cohesive sediments are widely recognized. In many natural environments, sand and mud are not completely separated and occur as mixtures. Significantly less research has been conducted on the erosion behavior of sand-mud mixtures compared to the separate treatment of sand and mud erosion. Sedflume erosion experiments were conducted on sand-mud mixtures with varying mud content to define the relationships between mud content, critical stress for erosion (τc), and erosion rate. Sand-mud mixtures were prepared with three mud sources: (1) non-swelling clay (kaolinite), (2) swelling clay (kaolinite/bentonite), and (3) a swelling, natural mud from the Mississippi River. Test results showed that critical shear stresses of the mixed sediments departed from that of pure sand with mud fractions on the order of 2% to 10%. Peak τc was observed between 30% to 40% mud content, with swelling muds achieving a ten-fold increase in τc while a five-fold increase in τc was measured for kaolinite. Additionally, this study demonstrated that the introduction of small amounts (≤5%) of mud to sand reduced erosion rates by a factor of 10 to 100. This observed abatement of erosion rate has implications for the use of dredged materials in civil and environmental engineering projects.

30 Jul 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Investigation of Shoaling in the Federal Navigation Channel, Waukegan Harbor, Illinois

Abstract: Persistent and excessive shoaling occurs in the Outer Harbor and Approach Channel of the Waukegan Harbor, Illinois. This report describes a numerical modeling study performed for the US Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, to evaluate the existing harbor and 11 structural alternatives for three crest elevations. This report provides details of numerical modeling study, analysis of field data, and estimates of shoaling. The focus of the study is the investigation of a variety of structural solutions intercepting and/or diverting sediments to reduce shoaling in the navigation channel. These include breakwaters, groins, spurs, and structural extensions with varying length and crest elevation connecting to the north beach and existing north breakwater. Estimates of both shoaling volume and height are developed with and without project using an integrated wave-flow-sediment transport numerical modeling approach. Quantitative reduction estimates are provided for each structural alternative investigated.