News Stories

  • May

    Virtual PDT reaches Contract Award milestone ahead of schedule

    When the COVID-19 pandemic required the Memphis District to mass telework, our Project Delivery Teams (PDT) suddenly became virtual teams. With the sudden pivot to virtual teamwork, you might expect a lag in PDT performance. However, despite their lack of experience as a virtual team, the Mellwood Seepage Remediation PDT quickly adjusted to remote teamwork and reached their Contract Award milestone, on May 19, ahead of schedule.
  • Fisk Scour Repair Project is Ready-to-Advertise

    Reaching a project milestone is the result of successive interim achievements along the way. Successive interim achievements have propelled the Fisk Scour Repair Project Delivery Team (PDT) to successfully reach its important Ready-to-Advertise milestone on May 15.
  • ERDC researchers model COVID-19 for the Nation

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – When the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Dr. Brandon Lafferty sleeps these days, he dreams about predictive models. That’s because since mid-March, Lafferty, a researcher from the ERDC Environmental Laboratory, has been helping lead ERDC’s Modelling and Simulation Team develop the ERDC Susceptible Exposed Infected Recovered ⸺ or SEIR ⸺ model for COVID-19, and it’s an intense effort.
  • Tulsa District Natural Resource Specialist Knight selected for ERDC University

    VICKSBURG, Miss. — After learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages outdoor recreation at more than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states, a career as a USACE outdoor recreation planner appealed to Mississippi native Jason Knight. Now with the USACE Tulsa District, the natural resource specialist is a participant in the 2020 Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC U).
  • USACE Chicago District hosts virtual business opportunities open house

    This week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District hosted a virtual business opportunities open house to provide information on the district's overall mission and upcoming projects, solicitations, and business opportunities. Seventy people registered for the event that included information on the contracting process, how to compete for projects, a discussion on construction management and internal design/engineering services, and a view of planned advertisements for this fiscal year.
  • Pre-construction teleconference held to kick-off levee slide repairs

    Today, the Memphis District held a pre-construction teleconference with C&M Contractors, Inc. to kick-off levee slide repairs on the White River Backwater levee and along the Mississippi River levee. This teleconference discussed and issued the Notice-to-Proceed for levee slide repairs in Work Areas 1 and 2, both in Arkansas.
  • Employee Spotlight: Vicky Person

    Vicky Person joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, team three years ago and has over 35 years of experience in the field of geotechnical, environmental and construction quality control in the Midwest.
  • ERDC researcher awarded top honor from University of Alabama

    Dr. Tim Rushing of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has earned one of the top awards at the University of Alabama — the 2020 Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Department Distinguished Fellow Award.
  • Wildwood Resort and Marina achieves 'Clean Marina' status

    GRANVILLE, Tenn. (May 21, 2020) – Wildwood Resort & Marina at Cordell Hull Lake raised the “Clean Marina” flag today during a dedication ceremony recognizing the marina’s voluntary efforts to reduce water pollution and erosion in the Cumberland River watershed, and for promoting environmentally responsible marina and boating practices.
  • Rent abatement gives marina operators collective sigh of relief

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 20, 2020) – Rent abatement at all leased recreation facilities in the Cumberland River Basin will potentially allow marinas to retain an estimated $750,000 to help stay afloat as revenues decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

News Releases

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: High-Performance Photocatalytic Degradation of Model Contaminants with Iron Oxide–Based Colloidal Solutions under Broad-Spectrum Illumination

    Abstract:  Small molecule contaminants, such as compounds from pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, persist through traditional wastewater treatment processes. Heterogeneous photocatalysis with transition metal oxides (TMOs) is an emerging technology for removing these recalcitrant contaminants from wastewater. To leverage this technology, we selectively combined three different TMOs with bandgap energies in different regions of the solar spectrum as a means of harvesting multiple wavelengths of incident radiation to increase the degradation rate of model and real contaminants. Specifically, we combined zincite (ZnO, ultraviolet active), hematite (α-Fe2O3, visible active), and tenorite (CuO, near-infrared active). The combination of tenorite and hematite (2:1 mass ratio) was the most effective, degrading methyl orange with a rate constant of 40±1E-03 min−1. When applied to multicontaminant solutions using laboratory illumination, our multispectral photocatalyst degrades real-world contaminants, methyl orange, carbamazepine, and nitrobenzene, with rate constants of 30±1E-03, 24±1E-03, and 6±1E-03 min−1, respectively. In addition, the material degrades contaminants with a greater efficiency under outdoor solar illumination, with Collector Area per Order values of 4.0, 6.1 and 14.5 kWh/order/m³, for methyl orange, carbamazepine, and nitrobenzene, respectively. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach to purify water for strategic applications.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Environmental Analysis of Aqueous 3-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazol-5-One (NTO) by Ion Chromatography with Conductivity Detection

    Abstract:  The newly fielded insensitive high-explosive compound 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) is mobile in the environment due to its high water solubility and low affinity for soils. The weak acidity of NTO (pKa 3.67) presents a challenge to environmental analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography but enables direct separation by ion chromatography (IC). Here we developed an IC method for NTO in natural water, soil, and postdetonation residue. A gradient potassium hydroxide separation effectively resolved the inorganic anions (F−, Cl−, NO2−, Br−, SO42−, NO3−, and PO43−) and NTO in 18 minutes. Suppressed conductivity of aqueous NTO was linear from 10 µg/L to 10 mg/L with a detection limit of 3 µg/L and quantitation limit of 9 µg/L. Recoveries of NTO-spiked natural water samples were 93%–118% at concentrations of 30, 100, and 500 µg/L. Recoveries of NTO-spiked soil samples were 91%–114% using deionized water (DI) extraction. NTO was completely recovered with DI-extraction in two postdetonation residue samples of IMX-101 but only partially recovered (58% and 69%) in two higher-concentration residues, potentially due to incomplete dissolution of the energetic particle matrix. These results support IC for confirmation analysis of environmental samples and for screening natural water samples while simultaneously analyzing inorganic ions.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: A Comparison of Frost Depth Estimates from Ground Observations and Modelling Using Measured Values and Reanalysis Data for Vehicle Mobility 

    Abstract: Frozen soils can withstand heavy vehicle loads and provide major maneuver corridors in locations where the soils are otherwise too weak to support the loading conditions. Vehicle mobility models require input of the ground conditions to assess seasonal traffickability. Increasingly, measured air temperatures from weather station locations are becoming more widespread, however they lack a global gridded coverage. Similarly, ground profile measurements, such as soil temperature and moisture, are significant inputs to estimate depths of frost. New data products, such as gridded reanalysis data provides weather and soil data on a gridded global scale. This study compared frost depths determined from measured soil temperatures at stations in North Dakota and Minnesota with frost depths determined from soil temperatures from NASA’s Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research Application Version 2 (MERRA-2). The objectives of the study were to evaluate the usefulness of the MERRA-2 data to provide estimates of frost depth, and to determine the accuracy of estimated frost depths from modelling using either measured air temperatures or reanalysis air temperature data. To estimate the maximum frost depth a one-dimensional decoupled heat and moisture flow model was used. Differences in estimated frost depth resulted from modelling when compared to the measured soil temperatures. These differences are likely due to the influence of a snow layer. The properties of the snow layer play an important role in estimating the depth of frost. Improved material properties of the snow layer are needed to more accurately estimate the depth of ground freezing.
  • Corps awards contract to complete levee repairs on multiple levee systems in, Sheridan County, Wyoming

    OMAHA, Neb. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District awarded a $3.55M construction contract to Relyant Global LLC of Maryville, Tennessee on July 24, for the rehabilitation of Little Goose Creek Left Bank,Big Goose Creek Right Bank and Goose Creek Right Bank Levee Systems damaged by the spring 2019 flooding. The duration of the contract is 150 days after the notice to proceed.
  • Corps Awards $12.9 Contract to Replace Dam Gates

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District announces the award of a more than $12.9-million contract for the installation of two new dam lift gates and a new control system at Montgomery Locks and Dam on the Ohio River in Monaca, Pennsylvania.
  • The Army Corps of Engineers and the Greers Ferry Lake Little Red River Tourism Association announce the 51st Annual Lake & River Cleanup

    HEBER SPRINGS, AR – The Army Corps of Engineers and the Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Tourism Association are seeking volunteers to pitch in Sept. 12th during the 51st Annual Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Cleanup.
  • Summer Hunting Opportunities at Carlyle Lake

    CARLYLE LAKE – Carlyle Lake offers a variety of late summer hunting opportunities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources work together to manage public lands and waters at Carlyle Lake. More than 10,000 acres of public lands are open to public hunting to which all-current Illinois game laws and regulations are in effect. All hunters are required to sign in and out daily and record harvest at the nearest hunter sign in box. Access areas are conveniently located around the lake to provide parking and access to public lands. Several wildlife food plots have been planted around the lake. Plots consist of various crops including sunflowers, corn, and other row crops.
  • Corps releases draft master plan for two eastern North Dakota reservoirs

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is seeking comments on the draft master plan and environmental assessment for Lake Ashtabula, near Valley City, North Dakota, and Homme Reservoir, near Park River, North Dakota.
  • USACE to go door-to-door to secure rights-of-entry from individual landowners in Freeport vicinity to access property as part of the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Project

    GALVESTON, Texas – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District, Real Estate Division will be going door-to-door in the vicinity of Freeport on Aug. 4-6, to secure rights-of-entry from individual landowners in order to access property as part of the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay, Texas Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) and Ecosystem Restoration Project. The rights-of-entry are necessary to conduct various investigative activities (surveys, cultural resource investigations, geotechnical investigations) and will be mostly along the existing levee alignment.
  • Cuerpo de Ingenieros acepta comentarios públicos sobre el Estudio de Manejo de Riesgos de Tormentas Costeras en el área metropolitana de San Juan

    El Distrito de Jacksonville del Cuerpo de Ingenieros del Ejército de los EE. UU. (USACE por sus siglas en inglés)  está aceptando comentarios sobre el Estudio de Manejo de Riesgos de Tormentas Costeras en el área metropolitana de San Juan, Puerto Rico. Personal conduciendo el Estudio ha producido un borrador del Informe Integrado de Viabilidad y el Informe de Evaluación Ambiental que actualmente está disponible para revisión pública en este enlace, www.saj.usace.army.mil/SanJuanMetro.

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