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  • Current State of Practice of Nearshore Nourishment by the United States Army Corps of Engineers

    Abstract: This US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) special report prepared by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, provides an overview of the current state of practice for nearshore nourishment with dredged sediment. This special report was completed with responses and input from professionals across the dredging and placement teams from each of the USACE Coastal and Great Lakes districts, providing comprehensive overviews of the decision trees these districts utilize in the placement of their dredged sediment. This report describes the general practice of nearshore nourishment, the impediments and concerns faced by nearshore nourishment projects, and the practical methods utilized by the Coastal and Great Lakes districts for their nearshore nourishment projects. Understanding the current state of practice, along with the general and specific impediments the districts face, enables further research in and development of best practices for use across the USACE and better communication of the practice to other stakeholders.

  • Huntsville Center safety chief earns national award

    On August 23, Kellie Williams received national recognition as a leader in workplace safety when she was awarded the Department of Defense Safety and Occupational Health Management System Individual Achievement Award during a safety conference in Washington, D.C.

  • Seasonal Closures at J. Strom Thurmond Lake Recreation Area

    SAVANNAH, Ga. – Certain recreation sites operated by the US Army Corp of Engineers at the J. Strom Thurmond Lake will close or partially close for the season between Sept. 6 and Oct. 2.

  • The Corps Environment - August 2022 issue now available

    The August 2022 edition of The Corps Environment is now available! This edition highlights employing an open and transparent process, in support of Environmental Operating Principle #7, and features initiatives from across the Army environmental community that are providing environmental benefits across the globe.

  • Corps’ director of Civil Works tours LA River, dams, coastal projects

    The director of Civil Works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers toured several sites along the Los Angeles and Santa Ana rivers, as well as major dams that protect millions of citizens down and upstream of the LA and Prado basins during a recent visit to Southern California.

  • Fort Worth District Announces Temporary Closures at Wright Patman Lake for Routine Maintenance

    The Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will close some of its facilities at Wright Patman Lake beginning Sept. 2 to conduct routine maintenance operations.

  • USACE announces second public workshop for Beaver Lake land acquisition study

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a drop-in public workshop from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. September 13 at the Four Points by Sheraton Bentonville, 211 SE Walton Blvd., Bentonville, Arkansas. Information will be available at the workshop regarding potentially impacted properties and the newly proposed willing sellers only acquisition alternative. All interested persons are invited to attend the workshop and provide comments. Representatives from the Little Rock District will be present to answer questions on the acquisition process.

  • Automated Detection of Austere Entry Landing Zones: A “GRAIL Tools” Validation Assessment

    Abstract: The Geospatial Remote Assessment for Ingress Locations (GRAIL) Tools software is a geospatial product developed to locate austere entry landing zones (LZs) for military aircraft. Using spatial datasets like land classification and slope, along with predefined LZ geometry specifications, GRAIL Tools generates binary suitability filters that distinguish between suitable and unsuitable terrain. GRAIL Tools combines input suitability filters, searches for LZs at user‐defined orientations, and plots results. To refine GRAIL Tools, we: (a) verified software output; (b) conducted validation assessments using five unpaved LZ sites; and (c) assessed input dataset resolution on outcomes using 30 and 1‐m datasets. The software was verified and validated in California and the Baltics, and all five LZs were correctly identified in either the 30 or the 1‐m data. The 30‐m data provided numerous LZs for consideration, while the 1‐m data highlighted hazardous conditions undetected in the 30‐m data. Digital elevation model grid size affected results, as 1‐m data produced overestimated slope values. Resampling the data to 5 m resulted in more realistic slopes. Results indicate GRAIL Tools is an asset the military can use to rapidly assess terrain conditions.

  • Savannah District members talk about role in supporting the environment

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District’s leaders and team members talked about what the District does to maintain, restore, protect, and improve the environment through its many projects and regulatory programs at the 15th annual Georgia Environmental Conference Aug. 23-26.

  • Screening Dredged Material to Meet Placement Requirements

    Abstract: Certain types of dredging projects require screening of the dredged material (DM) to achieve the project’s DM placement requirement(s). Screening in the context of this report will be defined as the separation of an oversized fraction of the DM from the remaining fraction to meet project-specific placement compliance criteria (or criterion). Examples of DM placement requirements include aspects such as removing Munitions and Explosives of Concern (MEC) to address safety concerns and extracting over-sized material for beneficial use of DM (e.g., gravel and debris from sand to meet beach nourishment placement standards). Welp et al. (2008) provide detailed guidance for personnel involved in dredging projects with sediment containing MEC. The purpose of this document is to not only update the previous MEC-centric guidance with newly developed or identified technology but to also expand upon screening aspects to provide guidance for personnel involved in dredging projects that require removal of an oversized fraction for screening purposes other than just MEC removal.