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  • September

    EL’s Technology Research, Evaluation, and Advancement Testbed (TREAT) demonstration team, in collaboration with Responsible Energy and Tetra Tech, recently modified its TREAT Facility within a month’s time to support and validate a thermal-plasma treatment system called Free Radical Gasification, or FRG, for destroying legacy aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and PFAS contamination to establish the technical foundation for the upcoming Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) demonstration.

    ERDC modifies test facility to support full-scale PFAS destruction demonstration

    Experts at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) have made rapid, significant modifications to a one-of-a-kind facility intended to support a full-scale demonstration of state-of-the-art technology designed to destroy Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).

  • August

    The research focuses on using two European moth species as biological control agents. The moths bore into the grass stems, weakening them. Pictured here is stem that was cut open to reveal residues that were left behind by the moth.

    ERDC invasive grass management research published in “Biological Control”

    ERDC Environmental Laboratory research on managing phragmites australis, an invasive wetland grass, was published in the international journal “Biological Control,” a peer-reviewed scientific journal that focuses on using living natural enemies and agents to manage and mitigate pests, plant diseases and weeds.
  • ERDC's Environmental Laboratory (EL) is assisting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New Orleans District and Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to reconnect Louisiana's Maurepas Swamp with the Mississippi River improving the swamp's ecosystem . (USACE photo by Nathan Beane)

    ERDC-EL researchers join USACE New Orleans District-led Maurepas Swamp Project

    A team of experts from ERDC-EL are supporting the New Orleans District in their River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp Project, an initiative that will divert freshwater from the Mississippi River back into the swamp through a 5.5-mile controlled-flow diversion and extend the swamp’s lifespan and habitat, providing benefit to approximately 45,000 acres within the swamp. The project aims to improve the cypress-tupelo swamp’s health by adding vital nutrients and flushing stagnant, low-oxygen water.

  • July

    Gaining critical experience, summer interns with ERDC's Environmental Laboratory present their findings during a recent poster session. The program immerses interns in cutting-edge research for both military and civil works missions. (USACE photo by Khary Ratliff)

    ERDC summer interns dive into research, community

    This summer, nearly 150 high-school, undergraduate and graduate students are working in Vicksburg, Mississippi, as interns at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
  • Dr. David Moore, senior scientist for environmental sciences, discusses the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Environmental Laboratory competencies, highlighting high-impact pilot projects directly supporting Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS), Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) and EPA Support (Superfund/Brownfields). The presentation was part of a workshop focusing on accelerating mission delivery, maximizing installation resilience and strengthening long-term operational readiness across the three critical portfolios.

    Collaboration key to accelerating mission delivery across USACE environmental portfolios

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is helping transform how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) approaches environmental cleanup. By delivering advanced science, technology, and engineering solutions, ERDC is actively working to accelerate remediation, reduce risk, and return contaminated sites to productive use.
  • ERDC Commander Lt. Col. Joshua Haynes (left) and ERDC Director Dr. Beth Fleming (right) pose with ERDC Environmental Laboratory Director Dr. Edmond Russo (middle) at his retirement ceremony

    ERDC-EL Director Dr. Edmond Russo retires after 30+ years of service

    After more than three decades of service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Dr. Edmond Russo, director of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL), closed the book on his storied career.
  • Picture of some 3D printer Oyster Reefs

    ERDC, USACE Mobile District deploy innovative 3D-printed oyster reefs in Mobile Bay

    Maintaining the nation’s waterways requires removal of millions of cubic yards of sediment to keep navigation channels safe and reliable. A team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is advancing a different way of thinking about material: rather than treating dredged sediment solely as something to manage, how it can it be used as an engineering resource to strengthen coastal systems? ERDC’s Environmental Laboratory, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District and regional partners are evaluating whether dredged sediment can be transformed into 3D-printed structures that provide oyster habitat, improve shoreline resilience and expand beneficial use opportunities.
  • U.S. Navy Sailors with range control patrol Browns Island and the surrounding waters on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, May 14, 2026.

    ERDC researchers granted patent for novel underwater UXO blast shield invention

    Military weapons, ammunition, equipment, and materials, collectively known as munitions of war, lie at the bottom of rivers, lakes, and oceans across the country. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works to safely locate and remove the munitions, preventing aquatic and human environmental hazards. Two U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) engineers recently developed a patented technology that could significantly improve how those underwater munitions are detected and recovered.

  • May

    Soldiers walking in the woods.

    ERDC, U.S. Forest Service make historic agreement to accelerate forest capabilities

    Thanks to a historic agreement between the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Forest Service, a foundational dataset has been created to bolster the nation’s forests.

  • April

    A graphic of two researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

    ERDC study reveals pathway to breakdown “forever chemicals”

    A study on breaking down PFAS molecules conducted by two researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) was recently published in a leading, peer-reviewed scientific journal.

  • February

    Representatives from ERDC’s Environmental Lab traveled to USAG Bavaria-Garmisch in Germany to conduct water assessments focusing on improving water quality and resilience.

    ERDC researchers conduct water assessment at USAG Bavaria-Garmisch in Germany

    Ensuring safe, reliable drinking water is critical to protecting Soldier health and maintaining mission readiness at U.S. military facilities worldwide. To support that objective, three researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) recently traveled to a U.S. military base in Germany to evaluate water quality, resilience and treatment needs.

  • August

    An underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is deployed during testing at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

    Rover technology helps USACE keep tabs on aging infrastructure, dredging operations

    To help U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts perform aquatic infrastructure inspections in a safe, cost-effective manner and with higher quality, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is testing the use of a commercially available underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

  • June

    Chad Young, a planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Sacramento District, has been selected for the 2025 session of ERDC-U.

    Sacramento Districts Chad Young Selected for ERDC University

    Chad Young, a planner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Sacramento District, has been selected as one of five USACE participants for the 2025 session of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
  • Four researchers in two laboratories at ERDC were recently awarded the 2024 Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholar & Mentor of the Year Awards. The recipients are scholar Dr. Andrew Groeneveld and mentor Dr. Michael “Wes” Trim, both with the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL), and scholar Dr. Andrew Jin and mentor Dr. Igor Linkov, both with the Environmental Laboratory (EL).

    Four ERDC researchers earn DoD SMART awards

    Four researchers in two laboratories at ERDC were recently awarded the 2024 Department of Defense (DoD) Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholar & Mentor of the Year Awards. The recipients are scholar Dr. Andrew Groeneveld and mentor Dr. Michael “Wes” Trim, both with the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL), and scholar Dr. Andrew Jin and mentor Dr. Igor Linkov, both with the Environmental Laboratory (EL).

  • May

    Ashley Gonzalez (USACE Jacksonville) and Megan Hamersky (Kansas Biological Survey) prepare to deploy a mooring buoy for an ERDC monitoring initiative.

    ERDC enhances HAB detections through interactive, real-time dashboard

    A team from the the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is making strides to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs) through its innovative Depth Resolved Algal Bloom Mapping (DRABM) initiative. By creating an interactive, real-time dashboard that visualizes subsurface water quality data, ERDC is transforming how HABs are detected and managed, helping to protect public health, support local economies and enhance flood risk management operations.

  • March

    Members of the National Technical Committee for the Ordinary High Water Mark pose in New Orleans. Pictured are Steven Kichefski (USACE Wilmington District), Ken Fritz (EPA), Ellen Wohl (CSU Professor), Brian Topping (EPA), Gabrielle David, and Aaron Allen (USACE Los Angeles District).

    ERDC’s Environmental Lab publishes first-of-its-kind National Ordinary High Water Mark manual

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) recently published a groundbreaking technical guide geared toward identifying Ordinary High Water Marks (OHWM) across the nation.

  • October

    An eastern small-footed bat (Myotis leibii) at USMA West Point, New York.

    International Bat Week: ERDC goes to bat to protect winged allies

    According to the Department of Defense (DOD) Natural Resources Program, more than 300 military installations will be potentially affected by at least one bat species listing under the Endangered Species Act in the next five years. Researchers from ERDC's Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) and Environmental Laboratory (EL) are at the forefront of innovative projects aimed at understanding and preserving bat populations on DoD installations.

  • September

    Bio photo of Detroit District’s Aaron W. Damrill

    Detroit District’s Aaron W. Damrill selected for ERDC University

    Aaron Damrill, a Supervisory Biologist with the USACE Detroit District, has been chosen as a participant for the 2024 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
  • Bio photo of Walla Walla District’s Dr. Christopher Peery

    Walla Walla District’s Dr. Christopher Peery selected for ERDC University

    Dr. Christopher Peery, a Senior Fish Biologist with the USACE Walla Walla District, has been chosen as a participant for the 2024 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).
  • Bio photo of Portland District’s Richard M. Piaskowski

    Portland District’s Richard M. Piaskowski selected for ERDC University

    Richard Piaskowski, a Fish Biologist with the USACE Portland District has been chosen as a participant for the 2024 session of the Engineer Research and Development Center University (ERDC-U).