22 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Nested Physics-Based Watershed Modeling at Seven Mile Creek: Minnesota River Integrated Watershed Study

ABSTRACT: The Minnesota River Basin (MRB) Integrated Study Team (IST) was tasked with assessing the condition of the MRB and recommending management options to reduce suspended sediments and improve the water quality in the basin. The Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) was chosen by the IST as the fine scale model for the Seven Mile Creek Watershed to help quantify the physical effects from best management practices within the MRB. The predominately agricultural Seven Mile Creek Watershed produces high total suspended solids and nutrients loads, contributing roughly 10% of the total load to the Minnesota River. GSSHA models were developed for a small experimental field research site called Red Top Farms, a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC)-12 model for the entire Seven Mile Creek Watershed, a sub-basin of the Seven Mile Creek Watershed. After calibration, the resulting models were able to simulate measured tile drain flows, stream flow, suspended sediments, and to a lesser extent, nutrients. A selected suite of alternative land-use scenarios was simulated with the models to determine the watershed response to land-use changes at the small and medium scale and to test whether the type, size, and spatial distribution of land uses will influence the effectiveness of land management options.

22 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Operation and Deployment Risk Assessment Report for the City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Alternative and Sequencing Optimization for Removable Flood Barriers

ABSTRACT: The City of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, partnered with engineering firms and the US Army Engineer District, Rock Island (MVR), to develop a Flood Control System (FCS). In 2011, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL), was tasked with completing a risk assessment of removable floodwalls on the eastern side of the Cedar River. In 2016, ERDC-CHL was asked to include the temporary flood closure barriers on both sides of the Cedar River. Phase 1 of the study consisted of seven alternatives to be considered for the final FCS design, with a goal of a 90% confidence of successful deployment. Phase 2, initiated by MVR, targeted a 95% confidence level. The method used for evaluation was RiskyProject® software. The software used a Monte Carlo method of analysis to determine a range of durations, manpower, and labor costs based on logical sequencing. The results showed that the “Master Plan Minus 400 ft” alternative to be the most efficient for Phase 1. The most efficient alternative for Phase 2 was Task 5.4, which achieved a 95% confidence level of completion within 48 hours. The Phase 1 and the Phase 2 descriptions are detailed within this report.

22 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: A Practical Two-Phase Approach to Improve the Reliability and Efficiency of Markov Chain Monte Carlo Directed Hydrologic Model Calibration

ABSTRACT: Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods are widely used in hydrology and other fields for posterior inference in a Bayesian framework. A properly constructed MCMC sampler is guaranteed to converge to the correct limiting distribution, but convergence can be very slow. While most research is focused on improving the proposal distribution used to generate trial moves in the Markov chain, this work instead focuses on efficiently finding an initial population for population-based MCMC samplers that will expedite convergence. Four case studies, including two hydrological models, are used to demonstrate that using multi-level single linkage implicit filtering stochastic global optimization to initialize the population both reduces the overall computational cost and significantly increases the chance of finding the correct limiting distribution within the constraint of a fixed computational budget.

22 Apr 2020

Corps releases Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment for review

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment #571 (SEA #571) titled “West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction Levee System St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes, Louisiana” which is available for public review and comment. The 30-day public review and comment period for SEA #571 will begin on April 23, 2020 and end on May 23, 2020.

22 Apr 2020

Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee meeting postponed because of COVID-19 concerns

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--The Table Rock Lake Oversight Committee and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are postponing the public meeting scheduled for May 6 because of COVID-19 concerns and the current State of Missouri “Stay At Home” order.

22 Apr 2020

Public input sought on updated oil and gas management plan for Lake Sakakawea/Garrison Project, N.D.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, is seeking public comments on an updated draft oil and gas management plan, and new programmatic environmental assessment, for the Lake Sakakawea/Garrison Dam Project in North Dakota. Comments will be accepted until May 22, 2020.

22 Apr 2020

USACE Chicago District Ecosystem Restoration Master Plan team, partners look to future of ecosystem restoration program

As the nation’s environmental engineer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages one of the largest federal environmental missions – constructing sustainable facilities; regulating waterways; managing natural resources; cleaning up contaminated sites from past military activities; and restoring degraded ecosystems. 

21 Apr 2020

20-019 Parents, are your kids driving you crazy? Looking for something to entertain them with? US Army Corps of Engineers is here to help!

AHSAHKA, Idaho – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) would like to introduce you to a new seven week online education program.

21 Apr 2020

Navigable Waters Protection Rule published today and becomes effective June 22, 2020.

Navigable Waters Protection Rule published today and becomes effective June 22, 2020. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army are publishing a final rule defining the scope of waters federally regulated under the Clean Water Act. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule is the second step in a comprehensive, two-step process intended to review and revise the definition of “waters of the United States” consistent with the Executive Order signed on February 28, 2017, “Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the `Waters of the United States' Rule.” Once effective, it replaces the rule published on October 22, 2019.  This rule becomes effective on June 22, 2020.  Here is a link to the federal register notice: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/04/21/2020-02500/the-navigable-waters-protection-rule-definition-of-waters-of-the-united-states 

21 Apr 2020

Ashuelot River white water events on April 25 in Surry cancelled by paddling clubs due to COVID-19 concerns

All Ashuelot River paddling events that were scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2020, in Surry, New Hampshire, have been cancelled by the paddling club requestors due to concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Surry Mountain Dam in Surry, New Hampshire, will not be providing controlled releases of water that weekend, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District officials.