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  • Otter Brook white water events on May 2-3 in Keene cancelled by paddling clubs due to COVID-19 concerns

    All Otter Brook paddling events that were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3, 2020 in Keene, New Hampshire, have been cancelled by the paddling club requestors due to concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Navy Officer Helps USACE Create Alternate Care Facility For COVID-19 Patients

    While most of the workforce of Naval Support Activity (NSA) Crane has been safely teleworking for the last month due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, one naval officer has volunteered to support the nation by going to some of the hardest hit areas in the country.

  • How an Army Reserve Engineer Supports COVID-19 Response Efforts in Wisconsin

    Lt. Col. Robert Mikyska, with the 647th Regional Support Group, activates in support of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Chicago District construction of an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) at the Wisconsin State Fair Park and Exposition Center in West Allis, Wisconsin.

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Proceedings from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)–National Ocean Service (NOS): Ecological Habitat Modeling Workshop

    ABSRACT: This special report summarizes the activities of the Ecological Habitat Modeling Workshop held April 11–12, 2019, at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center in Cambridge, Maryland. The workshop guided 21 participants through the process of conceptualizing, quantifying, evaluating, and communicating ecological responses to inform guidance and management decisions for ecological restoration projects. Working in interactive groups, participants used the restoration work already in progress at nearby Swan Island as the basis for their model development. Over the course of the two-day workshop, participants learned the mechanics and challenges of applying modeling processes to shape the restoration of dynamic ecosystems. Through group work and brainstorming, they identified a number of benchmarks to assess restoration success and future resilience. To accommodate the changeable and often unpredictable natural events that can shape ecosystems, workshop facilitators emphasized building iterative, fluid ecological habitat models. Next steps include publishing this special report and scheduling a follow-up workshop that will include a site visit to Swan Island.

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: AIS Data Case Study: River Level and Vessel Approach Variation at Melvin Price Locks and Dam in St. Louis District

    ABSRACT: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District (MVS), manages multiple lock and dam structures on the Mississippi River. One of these, Melvin Price Locks and Dam (MPLD), was the subject of at least 12 allision events from downbound (southbound) vessels between January and November 2018 according to US Coast Guard (USCG) records, an unusually high number for this location. In an effort to understand how vessel operations change under varying river conditions, historical river gauge data and historical vessel position data for both upbound (northbound) and downbound (southbound) traffic were examined together to describe general approach paths for vessels at different water levels. Historic tracks for vessels involved in allusion events are not included in this work because of ongoing investigations at the time of publication.

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Benefits of Engineered Habitats to Seasonal Bird Communities on the Savannah Harbor Navigation Project, Dredged Material Containment Areas, 1994-2012

    Abstract: This report presents the results of a long-term habitat and trend analyses of bird community data from a monitoring effort conducted on five Dredged Material Containment Areas (DMCAs) from 1994 to 2012. The USACE Savannah District developed and implemented a Long-Term Management Strategy (LTMS) for the DMCAs in 1996 to mitigate lost wetland habitat due to maintenance operations in the Savannah Harbor, and to provide habitat for the floral and faunal communities that otherwise would be available if not for the urban and economic development of the area. Bimonthly surveys were conducted from 1994 to 2012 to assess the effectiveness of the LTMS to provide seasonal habitat for the bird community. Archived quarterly satellite imagery was collected and analyzed from 2001 to 2011 to assess year-round seasonal habitat availability. All bird community data collected were fitted to a negative binomial (mean abundance) or Poisson distribution (mean species richness) and used to assess trends for 180 individual species and 12 species groups for spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons from 1994 to 2012. Results indicate that the Savannah DMCAs support stable to increasing populations of most species and species groups during each season, including many species ranked as regional priority species.

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Investigation into Laboratory Bathymetric Measurement Techniques

    ABSTRACT: There is no universally accepted way to accurately and efficiently measure bathymetry in laboratory hydraulic models. Remote sensing techniques can measure bathymetry without making contact with the model, and some remote sensing techniques can measure the bathymetry in laboratory models without draining the water. The four categories of remote sensing technology investigated in this report are echo sounding technology, laser technology, image processing technology, and radar technology. The technology of each category has strengths and limitations, but can be used in the laboratory to measure bathymetry. Echo sounding technology works well in environments with suspended sediment, but the accuracy is reduced by large beam footprints. Laser technology does not perform as well with suspended sediment but can provide high-accuracy bathymetric measurements. Stereophotography, discussed in the image processing technology section, requires optically clear water and can provide very accurate bathymetric mapping. Radar technology can be very helpful when sub-bottom stratigraphy is important. Technology from each of the categories has been scaled for field application to measure bathymetry and submerged coastal structures.

  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Evaluation of the Potential Impacts of the Proposed Mobile Harbor Navigation Channel Expansion on the Aquatic Resources of Mobile Bay, Alabama

    Abstract: This report assesses potential impacts to aquatic resources resulting from proposed navigation channel expansion activities within Mobile Bay, Alabama. This work was conducted for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District, to support development of a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Changes in water quality and hydrodynamics were evaluated for potential impacts to benthic macroinvertebrates, wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation, oysters, and fish. The assessment includes extensive characterization of baseline conditions, evaluation of estimated post-project conditions related to aquatic resource habitat (e.g., changes in salinity, dissolved oxygen). An analysis of potential impacts related to a 0.5-m sea level rise scenario were also evaluated. Results suggest that no substantial impacts in aquatic resources within the study area are anticipated due to project implementation, as the area of greatest potential changes to environmental conditions are already adapted to natural shifts in salinity (and other factors), and to conditions resulting from the existing navigation channel. Although sea level rise has the potential to alter aquatic resource habitats with Mobile Bay, additional impacts related to project implementation remain negligible under the 0.5-m sea level rise scenario.

  • NR 20-008: Dale Hollow Dam Road closing for machinery upgrades

    CELINA, Tenn. (April 27, 2020) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announces Dale Hollow Dam Road at the dam in Celina, Tenn., is closing to all traffic 8 a.m. CST Monday, May 4, 2020 through Thursday, July 2, 2020 at 5 p.m., CST., as workers upgrade machinery at the dam.

  • USACE Chicago District Ecosystem Restoration Master Plan team, partners look to future of ecosystem restoration program

    As the nation’s environmental engineer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages one of the largest federal environmental missions – constructing sustainable facilities; regulating waterways; managing natural resources; cleaning up contaminated sites from past military activities; and restoring degraded ecosystems.