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  • Impacts of Invasive Species on Populations of Federally Listed Species on US Army Corps of Engineers Project Lands

    Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is mandated to meet federal, state, and local environmental laws and organizational regulations pertaining to the protection and conservation of ESA (Endangered Species Act 1973)-listed species and associated critical habitats. USACE is also mandated under Executive Order 13112 to document the presence and status of invasive species on their lands. We examine the status of 50 ESA–listed species prioritized by USACE expenditures for ESA compliance from 2014 to 2018. We review the status of invasive species and assess any evidence from published US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service recovery plans or other government documents that indicate whether invasive species are negatively impacting the status of ESA–listed species on USACE lands. We found that 18 of 50 (36%) USFWS recovery plans for these 50 listed species specifically mention invasive species as a primary factor leading to the species’ decline and listing, or they note the need for management and control of invasive species to meet proposed recovery goals. USACE will need to work collaboratively with other federal and state agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations to improve control of invasive species and management and recovery of ESA–listed species.

  • Chief of Engineers signs St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Report

    On Tuesday, May 28, Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general and 55th Chief of Engineers, signed the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Chief of Engineers’ Report for transmission to Congress.

  • Comparing Ecological Models for Assessing Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Response to Environmental Flows

    Abstract: The proliferation of continuous streamflow monitoring and spatial data suitable for hydraulic modeling is increasing opportunities to use hydraulic habitat analysis to inform ecological models. However, species population and streamflow data exhibit high variability, making it challenging to identify hydrologic and hydraulic metrics that effectively correlate with ecological outcomes. Metric selection presents a challenge for informing environmental flow decisions and adaptive management of water infrastructure. This study applies models to characterize environmental flows with in-creasing model complexity, including the use of hydraulic models to estimate suitable habitat areas at a given flow. The results are compared to field-measured fish outcomes over the same period using functional data analysis. The variance in model correlation with ecological outcomes aids in identifying the most effective environmental flow parameters while also indicating potential pitfalls from increasing model complexity. This analysis demonstrates techniques that synthesize environmental flows with available habitat analysis and validates the approach. The case study is based on the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus, minnow), an endangered fish species in the Middle Rio Grande. Analysis focused on different methods to quantify spring runoff coinciding with the inundation of floodplain nursery habitat necessary for the minnow’s larval and juvenile life stages.

  • USACE Supports CENTCOM's 6th Annual State Partnership Program Adjutant General Conference

    U.S. Central Command hosted its 6th Annual State Partnership Program Adjutant General Conference at the CENTCOM Headquarters in Tampa, Florida, May 14-16. This event brought together senior leadership from CENTCOM's State Partnership Program, including Adjutant Generals and Command Sergeants Major from six states. The United States Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division, represented by Scott Cilley, Plans and Operations chief; Major David Nemecek, plans and Operations officer; and Tara Clark, Program Manager for Project Initiation and Development, significantly contributed to the conference's success.

  • Publications of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center; Appendix H : FY23 (October 2022-September 2023)

    Abstract: Each year, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) publishes more than 200 reports through the Information Technology Laboratory’s Information Science and Knowledge Management (ISKM) Branch, the publishing authority for ERDC. Annually since 2017, ISKM has compiled a list of the last fiscal year’s publications. This Appendix H to the original collection includes ERDC publications issued October 2022 through September 2023. The publications are grouped according to the technical laboratories or technical program for which they were prepared, and the preface includes procedures for obtaining ERDC reports. Through this compilation, online distribution, and physical collections, ISKM continues to support ERDC, the Army, and the nation.

  • Corps awards $23.9 million contract for the Fargo-Moorhead diversion project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $23.9 million contract to PWS, Inc. of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, to complete the Southern Embankment Reach SE-4 portion of the Fargo, North Dakota/Moorhead, Minnesota, Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project, May 28.

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces open house for St. Louis FUSRAP updates

    ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is pleased to announce an open house to provide

  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes clearing, snagging maintenance in Bayou Teche, La.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD), completed clearing and snagging maintenance in Bayou Teche within areas of Iberia Parish, La., May 22, 2024.

  • Performance of Army Corps of Engineers Mat System Using Anchorless Connections: A Follow-on Study of Site Stabilization for the Improved Ribbon Bridge Bridge Supplemental Set

    Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center conducted testing of the Army Corps of Engineers mat system with improved anchorage and connection hardware. Low-profile screw anchors replaced the ground anchorage of the existing system to reduce wear to tracks and wheels of vehicles while trafficking the system. Anchorless connections allowed the system to be placed over soils where the use of screw anchorage would be obstructed or would cause hazards to trafficking vehicles. Test tracks were constructed to evaluate the matting system with new anchorage and connection hardware over three different soils of weak sand and clay. Channelized traffic was applied to the test tracks using a loaded common bridge transporter. Performance of the updated system was evaluated with respect to results from previous testing, indicating that the improved anchorage and connection hardware increased the versatility of the matting system without sacrificing system performance.

  • Construction to begin at Mill Creek June 10

    WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District will begin construction projects at Mill Creek, June 10, to improve habitat conditions for endangered salmonids and improve flood risk management operations, while also replacing the boat ramp for public use at Bennington Lake.