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Levees are a vital part of modern flood risk management. They are part of flood defense systems that may also include flood walls, pumping stations, gates closures, and other associated structures. These elements work together to reduce risk to human life and reduce economic damages from flood events. — USACE extends comment period on draft National Levee Safety Guidelines

'The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today it is extending the comment period on the draft first edition of the National Levee Safety Guidelines to Aug. 31, 2024. The guidelines were developed with stakeholder input under the National Levee Safety Program and released for public review on...'

7/19/2024
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HQ USACE NEWS RELEASES

Water Resources Development Act of 2024 public comment period

March 6, 2025

News Stories

February

28 Feb 2020
Federal agencies release Columbia River System Operations draft environmental impact statement and preferred alternative
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration today released the Columbia River System Operations draft environmental impact statement for a 45-day public review and comment period from February 28 - April 13, 2020. The draft includes the Preferred Alternative for the operations, maintenance and configuration of the 14 federal dam and reservoir projects that comprise the Columbia River System.
28 Feb 2020
Memphis District assists Coast Guard in search for sunken barge
Two Memphis District river survey boats and their crews recently aided the Coast Guard by responding to an incident on the Mississippi River. In the process, they found more than they expected. Here’s how the story unfolded.
26 Feb 2020
Top five strengths
Performance Management and Data Analytics Chief of Military Programs at USACE Headquarters, Sam Zakhem, led a two-day class on a variety of important topics ranging from knowing yourself as a leader, making a first impression, and listening with intent.
26 Feb 2020
Mississippi River Commission schedules high-water inspection trip
The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River, March 29– April 3, 2020. Four public meetings have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI in selected towns along the river. Commission members will meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues.
26 Feb 2020
Commentary: Engineers building strong legacy as pioneers of progress
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 26, 2020) – We just celebrated National Engineers Week and recognized Nashville District’s engineers as the region’s problem solvers, committed to serving a higher purpose, and building on a strong legacy as pioneers of progress.
26 Feb 2020
Multifunctional Assessment Reconnaissance Vessel allows for remote survey of marine structures
A team of researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, led by principle investigator Thad Pratt and including co-pi William Butler and research engineers Jonathan Marshall and David Nguyen, have developed and improved a prototype Multifunctional Assessment Reconnaissance Vessel that allows for remote survey of pile-supported marine structures. Operators can produce final data products within 12 hours of arriving on site, allowing structural engineers to deliver a repair plan within 24 hours. The U.S. Transportation Command and Office of the Secretary of Defense-funded project has resulted in the schedule of five units to be delivered to Army dive detachments as part of the Instrument Set, Reconnaissance and Surveying (ENFIRE) program.
26 Feb 2020
“Be brief, be brilliant and be gone” – Huntsville Center OE director takes the PRB helm
“Wrangling complex projects is what Huntsville Center does best. And the Project Review Board is at the core of this success.” Once a month during the PRB, Huntsville Center program and project managers brief the command team on the progress, budget, challenges, good news and lessons learned of ongoing projects.
25 Feb 2020
District Completes Critical Project 6 Months Ahead of Original Schedule
A ribbon cutting ceremony held on February 20th marked the completion of a new $49.6 million steel and concrete pier project at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain. The pier, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District, will enhance the Navy’s operational readiness in the region. Previously, the Navy had been using barges for much of the work on ships that can now be done while docked at the pier.
25 Feb 2020
Making great strides in Power Governance in Afghanistan
The collaborative efforts of the Senior Executive Power Governance group strives for creative and innovative solutions to meet the electrical needs of Afghanistan.
24 Feb 2020
Civil Works Business Intelligence: Modernizing and Integrating U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Data Management and Analysis
The collection, organization, accessibility, and interpretation of large sets of data are foundational to many of the major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) decisions and actions across its many business lines. These data sets include performance and traffic volumes at USACE locks and the nation’s ports, cargo statistics of barges (inland waterways and ports, both domestic and international), statistics regarding uses and visitor days at USACE recreational sites, flood loss damages prevented by USACE levees, amounts and value of hydropower generated at USACE hydroelectric power facilities, and other information across USACE’s Civil Works program.

News Releases

30 Apr 2020
TAM Awards Job Order Contract for Sewage Treatment System, Kuwait
The Middle East District awarded a contract for a sewage treatment system expansion at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait.
30 Apr 2020
TAM Awards Job Order Contract for Sewage Treatment System, Kuwait
The Middle East District awarded a contract for a sewage treatment system expansion at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait.
30 Apr 2020
TAM Awards Job Order Contract for Kuwait
The Middle East District awarded a job order contract for work in Kuwait.
30 Apr 2020
TAM Awards Job Order Contract for Kuwait
The Middle East District awarded a job order contract for work in Kuwait.
30 Apr 2020
PUBLICATION NOTICE: Seamless Integration of Lidar-Derived Volumes and Geomorphic Features into the Sediment Budget Analysis System
Abstract: This Regional Sediment Management Technical Note provides a workflow and case study documenting the process to integrate lidar-derived volume changes and changes quantified from geomorphic features into the Sediment Budget Analysis System. Sediment budgets provide an understanding of a region’s sediment sources, project needs, processes, data gaps, engineering actions, and ecological considerations. Elevation data from profiles or lidar, sediment characteristics, dredging and placement information, along with other coastal datasets, are used to understand sediment pathways and develop sediment budgets for a region. Workflows and tools have been updated or modified to integrate sediment budget tools, volume change tools, and remote sensing data for the creation of comprehensive regional sediment budgets.
30 Apr 2020
PUBLICATION NOTICE: Geochemical Fingerprinting of Sediment Sources Associated with Deposition in the Calcasieu Ship Channel
Abstract: This Regional Sediment Management Technical Note (RSM-TN) demonstrates how geochemical fingerprinting techniques were used to distinguish probable sediment sources to the Calcasieu Ship Channel (CSC). These methods were applied to sediment samples collected from suspected source areas identified in past sediment budget studies. The techniques can be used by managers and stakeholders to make more informed decisions on best practices for managing sediment and mitigating sediment deposition within the channel.
30 Apr 2020
USACE to host virtual public review of the Lewisville Lake Master Plan Revision
The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host an online review to provide information and receive public input on the final draft revision of the Master Plan for Lewisville Lake. Normally, USACE would conduct a face-to-face public workshop to announce the availability of the draft revised master plan, but precautions associated with the COVID-19 virus have made it necessary to conduct the public involvement process online instead of hosting a face-to-face workshop.
30 Apr 2020
PUBLICATION NOTICE: Analysis of Snow Water Equivalent Annual Maxima in the Upper Connecticut River Basin Using a Max-Stable Spatial Process Model
Abstract: Recent advances from the science of spatial extremes and model regularization were applied to develop areal-based extremes of snow water equivalent (SWE) data for the upper Connecticut River Basin. Development of areal-based SWE exceedance probability estimates are of relevance for cool season probabilistic flood hazard analyses (PFHA). The approach profiled in this case study is applicable for other hydrometeor-ological variables of relevance to PFHA. The methodology conforms with Extreme Value Theory (EVT) for the analysis of spatial extremes; hence, there is a firm theoretical basis for extrapolation. Trend surface development is guided by EVT theory and recent advances for regularizing general linear models. R, a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, and QGIS, a free and open-source geographic information system, were the primary tools used for product development and delivery. The following R software packages were primarily used during project execution: evd, Glmnet, maps, raster, rgdal, SDMTools, sp, and SpatialExtremes. R software packages exist in the public domain and support PFHA analyses of varying complexities. Their application herein is not an endorsement or recommendation. It is recommended that one would need to evaluate any particular R software package regarding its suitability for use for any specific application.
30 Apr 2020
PUBLICATION NOTICE: Effects of Boric Acid and Water Content on Fundamental Properties of Proprietary Magnesium Phosphate Cement (MPC) Products
Abstract: Magnesium phosphate cements (MPCs) have been used for decades in proprietary products for pavement repairs. However, products with high exothermic temperatures have short working times, and research is needed to overcome these unfavorable characteristics. The effects of different boric acid and water contents on the fundamental properties of concrete was investigated through 34 trial batch modifications on the following commercially available MPC products: (1) Premier Magnesia’s PREMag PGDM, (2) BASF Master Builder’s MasterEmaco T545, and (3) CeraTech Inc.’s Pavemend TR. Overall results indicated that the increase of boric acid and water content produced favorable decreased temperatures and increased set times but retardation in the early age development of compressive strength. Modifications in the PREMag PGDM product resulted in poor workability, inaccurate time of setting due to a thixotropic nature, and unacceptable compressive strength loss. The Pavemend TR product was significantly affected by the addition of boric acid resulting in nonrecoverable compressive and bond strength loss, excessive expansions, failure at low freezing and thawing cycles, and unacceptable times of setting for rapid-repair applications. The T545 product showed promising performance with 28-day recovery in compressive, flexural, and bond strengths and minimal differences in other properties when compared to the control mixture.
29 Apr 2020
PUBLICATION NOTICE: Preliminary Assessment of Landform Soil Strength on Glaciated Terrain in New Hampshire
Abstract: Accurate terrain characterization is important for predicting off-road vehicle mobility. Soil strength is a significant terrain characteristic affecting vehicle mobility. Collecting soil strength measurements is laborious, making in-situ observations sparse. Research has focused on providing soil strength estimates using remote sensing techniques that can provide large spatial and temporal estimates, but the results are often inaccurate. Past attempts have quantified the soil properties of arid environments using landform assessments; yet many military operating environments occupy high latitude regions with landscapes dominated by glacial deposits. This study took preliminary strength measurements for glacial landforms deposited from the Laurentide Ice Sheet in New England. A range of common glacial landforms were sampled to assess shear strength, bearing capacity, and volumetric moisture content. Glacial outwash landforms had the highest average shear strengths, glacial deltas the lowest. There was a significant negative correlation between silt content and shear strength of the soil, a significant positive correlation between bearing capacity and clay content, and a significant negative correlation with sand content. Moisture content of soils was inversely correlated to the abundance of gravel in the deposit. This work provides initial insight to this approach on glaciated terrain, but continued sampling will provide more robust correlations.