• USACE installs temporary pumps to alleviate seepage at Isabella Lake

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District awarded a contract for the installation of a temporary pump system at Isabella Dam in Lake Isabella, California, on Sept. 28, 2023, to increase the capacity of the existing pump system and redirect seepage back into the lake.
  • September runoff near average; Drought conditions continue in Missouri River Basin

    The month of September brought mixed results for precipitation across the Missouri River Basin. Portions of Montana, North and South Dakota, and Nebraska received above average rainfall, while the remainder of the upper basin and lower basin were below average. Overall, September runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 1.3 million acre-feet, 109% of the long-term average. The annual runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, IA is 29.1 MAF, 113% of average and the same as last month’s forecast.
  • Navigation Notice: USACE Jacksonville District Closes Julian Keen Lock due to vegetation

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District has temporarily closed the Julian Keen Lock due to vegitation until it can be cleared of debris.
  • Louisville District celebrates excellence at End of Year Awards Ceremony

    The Louisville District hosted an End of Year awards ceremony to celebrate the end of another
  • DCV HAYWARD Undergoes Significant Crane Refit at Bayonne Dry Dock

    BAYONNE - The DCV HAYWARD is currently experiencing a significant overhaul at Bayonne Dry Dock (BDD) as it prepares to meet the latest industry standards. This major refit aims to upgrade its crane infrastructure and align with the requirements of the Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection and the American Bureau of Shipping Classification.
  • Review of Riparian Models for Assessing Ecological Impacts and Benefits

    BACKGROUND: Riparian zones are key transitional ecosystems between upland and aquatic zones, and these systems are often degraded due to both land use change and stream processes (e.g., deforestation and water impoundments and/or diversions). These important ecosystems require restoration because of the many benefits they provide ranging from providing habitat for diverse species to promoting water quality. Restoration practitioners, regulators, and researchers require riparian assessment methods and models to efficiently guide mitigation and restoration planning. This technical note (TN) compiles a subset of existing riparian tools and evaluates them relative to model objectives, modeling approach, and input variables. Findings are synthesized into a gap analysis of these models to inform future riparian model development and improve riparian assessment.
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Tracer Dyes Potential for Monitoring Herbicide Spray Distribution

    Purpose: Chemical control of nuisance aquatic vegetation has long been the most widely utilized management tool due to its high level of efficacy, limited environmental impacts, and relatively low cost. However, unprecise application of herbicides can lead to uncontrolled invasive plants and unintended management costs. Therefore, precision herbicide delivery techniques are being developed to improve invasive plant control and minimize impacts to non-target plants. These technological advancements have the potential to enhance aquatic ecosystem protection from invasive species while reducing associated management costs. Despite the benefits of using registered herbicides for aquatic plant control in efforts to restore aquatic habitats, their use is often misunderstood and opposed by public stakeholders. This can lead to significant challenges related to chemical control of nuisance aquatic vegetation. Thus, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Districts seek improved methods to monitor and quantify the distribution (i.e., amount of herbicide retained on plant foliage compared to those deposited into the water column) of herbicides applied in aquatic systems. Monitoring herbicide movement in aquatic systems can be tedious and costly using standard analytical methods. However, since the inert fluorescent tracer dye Rhodamine WT (RWT) closely mimics product movement in the aquatic environment it has been used as a cost-effective surrogate for herbicides tracing.
  • Rapid Algae Flotation Techniques

    Abstract: Some harmful algae produce mucilage or extracellular polymeric substances useful for flotation. This study evaluated natural polysaccharides to determine effects on algal flotation with DAF. Food-grade gums (xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, gellan gum, and diutan gum) were tested with cyanobacteria cultures singly and in combination with commercial flocculants (including Tramfloc 222 and Tramfloc 300). Gum arabic alone had no effect when evaluated at concentrations between 10 mg/L and 5,000 mg/L. However, the combination of gum arabic and Tramfloc 300 yielded higher algal flocculation than Tramfloc 300 alone. The combination of xanthan gum (anionic) and guar gum (cationic) did not perform at the level of the combined xanthan gum and Tramfloc 222 in either flocculation or flotation of algae. Tramfloc 222 and xanthan gum; however, yielded effective flocculation seemingly resistant to changes in interfering factors such as turbulence, pH, and temperature. Furthermore, the combination of xanthan gum and Tramfloc 222 provided the most effective flotation and flocculation independent of pH effects. The results suggest that anionic polysaccharides can be used to increase the efficacy of cationic coagulants such as Tramfloc 222.
  • Burgess-Capps Cabin: Historic Context, Maintenance Issues, and Measured Drawings

    Abstract: The Burgess-Capps Cabin is located on the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), Colorado, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1975 under the name of “Pioneer Cabin.” The building is currently not occupied but used as a history interpretive site. It is one of the few log cabins that remain in this part of Colorado from the time of European settlement. All buildings, especially historic ones, require regular planned maintenance and repair. The most notable cause of historic build-ing element failure or decay is not the fact that the historic building is old, but rather, it is caused by incorrect or inappropriate repair or basic neglect of the historic building fabric. This document is a maintenance manual compiled with as-is conditions of construction materials of the cabin. The secretary of interior’s guidelines on rehabilitation and repair per material are discussed to provide the cultural resources manager at USAFA a guide to maintain this historic building. Additional chapters include information regarding the historic materials and a structural analysis. This report satisfies Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 as amended and will help USAFA’s Cultural Resources Management Office to manage this historic building.
  • Lyle Wold: 50 years of public service, would he ever retire?

    Army veteran and civil servant Lyle Wold is retiring and explains his commitment to the nation after over 50 years of combined federal service.