• Division Commander makes first visit to the Louisville District

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Commander Brig. Gen. Mark C.
  • Contract awarded for levee work for the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, recently awarded a contract for constructing the fifth levee reach on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain (WSLP) Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction project. This contract will construct approximately 1.0 miles of the 17.5-mile-long levee system that will provide 100-year level risk reduction to the area primarily in St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles Parish.
  • UGV SLAM Payload for Low-Visibility Environments

    Abstract: Herein, we explore using a low size, weight, power, and cost unmanned ground vehicle payload designed specifically for low-visibility environments. The proposed payload simultaneously localizes and maps in GPS-denied environments via waypoint navigation. This solution utilizes a diverse sensor payload that includes wheel encoders, inertial measurement unit, 3D lidar, 3D ultrasonic sensors, and thermal cameras. Furthermore, the resulting 3D point cloud was compared against a survey-grade lidar.
  • Army Corps awards contract for Cape May City beachfill project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District awarded a contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company of Oak Brook, Ill. for $16.1 million to complete periodic nourishment of the Cape May Inlet to Lower Township (Cape May City) Coastal Storm Risk Management project. The project is a joint effort of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
  • Army Corps of Engineers begin levee repair in North Bend, protecting $158 million worth of property

    Four rivers, four counties and nine levees. The busy emergency levee repair season meant to safeguard life and property in Western Washington is nearing its end, but work remains before the start of the fall flood season.
  • The Use of Native Vegetation for Structural Stability in Dredged Material Placement Areas: A Case Study of Beneficial Use Site 4A, Chocolate Bayou, Brazoria County, Texas

    PURPOSE: This technical note is the third in a series about using native plant communities to enhance dredge material placement areas (DMPAs), confined disposal facilities (CDFs), and projects where dredged sediments are used for various engineering purposes. DMPAs and CDFs occur in numerous locations spanning different geographic locations nationwide. Oftentimes, these containment dikes are constructed using earthen materials. The materials are either barged in from an off-site location or obtained on-site from new or virgin materials, consisting of heavy clay particles and sediments removed from the nearby channel. In the Gulf Coast region of the United States, new or virgin materials are obtained during channel deepening activities using mechanical or hydraulic dredging methods. Examples of these dredging methods include hopper dredge, pipeline dredge, and excavator or bucket dredge. When materials are considered suitable for beneficial use purposes, and following environmental compliance, the materials are often used to construct containment dikes in DMPAs and CDFs. The project site used in this study—Beneficial Use Site 4A (BUS 4A)—used dredged material during its construction and has periodically received dredged material to maintain its target elevation of 2 ft (0.67 m) above the mean lower low water; hence, this site presents an opportunity for use as a demonstration study. Project goals include (1) demonstrating the use of native plant communities to provide structural stability, (2) introducing targeted vegetation establishment on DMPAs and CDFs as a management strategy to improve engineering and environmental outcomes, and (3) providing technology transfer to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts through hands-on planting techniques and installation of natural material (in this demonstration, coir logs).
  • Corps announces closure of Shenango Trail bridge near Shenango River Lake

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is announcing the closure of the pedestrian/equestrian bridge near the intersection of Hamburg Road and Stamm Road, along the Shenango Trail (Lat. 41°19'26.09"N Long. 80°20'30.70"W).
  • USACE, Baltimore District safely rehomes a total of 50k bees found at Bureau of Engraving and Printing demo project

    After safely rehoming 25-30k honeybees in July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District rehomed an additional 25k at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Md., in early August, 2023, bringing the total to over 50k bees.
  • ERDC assists the New England District in the management of hydrilla

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Aquatic Plant Management Team in the Environmental Laboratory is working alongside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District to research and develop effective methods in managing the aquatic invasive plant species hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) in the Connecticut River.
  • Ready, willing and able: Kansas City District’s Debris Planning and Response Team ready to respond when disaster strikes

    September is National Preparedness month, which is intended to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies across the country. Although the month of September is dedicated to this important observance, at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Debris Planning and Response Team stands ready every day in case disaster strikes. When a disaster occurs, whether natural or manmade, and the state in which it occurred is not equipped to handle the response and cleanup afterwards, the governor may declare a State of Emergency, which is needed prior to a request for federal assistance. The president then may declare a federal disaster, which allows for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to access federal funding for the cleanup. FEMA contracts with USACE Planning and Response Teams to execute the cleanup mission after a disaster.