• Jacksonville District celebrates ribbon cutting to support Everglades Restoration

    MIAMI-DADE COUNTY — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District and the South Florida Water Management District joined local, state, federal, tribal officials and stakeholders to at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) New Water Seepage Barrier Wall Project, which extends the successful underground wall that was built as part of the 8.5 Square Mile Area Seepage Wall Project on Wed. April 24, 2024. 
  • USACE Division CSM Visits Buffalo District, Recognizes Service

    The Buffalo District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was visited by Command Sgt. Maj. Clifton Morehouse, CSM for USACE and the Transatlantic Division, where along with touring facilities and project sites, he made a point to connect with the people delivering the mission. Taking time to meet with people from across the district, learning about what they do and the projects they work on, Morehouse said it was “very insightful.”
  • Corps invites public to attend info session about dam removal, new navigation lock opening

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is hosting a public information session to provide an update on the Lower Monongahela River Project as it nears the final phase.
  • Bryan Bledsoe and Todd Newman take their expertise to Antarctica

    Two engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District, Bryan Bledsoe and Todd Newman, traveled to Antarctica to perform structural assessments at the request of National Science Foundation (NSF).
  • Areas at Mill Creek Project closed due to construction

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – Officials at Mill Creek and Bennington Lake have enacted targeted public safety closures due to the ongoing Russell Creek Canal rehabilitation project. The closures have affected the following areas, roads and trails:
  • Be a Part of the Solution to Raystown Lake Pollution!

    The Friends of Raystown Lake and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are calling on volunteers to participate in a shoreline cleanup at Raystown Lake during the annual Lake Cleanup Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 4, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tatman Run Recreation Area (rain or shine).
  • Army Corps targets earlier refill for Lake Washington

    Seattle District Water Management officials are filling Lake Washington nearly a month early with full refill expected in early May, due to the statewide drought declaration. Snowpack is lower than normal, and the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal forecasts show a warmer and drier summer ahead. The mariner community along Lake Washington Ship Canal and in Lakes Washington and Union is advised to expect earlier high water than in previous years.
  • Evaluating Soil Conditions to Inform Upper Mississippi River Floodplain Restoration Projects

    Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has designed and constructed thousands of acres of ecosystem restoration features within the Upper Mississippi River System. Many of these projects incorporate island construction to restore geomorphic diversity and habitat, including floodplain forests. Soils are the foundation of the ecological function and successful establishment of floodplain forests as they are the basis through which plants obtain water and nutrients and provide critical ecosystem services. To improve floodplain forest island restoration outcomes, three natural and four recently (<10 years) constructed restoration sites were studied to compare soil physical, chemical, microbial, and fungal characteristics. Constructed islands had lower soil organic matter and dissolved organic carbon and differed in nutrient concentrations, bacterial assemblages, and fungal communities compared to reference sites. However, soil enzyme activity and some microbial community characteristics were functionally similar between the natural and created sites. Results align with previously established restoration trajectory theories where hydrological and basic microbial ecosystem functions are restored almost immediately, but complex biologically mediated and habitat functions require more time to establish. Data from this and future studies will help increase the long-term success of USACE floodplain forest restoration, improve island design, and help develop region-specific restoration trajectory curves to better anticipate the outcomes of floodplain forest creation projects.
  • Bioaugmentation for Enhanced Mitigation of Explosives in Surface Soil

    Abstract: Residual munition constituents (MCs) generated from live-fire training exercises persist in soil and can migrate to groundwater, surface waters, and off-range locations. Techniques to mitigate this potential migration are needed. Since the MC hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) can be biodegraded, soil inoculation with RDX-degrading bacteria (i.e., bioaugmentation) was investigated as a means to reduce the migration potential of RDX. Metagenomic studies using contaminated soils have suggested that a greater diversity of bacteria are capable of RDX biodegradation. However, these bacteria remain uncultivated and are potentially a source of novel enzymes and pathways for RDX biodegradation. In situ soil cultivation of a novel soil array was used to isolate the uncultivated bacteria that had been inferred to degrade RDX. Approximately 10.5% of the bacteria isolated from the soil arrays degraded RDX by the aerobic denitration pathway. Of these, 26.5% were possibly novel species of RDX-degrading bacteria, based on 16S rRNA sequence similarity. Both cell encapsulation in hydrogels and coating cells onto granules of polymeric carbon sources were investigated as carrier/delivery approaches for soil inoculation. However, neither of these approaches could confirm that the observed RDX degradation was by the inoculated bacteria.
  • ‘What we do here matters’: Smithville Lake conducts vital periodic inspection of dam to ensure safety

    It’s not every day that the stilling basin at Smithville Dam sits empty. However, before an inspection of the structure can be completed, it must be emptied so that staff from the lake and the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can enter and perform their inspection. Periodic inspections occur every five years to ensure the safety and integrity of the dam. Staff from the Kansas City District emptied Smithville Dam’s stilling basin and performed a thorough inspection over the course of several days in April.