• Corps of Engineers announces emergency permitting procedures to support recovery following Hurricane Ian

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District announced that it received authority to issue alternative/emergency permitting procedures in response to conditions resulting from Hurricane Ian.
  • Investigations into the Ice Crystallization and Freezing Properties of the Antifreeze Protein ApAFP752

    Abstract: Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) allow biological organisms, including insects, fish, and plants, to survive in freezing temperatures. While in solution, AFPs impart cryoprotection by creating a thermal hysteresis (TH), imparting ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI), and providing dynamic ice shaping (DIS). To leverage these ice-modulating effects of AFPs in other scenarios, a range of icing assays were performed with AFPs to investigate how AFPs interact with ice formation when tethered to a surface. In this work, we studied ApAFP752, an AFP from the beetle Anatolica polita, and first investigated whether removing the fusion protein attached during protein expression would result in a difference in freezing behavior. We performed optical microscopy to examine ice-crystal shape, micro-structure, and the recrystallization behavior of frozen droplets of AFP solutions. We developed a surface chemistry approach to tether these proteins to glass surfaces and conducted droplet-freezing experiments to probe the interactions of these proteins with ice formed on those surfaces. In solution, ApAFP752 did not show any DIS or TH, but it did show IRI capabilities. In surface studies, the freezing of AFP droplets on clean glass surfaces showed no dependence on concentration, and the results from freezing water droplets on AFP-decorated surfaces were inconclusive.
  • White Sands Missile Range Thurgood Canyon Watershed: Analysis of Range Road 7 for Development of Best Management Practices and Recommendations

    Abstract: Thurgood Canyon, located on White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), contains an alluvial fan that is bisected by a primary installation road and is in the proximity of sensitive fish habitats. This project was initiated to determine if and how sensitive fish habitats at the base of the fan are impacted by the existing drainage infrastructure and to assess the condition and sustainability of the existing transportation infrastructure. Findings show that the current drainage infrastructure maintains flow energy and sediment carrying capacity further down the fan than would occur in its absence. However, frequent to moderately rare (small to medium) flood events dissipate over 2 km from sensitive habitat, and overland flow and sediment do not reach the base of the fan. Controlled flow diversion is recommended upstream of the road to mitigate infrastructure or habitat impacts during very rare (very large) flood events. A comprehensive operation and management approach is presented to achieve sustainable transportation infrastructure and reduce the likelihood of impacts to the sensitive habitat.
  • Buried-Object-Detection Improvements Incorporating Environmental Phenomenology into Signature Physics

    Abstract: The ability to detect buried objects is critical for the Army. Therefore, this report summarizes the fourth year of an ongoing study to assess environmental phenomenological conditions affecting probability of detection and false alarm rates for buried-object detection using thermal infrared sensors. This study used several different approaches to identify the predominant environmental variables affecting object detection: (1) multilevel statistical modeling, (2) direct image analysis, (3) physics-based thermal modeling, and (4) application of machine learning (ML) techniques. In addition, this study developed an approach using a Canny edge methodology to identify regions of interest potentially harboring a target object. Finally, an ML method was developed to improve automatic target detection and recognition performance by accounting for environmental phenomenological conditions, improving performance by 50% over standard automatic target detection and recognition software.
  • NR 22-23: Contract awarded for Center Hill Dam Spillway Gates Replacement Project

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 29, 2022) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District awarded a $91,250,000 contract today to American Bridge Company for the Center Hill Dam Spillway Gates Replacement Project.
  • USACE cancels temporary full road closure of Highway 177 across Norfork Dam

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is canceling the full road closure for Highway 177 across Norfork Dam that was previously scheduled for Oct. 7 and 8. New dates have not been selected at this time.
  • USACE announces 2023 camping fee increase at Greers Ferry Lake

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will increase camping fees at Greers Ferry Lake beginning Jan. 1. Non-electric sites will increase to $18, electric sites (30/20 amp) $22, electric (50 amp) $24, electric (30/20 amp and water) $26 and electric (50 amp and water) $28. The fees are used to recover a portion of the cost of administering, operating, maintaining and improving the parks.
  • Corps’ hurricane response mission finds new home in Portland

    As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida Sept. 28, more than a dozen volunteers with the Portland District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepared for a new mission: taking calls from those affected by the natural disaster.
  • Corps to Host Frederick Heights Waterline Project Dedication Ceremony

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is hosting a project dedication ceremony marking the completion of the $1.3 million Buckeye Water District’s Frederick Heights Waterline Project in Columbiana County, Ohio. The project expands the water distribution system to service Frederick Heights neighborhood residents in St. Clair Township.
  • Financing Natural Infrastructure: Exploration Green, Texas

    PURPOSE: This technical note is part of a series collaboratively produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Institute for Water Resources (IWR) and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). It describes the funding process for Exploration Green, a large- scale community initiative that transformed a former golf course into a multipurpose green space with flood detention, habitat, and recreation benefits. It is one in a series of technical notes that document successful examples of funding natural infrastructure projects. The research effort is a collaboration between the Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) and Systems Approach to Geomorphic Engineering (SAGE) programs of USACE. A key need for greater application of natural infrastructure approaches is information about obtaining funds to scope, design, construct, monitor, and adaptively manage these projects. As natural infrastructure techniques vary widely by location, purpose, and scale, there is no standard process for securing funds. The goal of this series is to share lessons learned about a variety of funding and financing methods to increase the implementation of natural infrastructure projects.