• Huntsville Center, USACE Aviation supports Army Geospatial Research Laboratory for Redstone Arsenal Unmanned Aircraft Systems flights

    Data collected from the UAS flights is used by Soldiers within the IVAS environment to gain a greater understanding and knowledge of the terrain before executing a mission and without having to physically move into an area.
  • USACE Vicksburg District Levee Safety Center, personnel recognized in annual headquarters awards

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District’s Levee Safety Center was recently recognized by USACE Headquarters (HQ USACE) for exceptional contributions to dam and levee safety.
  • USACE Vicksburg District hosts awards ceremony for MS SLOPES team

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – Regulatory Division team members from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District were recently recognized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for their contributions to the MS SLOPES tool development.
  • MKARNS Nav Notice SWL 21-12 Lock 9 Closure - High Flows

    MKARNS - Due to high flows on the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, the Arthur V. Ormond Lock (No. 9) NM 176.9 is closed to traffic.
  • Demonstration of Autonomous Aerial Acoustic Recording Systems to Inventory Department of Defense Bird Populations

    Abstract: This demonstration project addressed the Department of Defense need for innovative technology for monitoring avian populations in inaccessible areas. This report presents results from field validation tests for an autonomous aerial acoustic recording system, a helium-filled weather balloon that transported an instrument payload over inaccessible areas (e.g., ordnance impact areas) to record avian vocalizations.
  • Load and Resistance Factors for Earth Retaining, Reinforced Concrete Hydraulic Structures Based on a Reliability Index (β) Derived from the Probability of Unsatisfactory Performance (PUP): Phase 2 Study

    Abstract: This technical report documents the second of a two-phase research and development (R&D) study in support of the development of a combined Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) methodology that accommodates geotechnical as well as structural design limit states for design of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reinforced concrete, hydraulic navigation structures. To this end, this R&D effort extends reliability procedures that have been developed for other non-USACE structural systems to encompass USACE hydraulic structures. Many of these reinforced concrete, hydraulic structures are founded on and/or retain earth or are buttressed by an earthen feature. Consequently, the design of many of these hydraulic structures involves significant soil structure interaction. Development of the required reliability and corresponding LRFD procedures has been lagging in the geotechnical topic area as compared to those for structural limit state considerations and have therefore been the focus of this second-phase R&D effort. Design of an example T-Wall hydraulic structure involves consideration of five geotechnical and structural limit states. New numerical procedures have been developed for precise multiple limit state reliability calculations and for complete LRFD analysis of this example T-Wall reinforced concrete, hydraulic structure.
  • Sustainment Management System, Water Control Structures: Inventory and Inspection Template

    Abstract: Department of Defense (DoD) military services own and maintain a portfolio of dams, dikes, and levees including over 800 assets with a total replacement value of over $2 Billion. The Inspector General has previously found that the DoD requires an inspection policy for dams, to prevent failures. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) directed the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), to create an inspection method and integrate that method with the Enterprise Sustainment Management System, with aims to provide OSD a consistent description of all DoD real property and facilitate calculation of the Facility Condition Index (FCI) for each asset. This report builds upon ERDC-CERL TR-18-9 to propose a method for both inventory and inspection rating for DoD dams, levees, and dikes. A new real property classification system for DoD water control structures is proposed. To better fulfil the OSD requirement for consistent condition and FCI reporting, it is proposed that DoD reevaluate the replacement values and sustainment cost factors for its water retaining structures. A draft guide for linear segmentation for levees is proposed. Future work will allow CERL to develop an Initial Operating Capability for a module within the Enterprise Sustainment Management System to support the OSD requirement.
  • Empirical analysis of effects of dike systems on channel morphology of the Lower Mississippi River

    NOTE: There was an title error in MRG&P Report No. 36, which was published 3/2/2021 . A new PDF has been attached to the record with the correct title. This email has the correct title as well. No other changes were made.
  • Nationwide Context and Evaluation Methodology for Farmstead and Ranch Historic Sites and Historic Archaeological Sites on DoD Property

    Abstract: The Army is tasked with managing the cultural resources on its lands. For installations that contain large numbers of historic farm-steads, meeting these requirements through traditional archaeological approaches entails large investments of personnel, time and or-ganization capital. Through two previous projects, ERDC-CERL cultural resource management personnel developed a methodology for efficiently identifying the best examples of historic farmstead sites, and also those sites that are least likely to be deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This report details testing the applicability of the methodology to regions across the country. Regional historic contexts were created to assist in the determination of “typical” farmsteads. The Farmstead/Ranch Eligi-bility Evaluation Form created by ERDC-CERL researchers was revised to reflect the broader geographic scope and the inclusion of ranches as a property type. The form was then used to test 29 sites at five military installations. The results of the fieldwork show this approach is applicable nationwide, and it can be used to quickly identify basic information about historic farmstead sites that can expe-dite determinations of eligibility to the National Register.
  • Bulltown Historical Association

    The BHA was founded in 2019 by a group of civil war reenactors, their families and friends, with a common goal to educate the public and promote the history of the area. In 2020, in the peak of the Corona Virus National Pandemic, they were able to join with the Burnsville Lake, US Army Corps of Engineers to form a Cooperative Association. This type of an association grants the BHA organization special privileges that allow them to operate on U.S. Army Corps of Engineer property. The BHA works hand in hand with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to preserve and enhance the Bulltown Historical Area in the community of Napier, WV, which is commonly known as Bulltown.