13 Jun 2022

Evaluation of Multiparameter Water Meter for Environmental Toolkit for Expeditionary Operations

Purpose: A new, commercially available, field-portable water sensor was evaluated for efficacy during operation and compatibility with current Environmental Toolkit for Expeditionary Operations (ETEO) software. The ETEO provides sensors to Soldiers to rapidly identify and quantify environmental contamination in soil, air, and water at potential new base sites during initial reconnaissance to ensure Soldier safety and minimize unnecessary remediation efforts by the Army. The primary objective of this study was to enhance ETEO performance by providing the capability to evaluate multiple water quality properties simultaneously.

8 Jun 2022

Below average runoff forecasts for upper Missouri River Basin continue

Runoff continues to be below average in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa. Below-normal precipitation, dry soil conditions in the western portions of the basin, and cooler-than-normal temperatures slowing mountain snowmelt, resulted in a May runoff of 2.7 million acre-feet. While this was 0.4 MAF more than forecast last month, this volume is still 79% of average.

3 Jun 2022

Team explains how it surveys Lake Cumberland’s water quality

LAKE CUMBERLAND, Ky. (June 3, 2022) – A water quality team onboard a survey boat collected water samples last week from Wolf Creek Dam’s tailwater along with 12 more stations in the reservoir and major tributaries of Lake Cumberland.

5 May 2022

Drought conditions persist throughout the Missouri River Basin

Dry conditions in April resulted in well-below average runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin. April runoff was 1.5 million acre-feet, which is 51% of average. The updated 2022 upper Basin runoff forecast is 17.8 MAF, 69% of average, which, if realized, would rank as the 23rd lowest calendar year runoff volume.

18 Apr 2022

Sustainable Harmful Algal Bloom Mitigation by 3D Printed Photocatalytic Oxidation Devices (3D-PODs)

Abstract: The impacts of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB), often caused by cyanobacteria (Figure 1), on water resources are increasing. Innovative solutions for treatment of HABs and their associated toxins are needed to mitigate these impacts and decrease risks without introducing persistent legacy contaminants that cause collateral ecosystem impacts. This technical note (TN) identifies novel opportunities enabled by Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, to produce high surface area advanced material composites to rapidly prototype sustainable environmental solutions for aquatic nuisance species control. This innovative research explores deployment of 3D-printable polymer composite structures containing nano-scale photocatalysts for targeted open water treatment of HABs that are customizable to the site-of-concern and also retrievable, reusable, and sustainable. The approach developed to control cyanobacteria HAB events has the potential to augment or replace broadcast, non-specific chemical controls that otherwise put non-target species and ecological resources at long-term risk. It can also augment existing UV-treatment HAB treatment control measures. The expected research outcome is a novel, effective, and sustainable HAB management tool for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and resource managers to deploy in their HAB rapid response programs. The research will provide a framework for scale-up into other manufacturing methods (e.g., injection molding) to produce the devices in bulk (quickly and efficiently). Research for this project title “Mitigation of Harmful Algal Bloom Toxins using 3D Printed Photocatalytic Materials (FY21-23)” was sponsored by the US Army Engineer Research Development Center’s (ERDC) Aquatic Nuisance Species Research Program (ANSRP).

4 Apr 2022

Upper Missouri River basin forecast runoff remains well below normal; water conservation measures continue

Reservoir inflows in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa, were well-below average in March. The March runoff of 1.5 million acre-feet (MAF) was 48% of average for the month. The updated 2022 upper Basin runoff forecast is 17.8 MAF, 69% of average, approximately 2.6 MAF less than the March 1 forecast. 

31 Mar 2022

Design, Construction, and Testing of the PFAS Effluent Treatment System (PETS), a Mobile Ion Exchange–Based System for the Treatment of Per-, Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) Contaminated Water

Abstract: Poly-,Per-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are versatile chemicals that were incorporated in a wide range of products. One of their most important use was in aqueous film-forming foams for fighting liquid fuel fires. PFAS compounds have recently been identified as potential environmental contaminants. In the United States there are hundreds of potential military sites with PFAS contamination.The ERDC designed and constructed a mobile treatment system to address small sites (250,000 gallons or less) and as a platform to field test new adsorptive media. The PFAS Effluent Treatment System (PETS) has cartridge filters to remove sediments and a granular activated carbon (GAC) media filter to remove organic compounds that might compete with PFAS in the ion exchange process, although it may also remove PFAS too. The last process is an ion exchange resin specifically designed to remove PFAS to a target level of 70 ng/L or less (equivalent to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Drinking Water Health Advisory). The system was tested at Hurlburt Field, a US Air Force facility in Florida and at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Mid-South in Millington, TN.

22 Mar 2022

Schedule for Missouri River spring public meetings set

Spring public meetings to discuss Missouri River Water Management operations and plans are scheduled for April 11-15. Spring public meetings provide a status of mountain snowpack, a runoff forecast for the year, and how operations during the runoff year will meet the authorized purposes for the Missouri River Mainstem System.

3 Mar 2022

Below average runoff continues for the upper Missouri River Basin

“The runoff in February was less than predicted, and we expect the lower-than-average runoff to continue in the coming months,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’, Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “The snow accumulation in both the plains and the mountains continues to be below average, and the soil moisture remains very low compared to normal. This resulted in us lowering our anticipated runoff for the 2022 water year.”

4 Feb 2022

USACE Anacostia River dock upgrades enhance environmental rehabilitation

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District’s, DC Field office dock will house the newly arriving NACOTCHTANK Floating Crane in the District of Columbia alongside the Anacostia River. The DC Drift Program planned rehabilitation and modification of the mooring piers at the site location to help aid in the offloading of debris collected by the DC Drift Program vessels. Local contractors performed construction modifications to help enable the District’s ability to protect environmental habitat, improve water quality and aesthetics, and expand public access within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Additionally, USACE boat operators conduct routine debris patrols and respond to debris calls received from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, boat and marina operators, and private citizens. Lastly, the program’s year-round drift removal operations benefit navigation efforts by reducing damages, financial loss, and safety hazards to commercial and recreational vessels, operators, and docking facilities.