• Army announces 12 projects in disadvantaged communities

    The responsibility of taking care of her disabled mother, tending to livestock and the fear of the constant flooding that may arrive with the next monsoon season weighs heavily on Brittanny Taylor, a Navajo Nation Birdsprings Chapter resident.
  • From Research to Production: Lessons Learned and Best Practices

    Abstract: This paper provides an overview of best practices to assist individuals and teams in transitioning software from a research product into a production environment. The information contained in this paper consists of best practices and lessons learned from an assignment consisting of transitioning a science-based research suite of programs into a more modern software format with appropriate preparations and considerations to be deployed in a production environment. The original software suite was written using both MATLAB and Python programming languages, and the new production version was written in the Python programming language.
  • Army Corps shares update on Francis E. Walter Dam water release schedule

    PHILADELPHIA (Sep. 5, 2024) – The U.S. Army Corps Engineers’ Philadelphia District has updated the 2024 Francis E. Walter Dam recreation plan.
  • USACE opens navigation channel at Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District opened a 100-foot-wide navigation channel for commercial vessels through the center of the dam at Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 near Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, Thursday, Sept. 5. The first commercial navigation vessel passed through the channel this morning.
  • Extending CEMHYD3D to Simulate Hydration of Portland Cement Pastes with High Volumes of Silica Fume

    Abstract: Silica fume (SF) influences the hydration rate of Portland cement in differ-ent ways depending on the physical and chemical properties of the SF. This study reports the impact of SiO2 content (%), loss on ignition (%), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area on the hydration re-action of SF-cement paste mixtures. This study used five types of SFs with varying SiO2 content, loss on ignition (%), and particle morphology. Five SFs were mixed with Class H oil well cement at each of two different re-placement levels (20% or 30% by mass), and the released heat of hydra-tion was measured using isothermal calorimetry. The results were used to improve the pozzolanic reaction simulation feature of the original Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory software, which enabled the soft-ware to simulate a higher SF replacement ratio in a cement mixture with higher fidelity. Results showed that a silica fume’s SiO2 content (%), loss on ignition (%), and BET specific surface area significantly influence the heat release rate. The new simulation model agrees well with the measure-ments on all the pastes tested.
  • Next-Generation Water Quality Monitoring during Dredging Operations: Knowns, Unknowns, and Path Forward

    Abstract: Water quality monitoring data are routinely collected during dredging and placement operations to address various state and federal requirements, including water quality standards, with the intention of protecting ecosystem health. However, such efforts may be limited by the lack of a standardized national strategic focus and user-friendly streamlined interfaces to interpret the data. Inconsistencies in how and what data are collected and lack of consensus on scientifically backed biological-effects thresholds make it difficult to quantify potential dredging operations impacts (or lack thereof) both within individual projects over time and across multiple projects of differing characteristics. Summarized herein is an initial effort to define a scientifically backed path forward to improve the value of current and future water quality monitoring and management decisions based on water quality data collected. The provided turbidity data were generally below applicable state thresholds for two case studies but for a third case study did periodically exceed thresholds at depth. This includes providing rationale for strategic focus on the most relevant dredging operations and projects, based on three general site-specific data categorizations: (1) sediment type, (2) dredge type, and (3) ecosystem type.
  • Breaking Ground in the Sands of Texas

    In the August heat of Texas, a group of dedicated individuals came together with a common goal – to break ground and build a Veteran Affairs healthcare center that will provide top-notch care for the brave men and women who have served their country. From the first shovels to meet dirt, the clinic will rise from the dust of the Chihuahuan Desert near the William Beaumont Medical Center.
  • Jacksonville District completes beach fill operations at St. Augustine Beach

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, announced Sept. 3, 2024, the completion of beach fill operations for the St. Johns County, Florida, Shore Protection Project in St. Augustine Beach.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosts public meeting on the Central Everglades Planning Project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District , will host a virtual informational meeting Sept. 26 to address comments from stakeholders and the public regarding USACE and South Florida Water Management District’s (SFWMD) development of the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP), Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), A-2 Stormwater Treatment Area (STA) Operational Plan.
  • Surf City draft report seeking public comments

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, has published a draft of its General Reevaluation Report and Environmental Assessment (GRR/EA) for the Surf City Coastal Storm Risk Management project in Surf City, North Carolina.