• Coastal Sand Dunes: A Review of Management Strategies for Dune Stabilization

    Abstract: The primary objective of this technical note is to provide a US-centric review on historic and current management approaches for dune stabilization efforts. This includes methods for promoting dune formation via natural aeolian processes, as well as more hands-on management approaches, including hybrid dune construction.
  • SandSnap Filtering Techniques

    Abstract: The aim of this Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory Special Report is to elucidate the new SandSnap image filters. These SandSnap filters distinguish between high-quality and poor-quality images and enhance accuracy in high-quality images. To achieve this goal, a dataset of 5,000 photos was created and curated for this endeavor. Images were collected that had varying levels of focus, sedimentological conditions, foreign objects present, distances from the sediment bed, coin types, and geographic locations. This dataset was used to train multiple quality control check models and uncover beneficial correlations. Additionally, an existing dataset of high-quality images was analyzed using various filtering techniques to highlight key features, leading to higher-accuracy scores. Using the findings from both the high-quality and poor-quality datasets, SandSnap was updated to increase usability and efficiently identify images that may lead to poor results. This ensures that user results can be calculated in less than a minute, emphasizing the commitment to maintaining a fast and responsive model.
  • Corps of Engineers: Navigating Puerto Rico's Maritime Future

    Every safe arrival and departure from the numerous harbors in Puerto Rico is made possible by a team of professionals working quietly but relentlessly to ensure Federal navigation channels are open, secure, and ready for whatever comes next. To ensure the continued safety of these harbors, in July 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Caribbean District Operations Branch – in partnership with the Charleston District – carried out hydrographic surveys at the Harbors of Ponce, Mayagüez, and Arecibo. These surveys were not just routine; they were a vital part of the Corps’ mission to maintain safe navigation and interstate commerce across the region.
  • USACE announces public workshops for farmers in the White River basin

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host two workshops from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 2 and 3 to meet with lower White River Basin farmers and discuss this year’s spring and summer flooding and the White River Water Control Plan.
  • Vegetation control to begin on Missouri River sandbars between Garrison Dam and Huff, N.D.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct vegetation management activities during August and September on sandbars in the Missouri River between Garrison Dam and Huff, North Dakota. The Bismarck-Mandan river reach (river miles 1325 to 1310) will not be sprayed. This work is being done to keep the sandbars free of vegetation and usable by the threatened piping plover for nesting.
  • Vegetation control to begin on Missouri River sandbars between Yankton and Vermillion, S.D.

    During September, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct vegetation management activities on sandbars in the Missouri River between Yankton and Vermillion, South Dakota, the upper portion of Lewis and Clark Lake near Springfield South Dakota and Niobrara, Nebraska, and as far upstream as Pickstown, South Dakota. This work is being done to keep the sandbars free of vegetation and usable by the threatened piping plover for nesting as well to control invasive common reed that has become prevalent in the lake area.
  • Single lane closure scheduled for Highway 25 across Greers Ferry Dam

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be closing one lane of the Highway 25 bridge across Greers Ferry Dam from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 2 through Sept. 4, 2025, for routine maintenance.
  • Temporary full road closure scheduled for Highway 178 across Bull Shoals Dam

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduling a full road closure for Highway 178 across Bull Shoals Dam from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Aug. 26 and Aug. 27, 2025, for routine maintenance.
  • CERL’s Melanie Johnson wins Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Career Exceptional Service Award

    One of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) electrical engineers earned recognition for her contributions to improving microgrid technology. Melanie Johnson, a research electrical engineer and team lead at ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), earned the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Career Exceptional Service Award.
  • Instituting Project Controls provides critical step forward for operational excellence

    Project Controls (PC), often considered the "backbone of successful project execution," are no longer just a back-office function—they are integrated into the core business strategy of Huntsville Center.