• Army Corps releases draft report for Nassau County Back Bays study

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced the release of a draft report for the Nassau County Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Study. The report outlines a ‘Tentatively Selected Plan’ framework, which includes the elevation of more than 14,000 residential structures and dry flood proofing of more than 2,500 industrial/commercial properties to reduce the risk of flood damages associated with storm surge. It’s important to note that the plan is subject to change. It has not yet been approved by higher authorities, including Congress, and has not been funded for implementation at the federal or state level.
  • Mark Twain Lake Trail Update

    Mark Twain Lake, August 27, 2021 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Mark Twain Lake announces two multi-use trails have reopened after the extended high water and storm damage, however, visitors may still encounter downed limbs and experience short detours. The Lick Creek and Joanna Trail provide hikers, mountain bikers, equestrian riders, backpack campers, birders and hunters many miles of natural enjoyment. Both trails meander through several habitat types including upland hardwood, open fields, bottomlands and limestone bluffs.
  • Development of Three-Dimensional Wetting and Drying Algorithm for the Geophysical Scale Transport Multi-Block Hydrodynamic Sediment and Water Quality Transport Modeling System (GSMB)

    Introduction: The Environmental Laboratory (EL) and the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) have jointly completed a number of large-scale hydrodynamic, sediment and water quality transport studies. EL and CHL have successfully executed these studies utilizing the Geophysical Scale Transport Modeling System (GSMB). The model framework of GSMB is composed of multiple process models as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 shows that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) accepted wave, hydrodynamic, sediment and water quality transport models are directly and indirectly linked within the GSMB framework. The components of GSMB are the two-dimensional (2D) deep-water wave action model (WAM) (Komen et al. 1994, Jensen et al. 2012), data from meteorological model (MET) (e.g., Saha et al. 2010 http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/2010BAMS3001.1), shallow water wave models (STWAVE) (Smith et al. 1999), Coastal Modeling System wave (CMS-WAVE) (Lin et al. 2008), the large-scale, unstructured two-dimensional Advanced Circulation (2D ADCIRC) hydrodynamic model (http://www.adcirc.org), and the regional scale models, Curvilinear Hydrodynamics in three dimensions-Multi-Block (CH3D-MB) (Luong and Chapman 2009), which is the multi-block (MB) version of Curvilinear Hydrodynamics in three-dimensions-Waterways Experiments Station (CH3D-WES) (Chapman et al. 1996, Chapman et al. 2009), MB CH3D-SEDZLJ sediment transport model (Hayter et al. 2012), and CE-QUAL Management - ICM water quality model (Bunch et al. 2003, Cerco and Cole 1994). Task 1 of the DOER project, “Modeling Transport in Wetting/Drying and Vegetated Regions,” is to implement and test three-dimensional (3D) wetting and drying (W/D) within GSMB. This technical note describes the methods and results of Task 1. The original W/D routines were restricted to a single vertical layer or depth-averaged simulations. In order to retain the required 3D or multi-layer capability of MB-CH3D, a multi-block version with variable block layers was developed (Chapman and Luong 2009). This approach requires a combination of grid decomposition, MB, and Message Passing Interface (MPI) communication (Snir et al. 1998). The MB single layer W/D has demonstrated itself as an effective tool in hyper-tide environments, such as Cook Inlet, Alaska (Hayter et al. 2012). The code modifications, implementation, and testing of a fully 3D W/D are described in the following sections of this technical note.
  • A Framework and Pilot Tool for the Risk-based Prioritization and Grouping of Nano-enabled Consumer Products

    Abstract: The use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in consumer products has expanded rapidly, revealing both innovative improvements over conventional materials, and the potential for novel risks to human health and the environment. As the number of new nano-enabled products and the volume of toxicity data on ENMs continues to grow, regulatory agencies like the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – a small, independent federal agency responsible for protecting consumers from unreasonable risks associated with product use – will require the ability to screen and group a diverse array of nano-enabled consumer products based on their potential risks to consumers. Such prioritization would allow efficient allocation of limited resources for subsequent testing and evaluation of high-risk products and materials. To enable this grouping and prioritization for further testing, we developed a framework that establishes a prioritization score by evaluating a nano-enabled product's potential hazard and exposure, as well as additional consideration of regulatory importance. We integrate the framework into a pilot version software tool and, using a hypothetical case study, we demonstrate that the tool can effectively rank nano-enabled consumer products and can be adjusted for use by agencies with different priorities. The proposed decision-analytical framework and pilot-version tool presented here could enable a regulatory agency like the CPSC to triage reported safety concerns more effectively and allocate limited resources more efficiently.
  • Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Legacy and Insensitive Munition (IM) Constituents in Aqueous, Soil/Sediment, and Tissue Matrices

    Abstract: Currently, no standard method exists for analyzing insensitive munition (IM) compounds in environmental matrices, with or without concurrent legacy munition compounds, resulting in potentially inaccurate determinations. The primary objective of this work was to develop new methods of extraction, pre-concentration, and analytical separation/quantitation of 17 legacy munition compounds along with several additional IM compounds, IM breakdown products, and other munition compounds that are not currently included in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 8330B. Analytical methods were developed to enable sensitive, simultaneous detection and quantitation of the 24 IM and legacy compounds, including two orthogonal high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column separations with either ultraviolet (UV) or mass spectrometric (MS) detection. Procedures were developed for simultaneous extraction of all 24 analytes and two surrogates (1,2-dinitrobenzene, 1,2-DNB; o-NBA) from high- and low-level aqueous matrices and solid matrices, using acidification, solid phase extraction (SPE), or solvent extraction (SE), respectively. The majority of compounds were recovered from four tissue types within current limits for solids, with generally low recovery only for Tetryl (from 4 to 62%). A preparatory chromatographic interference removal procedure was adapted for tissue extracts, as various analytical interferences were observed for all studied tissue types.
  • USACE Vicksburg District signs water system rehabilitation agreement with City of Olive Branch

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District entered into a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the City of Olive Branch, Mississippi, Aug. 24, 2021, as part of the Mississippi Environmental Infrastructure Program (Section 592) yesterday.
  • District schedules Craney Island mosquito treatment for Aug 27

    The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has scheduled aerial mosquito treatment for 2 to
  • USACE schedules hybrid FNOD Restoration Advisory Board meeting for Sept 2

    SUFFOLK, Va. — Community members can learn more about restoration efforts at the Former Nansemond Ordnance Depot (FNOD) and hear the latest cleanup progress during a quarterly Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meeting scheduled for 6:15 to 8 p.m. Sept 2 online and at 7000 College Dr. in Suffolk, Va.
  • Construction to begin on Sturgeon Lake environmental project; Sturgeon Lake boat landing will remain open

    ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, will soon begin construction activities in Sturgeon Lake in Pool 3 of the Mississippi River and at the Sturgeon Lake boat landing near Red Wing, Minnesota.
  • Corps of Engineers set to dredge Mississippi River near Winona, MN

    ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is planning to dredge the Mississippi River near Winona, Minnesota, at the end of the month.