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  • Gathright Dam pulse release set for September 21

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District will conduct a pulse release at Gathright Dam, near Covington, Va., on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 beginning at approximately 6 a.m.

  • Corps seeks public comments on proposed action at Neptune Pass

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is requesting public comments for the proposed installation of a flow control feature within Neptune Pass, a newly enlarged pass on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Buras in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. The public comment period begins on Sept. 16 and concludes on Oct. 16, 2022.

  • Flowering Rush Control in Hydrodynamic Systems: Part 1: Water Exchange Processes

    Abstract: In 2018, field trials evaluated water-exchange processes using rhodamine WT dye to provide guidance on the effective management of flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus L.) at McNary Dam and Reservoir (Wallula Lake, 15,700 ha). Additional evaluations determined the effectiveness of BubbleTubing (hereafter referred to as bubble curtain) at reducing water exchange within potential flowering rush treatment areas. Dye readings were collected from multiple sampling points at specific time intervals until a dye half-life could be determined. Whole-plot dye half-lives at sites without bubble curtain ranged 0.56–6.7 h. In slower water-exchange sites (≥2.6 h dye half-life), the herbicide diquat should have a sufficient contact time to significantly reduce flowering rush aboveground biomass. Other sites demonstrated very rapid water exchange (<1.5 h dye half-life), likely too rapid to effectively control flowering rush using chemical treatments without the use of a barrier or curtain to slow water exchange. At one site, the use of the bubble curtain increased the dye half-life from 3.8 h with no curtain to 7.6 and 7.1 h with a bubble curtain. The bubble curtain’s ability to slow water exchange will provide improved chemical control and increase the potential for other chemical products to be effectively used.

  • Analysis of Spectropolarimetric Responses in the Visible and Infrared for Differentiation between Similar Materials

    Abstract: Spectropolarimetric research has focused on target detections of materials that have a high degree of contrast from background materials, such as identification of a manmade object embedded in a vegetative background. This study presents an approach using spectropolarimetric imagery in visible, shortwave infrared, and longwave infrared bands to differentiate between similar natural and manmade materials. The method employs Michelson contrast and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) H-test to determine if a distinction can be found in pairwise comparisons of similar and different materials using the Stokes parameters in the visible, shortwave infrared, and longwave infrared bands. Results showed that similar natural and manmade materials were differentiable in spectropolarimetric imagery using the Michelson contrast and ANOVA. This approach provides a way to use spectropolarimetric imagery to distinguish between materials that are similar to each other.

  • Ryan Strange receives the Order of Prometheus Medallion and Award from AUSVI

    The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Divisions’ Ryan Strange received the Order of Prometheus Medallion and Award from The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUSVI) for the development of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, which began in 2017.

  • Huntsville Center hosts USACE business directors for annual conference

    For the first time ever, business directors from across the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers convened at the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville this week for the annual Business Management Chiefs Face-to-Face Meeting.

  • National Public Lands Day: Cleanup Volunteers needed at Savannah River Lakes

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, is set to celebrate National Public Lands Day at Hartwell, Richard B. Russell, and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, and need volunteers to help cleanup.

  • Fort Peck fall release reductions delayed

    Planned release reductions from Fort Peck Dam will be delayed until the end of September, due to the ongoing drought and recent extremely dry weather in eastern Montana.

  • FEST Provides the Forward Face of USACE

    In the military, deploying to different locations around the world can be and are an everyday occurrence.

  • Evaluation of a Prototype Integrated Pavement Screed for Screeding Asphalt or Concrete Crater Repairs

    Abstract: Finishing, or screeding, the hot mix asphalt or rapid-setting concrete surface of a crater repair is important for rapid airfield damage recovery (RADR) since it determines the aircraft ride surface quality. The objective of RADR repairs is to expediently produce a flush repair, defined as ±0.75 in. of the surrounding pavement surface, with minimal logistical and personnel burden. Multiple screeds were previously evaluated; the most recent project proposed a prototype design of a telehandler-operated integrated screed for both small and large repairs using asphalt or concrete. This project’s objective was to finalize the prototype design and fabricate and test the prototype RADR screed. The prototype RADR screed was successful for small repairs (8.5×8.5 ft). Large repairs (30×30 ft) were generally successful with modest repair quality criteria (RQC) issues being the only notable deficiencies. Large concrete repair RQC issues were attributed to plastic formwork movement, and large asphalt repair RQC issues were attributed to compaction issues or improper roll-down factors. Methods to mitigate these factors were investigated but should be further evaluated. Overall, the RADR screed was successful from technical perspectives but, functionally, is 600-800 lb overweight. Weight reduction should be considered before entering production.