• Army Corps updates water release schedule at Francis E. Walter Dam

    The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Philadelphia District updated the 2021 Francis E. Walter Dam recreation plan. The Army Corps updated the plan, which states whitewater and fisheries releases will be scheduled if enough water storage is accumulated in the reservoir.
  • Print Time vs. Elapsed Time: A Temporal Analysis of a Continuous Printing Operation for Additive Constructed Concrete

    Abstract: In additive construction, ambitious goals to fabricate a concrete building in less than 24 hours are attempted. In the field, this goal relies on a metric of print time to make this conclusion, which excludes rest time and delays. The task to complete a building in 24 hours was put to the test with the first attempt at a fully continuous print of a structurally reinforced additively constructed concrete (ACC) building. A time series analysis was performed during the construction of a 512 ft2 (16’x32’x9.25’) building to explore the effect of delays on the completion time. This analysis included a study of the variation in comprehensive layer print times, expected trends and forecasting for what is expected in future prints of similar types. Furthermore, the study included a determination and comparison of print time, elapsed time, and construction time, as well as a look at the effect of environmental conditions on the delay events. Upon finishing, the analysis concluded that the 3D-printed building was completed in 14-hours of print time, 31.2- hours elapsed time, a total of 5 days of construction time. This emphasizes that reports on newly 3D-printed constructions need to provide a definition of time that includes all possible duration periods to communicate realistic capabilities of this new technology.
  • Jacksonville District Takes LOSOM Show on the Road

    For two weeks, Jacksonville District leaders have traveled around South Florida, spreading the news about the preliminary preferred model for the future management of Lake Okeechobee.
  • USACE Vicksburg District awards $9.1 million emergency contract for Natchez National Cemetery stabilization project

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District recently awarded a $9.1 million emergency contract for a stabilization project at Natchez National Cemetery. District leadership worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and city officials to expedite the project after high levels of erosion were discovered in the south and west reaches of the property. This effort will secure the integrity of the cemetery’s bluff from significant erosion incidents in the future to allow the cemetery to remain open for years to come.
  • USACE Vicksburg District’s Holly Porter named 2021 Program Manager of the Year

    Success comes in many forms, and many attribute their personal success to those who have helped them achieve it. Holly Porter, Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, credits her success to those who helped pave the way for her. Porter was recently named the 2021 USACE Program Manager of the Year. This national recognition highlighted the work Holly has done and the strides she has made throughout the region.
  • Drought conditions persist in the upper Missouri River Basin

    Drought conditions continue to impact the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin). July runoff in the upper Basin was 34% of average. July runoff above Fort Peck Dam was the lowest in 123 years of record-keeping. The updated 2021 upper Basin runoff forecast is 14.6 million acre-feet (MAF), 57% of average. If realized, this runoff amount would be the 10th driest year in the upper Basin since 1898. System storage on August 1 was 53.9 MAF, 2.2 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Zone. System storage is expected to decline further into the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during the remainder of 2021.
  • Corps to host virtual meeting on Youghiogheny River Lake Shoreline, Master Plan revisions

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is hosting a virtual public meeting to seek public feedback about proposed changes to the Youghiogheny River Lake Master and Shoreline Management Plan updates. The proposed changes to the plans are based on previously collected community feedback.
  • MKARNS Nav Notice SWL 21-30 Work Completed Near MPLD

    MKARNS - Construction work is complete downstream of the Montgomery Point Lock & Dam Navigation Pass/Spillway (NM 0.3 to NM 0.5).
  • Mark Twain Lake High Water Update

    Mark Twain Lake, August 5, 2021 – UPDATE - The Mark Twain Lake level on Thursday, August 5, 2021 is 619.2 NGVD. Normal lake elevation is 606.0 NGVD. All four lane boat ramps are open with courtesy docks in at Robert Allen, South Fork, Stoutsville and Spalding. Ray Behrens boat ramp is open, however it does not have a courtesy dock in place. You will likely find floating and submerged debris on the lake so please be cautious and always wear a life jacket.
  • Changes in Climate and Its Effect on Timing of Snowmelt and Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves

    Abstract: Snow is a critical water resource for much of the U.S. and failure to ac-count for changes in climate could deleteriously impact military assets. In this study, we produced historical and future snow trends through modeling at three military sites (in Washington, Colorado, and North Dakota) and the Western U.S. For selected rivers, we performed seasonal trend analysis of discharge extremes. We calculated flood frequency curves and estimated the probability of occurrence of future annual maximum daily rainfall depths. Additionally, we generated intensity-duration-frequency curves (IDF) to find rainfall intensities at several return levels. Generally, our results showed a decreasing trend in historical and future snow duration, rain-on-snow events, and snowmelt runoff. This decreasing trend in snowpack could reduce water resources. A statistically significant increase in maximum streamflow for most rivers at the Washington and North Dakota sites occurred for several months of the year. In Colorado, only a few months indicated such an increase. Future IDF curves for Colorado and North Dakota indicated a slight increase in rainfall intensity whereas the Washington site had about a twofold increase. This increase in rainfall in-tensity could result in major flood events, demonstrating the importance of accounting for climate changes in infrastructure planning.