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  • JED ‘demolishes’ fiscal year record

    JED awarded a whopping 341 contract actions— purchases of facility construction or repairs, supplies or equipment for the laymen, totaling $434 million during FY22, the largest year on record, and an astounding $269 million more than previously executed compared to FY21.

  • Landform Identification in the Chihuahuan Desert for Dust Source Characterization Applications: Developing a Landform Reference Data Set

    Abstract: ERDC-Geo is a surface erodibility parameterization developed to improve dust predictions in weather forecasting models. Geomorphic landform maps used in ERDC-Geo link surface dust emission potential to landform type. Using a previously generated southwest United States landform map as training data, a classification model based on machine learning (ML) was established to generate ERDC-Geo input data. To evaluate the ability of the ML model to accurately classify landforms, an independent reference landform data set was created for areas in the Chihuahuan Desert. The reference landform data set was generated using two separate map-ping methodologies: one based on in situ observations, and another based on the interpretation of satellite imagery. Existing geospatial data layers and recommendations from local rangeland experts guided site selections for both in situ and remote landform identification. A total of 18 landform types were mapped across 128 sites in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico using the in situ (31 sites) and remote (97 sites) techniques. The final data set is critical for evaluating the ML-classification model and, ultimately, for improving dust forecasting models.

  • Prado Dam bicentennial mural greenlit for restoration

    It’s been a cultural landmark to residents, commuters and visitors in Corona for nearly 50 years, and now, after successful coordination between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and its partners, the aging Prado Dam bicentennial mural is getting safely removed to make way for a new one.

  • 22-066 Lower Granite Visitor Center Resumes Off-Season Hours

    CLARKSTON, Wash. – With the summer recreation season winding down, Lower Granite Lock and Dam’s Visitor Center hours of operation are set to change beginning Monday, October 3.

  • USACE awards large, foundational construction contract for CEPP EAA A-2 Reservoir

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Jacksonville District, awarded the second Corps construction contract for the Central Everglades Planning Project Everglades Agricultural Area (CEPP EAA) Phase Reservoir, a key component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). This contract is for the Foundation and Cutoff Wall features of the CEPP EAA A-2 Reservoir located in Palm Beach County, Florida.

  • 22-065 Dworshak Dam releases to fluctuate between 3,600 and 6,000 cfs on Oct. 5 & 6 for testing

    AHSAHKA, Idaho –Dworshak Dam releases will remain at 1,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) through Monday, Oct. 3 as the reservoir begins fall operations. The current reservoir elevation is approximately 1,519 feet and the maximum allowable elevation by the end of December is approximately 1,559 feet.

  • St. Louis District Army Corps monitoring low water levels on Mississippi

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, has been monitoring low water levels along the Mississippi River this week. Currently, there are no restrictions in the navigation channel north of Cairo in the district’s area of operations and the authorized depth of nine feet is being maintained with assistance from dredging. 

  • Annual dredging of the BWT and Alabama River ensures reliability

    Each year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District dredges the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River and the Alabama River to an adequate depth to ensure reliability of the federal channel to allow commerce to traverse the inland waterways.

  • Survey Vessels Blackwater and Seminole deployed in Hurricane Ian Relief

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District has deployed two survey vessels to survey the waterways in support of the Hurricane Ian and USACE’s Jacksonville District.

  • Automated Ground-Penetrating-Radar Post-Processing Software in R Programming

    Abstract: Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a nondestructive geophysical technique used to create images of the subsurface. A major limitation of GPR is that a subject matter expert (SME) needs to post-process and interpret the data, limiting the technique’s use. Post-processing is time-intensive and, for detailed processing, requires proprietary software. The goal of this study is to develop automated GPR post-processing software, compatible with Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. (GSSI) data, in open-source R programming. This would eliminate the need for an SME to process GPR data, remove proprietary software dependencies, and render GPR more accessible. This study collected GPR profiles by using a GSSI SIR4000 control unit, a 100 MHz antenna, and a Trimble GPS. A standardized method for post-processing data was then established, which includes static data removal, time-zero correction, distance normalization, data filtering, and stacking. These steps were scripted and automated in R programming, excluding data filtering, which was used from an existing package, RGPR. The study compared profiles processed using GSSI soft-ware to profiles processed using the R script developed here to ensure comparable functionality and output. While an SME is currently still necessary for interpretations, this script eliminates the need for one to post-process GSSI GPR data.