• Using Geophysical and Erosion Properties to Identify Potential Beneficial Use Applications for Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Sediments

    Abstract: In an effort to identify alternative and beneficial use placement strategies for dredged sediments from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW), the US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District (SAS), and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) performed a series of physical property tests of 34 core borings from the SAS AIWW. Physical property testing found that 14 of the borings were non-cohesive sandy materials that may be suitable for potential beach renourishment or berm construction. The remaining 20 borings had mud contents sufficient enough to result in cohesive behavior. A subset of six of these materials from across the geographic region were further evaluated to characterize their erosion behavior. Following a self-weight consolidation period of 30 days, erosion testing showed that the tested cohesive sediments had critical shear stress values that ranged from 1.7 Pa to 2.9 Pa, suggesting that these sediments would likely be resistant to erosion in most wetland environments after placement. Additionally, the cohesive sediments were found to produce gravel-sized mud clasts. These clasts could account for 20% or more of the eroded mass and significantly reduce the amount of silts and clays incorporated in suspended plumes during and immediately following placement.
  • USACE Vicksburg District announces Project Partnership Agreement with City of Louisville

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District entered into a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the City of Louisville, Mississippi, July 29, 2022, as part of the Mississippi Environmental Infrastructure Program (Section 592). Mayor Will Hill signed the Partnership Project Agreement for the City of Louisville, and Col. Christopher Klein, Vicksburg District commander, signed for USACE. The signing ceremony was held at City Hall.
  • Stephen Cahn: A Lifetime of Service

    A life of dedication, a life of service. Operations section and lead water safety park ranger Stephen Cahn was recently awarded the South Atlantic Division’s Outstanding Individual Water Safety award.
  • Sediment Provenance Studies of the Calcasieu Ship Channel, Louisiana

    Abstract: To maintain the navigability of the Calcasieu Ship Channel (CSC), the US Army Corps of Engineers annually dredges millions of cubic yards of sediment from the inland channel. To assess sources of channel shoaling, a previous study examined river and bankline erosion as inputs. Results from that study accounted for approximately 20% of dredged volumes. Through the support of the Regional Sediment Management Program, a follow-up investigation reviewed prior sediment budgets, identified potential missing sediment sources, modeled potential sediment pathways, and utilized geochemical fingerprinting to discern primary shoaling sources to the channel. The missing sediment sources from the original budget include coastally derived sediment from the Gulf of Mexico and terrestrially derived sediment from Lake Calcasieu and surrounding wetlands. Results from geochemical fingerprinting of various potential sediment sources indicate the Calcasieu River and the Gulf of Mexico are primary contributors of sediment to the CSC, and sediments sourced from bankline erosion, Lake Calcasieu bed, and interior wetlands are secondary in nature. These results suggest that engineering solutions to control shoaling in the CSC should be focused on sources originating from the Gulf of Mexico and river headwaters as opposed to Lake Calcasieu, channel banklines, and surrounding wetlands
  • USACE further reduces target flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District will reduce target flows from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee beginning Saturday, July 30, as lake levels remain steady due to drier conditions and local basin runoff has been adequate to maintain salinity levels in the estuary.
  • Chitosan as a Coagulant and Precipitant of Algae Present in Backwater

    PURPOSE: : The purpose of this technical note (TN) is to highlight the current state of knowledge of algal flocculation by chitosan and identify data gaps existing between specific algal characteristics and chitosan binding efficiency. Published relationships and correlations between the quality of backwaters and the prevalence of algae, a baseline for flocculation efficiency of microalgae, and ideal treatment instances for algal removal by way of chitosan flocculation and precipitation will be identified.
  • Corps of Engineers Boundary Refurbishment Survey

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at West Point Project announced today that the project will begin a refurbishment survey of the Government property line around the reservoir on Monday, August 1, 2022.
  • A New Type of Artificial Reef

    Innovation is the key to success in finding balance between the relocation of dredged materials and ecosystem management. The Lorain Harbor Section 204 Project Delivery Team (PDT) completed a Feasibility Study to identify geosynthetic containers (GSCs) as an alternative to beneficially use dredged material from Lorain Harbor for aquatic habitat restoration in the Lorain, Ohio area.
  • Recreational Harbors: A Comprehensive Outlook

    Who doesn’t love getting out on the water with a boat on a hot summer day? We’re lucky in Buffalo to live in a region where we can find water activities every direction we go. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the Nation’s number one federal provider of outdoor recreation and has a focus on public safety. As such, it is crucial that we work with our local partners to maintain the safety of our recreational harbors.
  • Emergency Erosion Protection for Grand River-Bank Street in Painesville, Ohio

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Buffalo District and the City of Painesville (Lake County), Ohio are partners to keep the west side of the Grand River in place this summer to protect a local road and local public utilities. They signed a Project Partnership Agreement in May 2021 to complete this construction.