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Tag: levees
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  • Engineering With Nature: Natural Infrastructure for Mission Readiness at U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Installations

    Abstract: This book illustrates some of the current challenges and hazards experienced by military installations, and the content highlights activities at eight U.S. Navy and Marine Corps military installations to achieve increased resilience through natural infrastructure.
  • ERDC researchers design, test new mobile treatment for relief wells

    A multi-agency team of researchers and specialists from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and industry collaborator WaterStep have partnered to design and test a new approach to clean and maintain relief wells from biofilm buildup. The new technology is called the Relief Well Sustainment (RWS) Deployable Resilient Installation water Purification and treatment System (DRIPS) mobile trailer.
  • Deep Learning Approach for Accurate Segmentation of Sand Boils in Levee Systems

    Abstract: Sand boils can contribute to the liquefaction of a portion of the levee, leading to levee failure. Accurately detecting and segmenting sand boils is crucial for effectively monitoring and maintaining levee systems. This paper presents SandBoilNet, a fully convolutional neural network with skip connections designed for accurate pixel-level classification or semantic segmentation of sand boils from images in levee systems. In this study, we explore the use of transfer learning for fast training and detecting sand boils through semantic segmentation. By utilizing a pretrained CNN model with ResNet50V2 architecture, our algorithm effectively leverages learned features for precise detection. We hypothesize that controlled feature extraction using a deeper pretrained CNN model can selectively generate the most relevant feature maps adapting to the domain, thereby improving performance. Experimental results demonstrate that SandBoilNet outperforms state-of-the-art semantic segmentation methods in accurately detecting sand boils, achieving a Balanced Accuracy (BA) of 85.52%, Macro F1-score (MaF1) of 73.12%, and an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 57.43% specifically for sand boils. This proposed approach represents a novel and effective solution for accurately detecting and segmenting sand boils from levee images toward automating the monitoring and maintenance of levee infrastructure.
  • Application of Deep Learning for Segmenting Seepages in Levee Systems

    Abstract: Seepage is a typical hydraulic factor that can initiate the breaching process in a levee system. If not identified and treated on time, seepages can be a severe problem for levees, weakening the levee structure and eventually leading to collapse. Therefore, it is essential always to be vigilant with regular monitoring procedures to identify seepages throughout these levee systems and perform adequate repairs to limit potential threats from unforeseen levee failures. This paper introduces a fully convolutional neural network to identify and segment seepage from the image in levee systems. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work in this domain. Applying deep learning techniques for semantic segmentation tasks in real-world scenarios has its own challenges, especially the difficulty for models to effectively learn from complex backgrounds while focusing on simpler objects of interest. This challenge is particularly evident in the task of detecting seepages in levee systems, where the fault is relatively simple compared to the complex and varied background. We addressed this problem by introducing negative images and a controlled transfer learning approach for semantic segmentation for accurate seepage segmentation in levee systems.
  • Influence of Fines Content on the Progression of Backward Erosion Piping

    Abstract: Backward erosion piping is a form of internal erosion that endangers the structural stability of levees and dams. Understanding the factors that influence this form of erosion can result in improved risk assessment and more appropriate modifications to new and existing structures. Historically, it has been assumed that the presence of silt size particles would reduce the gradient required for erosion. This study investigated the influence of fines content on backward erosion piping through a series of laboratory experiments on silty sands. Laboratory results show that as the fines content increased in the samples, so too did the gradient required to produce and progress piping to failure. The results indicate that a new factor is needed to properly account for silt content in backward erosion piping (BEP) risk assessment of silty sands.
  • Deployable Resilient Installation Water Purification and Treatment System (DRIPS): Relief Well Biofouling Treatment of Dams and Levees

    Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducts regular inspections and maintenance of relief wells to ensure their proper functionality and to identify early signs of malfunction or potential failure. Expenses associated with labor, materials, and transportation are the primary cost drivers of relief-well maintenance. To minimize labor hours and materials, a treatment approach intended to improve logistics and reduce material costs during relief-well treatment was developed and tested. This approach employed external UVC, mechanical brush treatments, and chlorinated-gas-infused water to produce liquid sodium hypochlorite (NaClO). Preliminary bench-scale testing with chlorine, oxalic acid, and UVC informed the selection of field testing methods and optimal amendment concentrations. Field demonstrations were conducted annually over three years. During the demonstrations, the system underwent continuous optimization to enhance its efficiency. Different locations in Mississippi (Grenada Dam, Eagle Lake, and Magna Vista) were selected for testing. Both new and traditional treatment approaches yielded adequate results, achieving microbial reduction at 96% to 100%. The development and refinement of this system demonstrated that relief wells can be treated within a comparable timeframe and with similar efficiency while utilizing fewer purchased chemicals and materials.
  • It could have been so much worse: How the Pittsburgh District prevented six feet of water from reaching downtown

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District faced back-to-back high-water events due to heavy rains in April, holding back an estimated six feet of flooding from reaching the Point of Pittsburgh.
  • Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3

    Abstract: Engineering With Nature: An Atlas, Volume 3 showcases EWN principles and practices “in action” through 58 projects from around the world. These exemplary projects demonstrate what it means to partner with nature to deliver engineering solutions with triple-win benefits. The collection of projects included were developed and constructed by a large number of government, private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and other organizations. Through the use of photographs and narrative descriptions, the EWN Atlas was developed to inspire interested readers and practitioners with the potential to engineer with nature.
  • National Levee Database, the resource you may not know you need

    Levee – is it dry? Is it going to break? Perhaps you’ve heard them mentioned in 1970s songs or on the news. We’ve heard the term, but what is a levee? Where are they? What do they do? Well – a levee is a human-made barrier designed to reduce the frequency of flooding to a portion of a floodplain. In fact, there are more than 6,811 total levee systems covering 24,000 miles throughout the United States with a property value of $2 trillion 23 million people behind them. The National Levee Database has all this information – and more!
  • ‘Rooted in trust and respect’: Kansas Citys Levees team continues to deliver on commitment to Kansas City metro area

    Engineering, construction, planning, design — these are hard sciences, which require a systemic, methodical approach. While these sciences are by no means easy, they are easy to quantify. More challenging to quantify are the soft sciences — communication, trust, respect, partnership. Building structures is a science; building partnerships is an art. It might not always be obvious, but both are often required for a successful construction project. For the Kansas Citys Levees project team at the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the art of building and maintaining a culture of partnership and collaboration has proved to be just as critical for success as the design and construction of the project have been. The $529 million project, which aims to improve the reliability and resiliency of 17 miles of existing levees in the Kansas City metro area, is unlike any other in the heartland.