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  • USACE awards Turner Gulch boat ramp rehabilitation contract

    BOISE, Idaho – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District has awarded a $2,136,537 contract to MACNAK Construction, LLC to conduct a rehabilitation project on the 70-year-old Turner Gulch Boat Ramp at Lucky Peak Dam and Lake near Boise, Idaho.

  • Dodson Chapel Access Area closing at J. Percy Priest Dam

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 21, 2024) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District announces that Dodson Chapel Access Area below J. Percy Priest Dam is closing 7 a.m. Monday, March 25 through Friday, April 5, 2024, while crews work to remove vegetation along the roadway to improve visibility and to enhance public safety.

  • SWG solicits public comments for Port of Corpus Christi Authority Channel Deepening Project Final Environmental Impact Statement

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District (SWG) is inviting all affected federal, state, and local agencies, affected Native American tribes, other interested parties, and the general public to review and comment on the Port of Corpus Christi Authority’s (PCCA) Channel Deepening Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Department of the Army Permit SWG-2019-00067.

  • Pilot Project Using Tickler Chains in Lieu of Deflectors at Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet, New York, Borrow Sites

    Abstract: Risk for incidental take of sea turtles and sturgeon exists during hopper dredging operations throughout turtle and sturgeon habitats. Since 1992, draghead deflectors have been the main engineering tool used to minimize incidental hopper dredging takes of sea turtles and are also thought to reduce the chance of sturgeon impingement entrainment. Although reduced, turtle takes still happen annually, and the draghead deflectors reduce dredging productivity, increase fuel usage, and increase costs of operations. As such, there remains a need to research alternative turtle avoidance measures. The non-US dredging industry has used various versions of an engineering control called tickler chains (TC) in lieu of deflectors. If effective, TC could lower dredging costs and increase production in comparison to deflectors. This technical report describes a pilot study where TC were used in lieu of deflectors at Fire Island Inlet, New Y0rk. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time since the early 1990s that hopper-dredging has occurred without draghead deflectors along the east coast. No takes were recorded during the pilot study; however, no research was done to determine if sea turtles or sturgeon interacted with the TC. Recommendations for future TC research is provided in this technical report.

  • A Beneficial Placement Decision Support Framework for Wetlands: Case Study for Mobile Harbor, USA

    Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers, in the responsibility of maintaining navigational infrastructure, has a unique opportunity to improve coastal wetland resiliency and conserve coastal natural infrastructure through the beneficial use of dredged material for wetland restoration. Opportunities are widespread, and tools such as biophysical models can aid coastal managers in assessing habitat vulnerability and planning restoration. In this study, the Marsh Equilibrium Model was utilized in concert with observed data to predict future conditions and evaluate potential effects of beneficial use of dredged material to restore marshes in Mobile Harbor, Alabama. A range of site conditions and two restoration strategies were considered, and the subsequent impact to dredged material management area volumes evaluated. Results showed that wetland restoration via the thin-layer placement of dredged material can restore marsh elevation to combat sea level rise and conserve fill capacity at dredged material management areas. This approach is demonstrated for adoption nationwide by coastal managers.

  • Temporary full road closure of Highway 178 across Bull Shoals Dam

    MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduling a full road closure for Highway 178 across Bull Shoals Dam from 7 a.m. March 26 until 5 p.m. March 28, 2024, to deploy and remove equipment used to perform maintenance on the dam.

  • Autonomous Vehicle Testing: A Survey of Commercial Test Sites and Features

    Abstract: Connected and autonomous technologies are valuable to the Army because of their recognized potential to reduce the number of personnel exposed to threats in forward operations. The successful integration of such technologies has the potential to reduce Soldier deaths and injuries. Automation of routine tasks can also allow warfighters to focus their time on more strategic efforts. Furthermore, a reduction in manpower is expected to proportionally reduce energy use and material supply and resupply demands while bolstering resilience. To achieve these benefits, the reliability, safety, and utility of connected and autonomous systems must be successfully demonstrated in a variety of conditions before widespread adoption. Therefore, the Army needs a realistic testing environment to develop, test, and evaluate emerging technologies. This environment and its supporting infrastructure should provide a variety of terrain, functional areas, and power scenarios and should be able to demonstrate the viability of connected and autonomous technologies on an operational scale. The primary objective of this research was to survey US commercial facilities associated with autonomous vehicle development, testing, and evaluation.

  • Town of Skowhegan, Maine, seeks USACE permit for proposed work in the Kennebec River

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct work

  • USACE announces campground and day use fee increase in Green River Area

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District announces that recreation day use fees and camping fees will increase at select sites for the 2024 recreation season at the following lakes in the Green River Area, which includes Green River Lake in Campbellsville, Barren River Lake in Glasgow, Rough River Lake in Falls of Rough, and Nolin River Lake in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.

  • USACE completes vessel debris removal operations, reaches major milestone

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers debris removal mission on Maui reached an important milestone on March 15. Under the management and supervision of USACE, contractors completed the removal of vessel debris from 80 fire-damaged vessels received from the U.S. Coast Guard.