21 Sep 2023

Corps of Engineers awards $22.5 million for Lock and Dam 5 gate maintenance

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $22.5 million contract to Abhe & Svoboda, Inc., of Jordan, Minnesota, on Sept. 18, for gate maintenance on Lock and Dam 5 located near Minnesota City, Minnesota, on the Mississippi River.

15 Sep 2023

Real-Time Forecasting Model Development Work Plan

Abstract: The objective of the Lowermost Mississippi River Management Program is to move the nation toward more holistic management of the lower reaches of the Mississippi River through the development and use of a science-based decision-making framework. There has been substantial investment in the last decade to develop multidimensional numerical models to evaluate the Lowermost Mississippi River (LMMR) hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and salinity dynamics. The focus of this work plan is to leverage the existing scientific knowledge and models to improve holistic management of the LMMR. Specifically, this work plan proposes the development of a real-time forecasting (RTF) system for water, sediment, and selected nutrients in the LMMR. The RTF system will help inform and guide the decision-making process for operating flood-control and sediment-diversion structures. This work plan describes the primary components of the RTF system and their interactions. The work plan includes descriptions of the existing tools and numerical models that could be leveraged to develop this system together with a brief inventory of existing real-time data that could be used to validate the RTF system. A description of the tasks that would be required to develop and set up the RTF system is included together with an associated timeline.

7 Sep 2023

Corps of Engineers hosts open house at Lock and Dam 10

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting an open house at Lock and Dam 10, in Guttenberg, Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 23, in conjunction with the 33rd annual GermanFest.

7 Sep 2023

Ribbon Cutting for Accessible Kayak Dock at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary

WEST ALTON, MO – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rivers Project Office will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 10th, at 10:00 A.M. for an accessible kayak dock and launch at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Missouri. This dock will connect to the existing accessible trail system at the Sanctuary and will include a transfer bench that enables kayakers to transition both in and out of their kayak from a seated position.

24 Aug 2023

Corps begins construction on Upper Pool 4 project near Bay City, Wisconsin

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, and its contractor, LS Marine, Inc., of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, have begun construction on the Upper Pool 4 habitat restoration project, near Bay City, Wisconsin.

8 Aug 2023

Evaluation of Structural and Operational Alternatives to Optimize the Distribution of Water and Sediment in the Passes of the Mississippi River

Abstract: Mississippi River shoaling and dredging processes in the vicinity of Head of Passes and in Southwest Pass were investigated. Existing rates of deposition and dredging were determined using near-daily eHydro bathymetric surveys, National Dredging Quality Management dredge operating data, and geospatial processing steps developed for this study. These surveys provide a means to characterize the highly dynamic and variable sedimentation patterns observed in the navigation channel. The HEC-6T one-dimensional numerical sedimentation model was used to evaluate possible modifications to the distribution of water and sediment in the Mississippi River near Head of Passes in an attempt to reduce shoaling in the navigation channel. The model was used to evaluate the effects of partial closures of several distributaries downstream from Venice and to evaluate the effects of channel widening and channel deepening adjacent to the Hopper Dredge Disposal Area at Head of Passes. In this study, various structural alternatives were compared to a base test that represented existing conditions. Sedimentation and dredging effects were projected 50 years into the future.

7 Aug 2023

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler Study of Water and Sediment Movement through a Deep Scour Hole in the Lower Mississippi River

Abstract: A series of acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) transects were collected through a deep scour hole at the bend near River Mile 60 on the Lower Mississippi River. The measurements were collected during both a low and a high flow. The ADCP results show a 3D flow field through the deep bend. The backscatter intensity of the ADCP measurements indicates the majority of the sediment remains close to the inside of the bed and high in the water column, with minimal concentrations at the bottom of the bend. These findings have implications for numerical sediment transport models, which tend to deposit material at the bottom of deep scour holes like the one in this study

26 Jul 2023

Historic agreement creates river sand management partnership

Members from the city of Wabasha, Minnesota, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, gathered at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha to sign a historic partnership agreement July 24.

17 Jul 2023

Corps awards contract for Mississippi River Upper Pool 4 improvement project

ST. PAUL, Minn. –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, awarded a $8.7 million contract to Newt Marine Service, out of Dubuque, Iowa, July 14, for a Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program, or NESP, project located on the Wisconsin side of the Upper Mississippi River in Upper Pool 4, near Bay City, Wisconsin.

13 Jul 2023

Corps opens its doors at Upper St. Anthony Falls lock for the Aquatennial

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, is hosting an open house at Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam in Minneapolis, July 22, in conjunction with the Aquatennial.