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  • Vessel Speed Analysis before and after Dredging near Missouri River Mile 282 in November 2020

    Abstract: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to present information on vessel traffic before, during, and after a dredging event around river mile 282 of the Missouri River in November 2020 along with contextual information about tonnage and commodities that utilize this navigation project.

  • Detection Limits of Trinitrotoluene and Ammonium Nitrate in Soil by Raman Spectroscopy

    Abstract: The detection limit of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and ammonium nitrate (AN) in mixtures of Ottawa sand (OS) was studied using a Raman microscope applying conventional calibration curves, Pearson correlation coefficients, and two-sample t-tests. By constructing calibration curves, the conventionally defined detection limits were estimated to be 1.9 ± 0.4% by mass in OS and 1.9 ± 0.3% by mass in OS for TNT and AN. Both TNT and AN were detectable in concentrations as low as 1% by mass when Pearson correlation coefficients were used to compare averaged spectra to a library containing spectra from a range of soil types. AN was detectable in concentrations as low as 1% by mass when a test sample of spectra was compared to the same library using two-sample t-tests. TNT was not detectable at a concentration of 1% by mass when using two-sample t-tests.

  • Payne Campground at Allatoona Lake to Remain Closed Until Further Notice

    While most of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Allatoona Lake’s campgrounds are scheduled to reopen in March, Payne Campground will remain closed until further notice due to an aging septic system.

  • ERDC researchers help prioritize support for Rhode Island hospitals during omicron surge

    When both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) needed to prioritize hospital support in New England during the COVID-19 omicron variant surge in the beginning of January, they turned to the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Risk and Decision Science Team (RADST) led by Jeff Cegan.

  • Riverview Park reopening in March

    DARDANELLE, Ark. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District announces that beginning March 1, Riverview Park near Dardanelle, Arkansas will reopen as a day-use area only.

  • Coastal storm splits island and brings communities together

    In 1992, Joseph Vietri, then a coastal engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York

  • Visit IWR at the 2022 BEYA STEM Conference’s Virtual Career Fair

    Are you attending the 2022 Black Engineers of the Year (BEYA) STEM Global Competitiveness Conference

  • A Comparison of Handheld Field Chemical Sensors for Soil Characterization with a Focus on LIBS

    Abstract: Commercially available handheld chemical analyzers for forensic applications have been available for over a decade. Portable systems from multiple vendors can perform X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and recently laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Together, we have been exploring the development and potential applications of a multisensor system consisting of XRF, Raman, and LIBS for environmental characterization with a focus on soils from military ranges. Handheld sensors offer the potential to substantially increase sample throughput through the elimination of transport of samples back to the laboratory and labor-intensive sample preparation procedures. Further, these technologies have the capability for extremely rapid analysis, on the order of tens of seconds or less. We have compared and evaluated results from the analysis of several hundred soil samples using conventional laboratory bench top inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) for metals evaluation and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Raman spectroscopy for detection and characterization of energetic materials against handheld XRF, LIBS, and Raman analyzers. The soil samples contained antimony, copper, lead, tungsten, and zinc as well as energetic compounds such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), nitroglycerine (NG), and dinitrotoluene isomers (DNT). Precision, accuracy, and sensitivity of the handheld field sensor technologies were compared against conventional laboratory instrumentation to determine their suitability for field characterization leading to decisional outcomes.

  • 22-010 Corps of Engineers seeks public input for Environmental Assessment for Lower Snake River Navigation Channel Maintenance Project

    WALLA WALLA, WA – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District (Corps) is seeking public comments regarding the Lower Snake River Navigation Channel Maintenance Project.

  • If you do what you love

    “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Whether it was Marc Anthony or inspired by Confucius, the quote has existed for centuries but is still true today. This Valentine’s Day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District highlights some of our employees who do what they love while accomplishing critical roles that deliver the district’s mission to the nation. We asked them about their childhood hobbies and interests and how those passions grew into careers.