27 Aug 2025

Methods for 3D Printing Dredge Sediments to Sequester Contaminants

Purpose: This technical note describes methods for preparing dredged sediment and commercially available clay for 3D printing, focusing on achieving optimal consistency and properties for successful extrusion. These methods establish best practices for using dredged sediments in 3D printing applications.

27 Aug 2025

Demonstration of a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Inspecting the Chicago Electrical Fish Dispersal Barrier

Purpose: This report describes the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) application of a remotely operated vehicle to inspect an electrical fish dispersal barrier at the bottom of the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal (CSSC) for the US Army Corps of Engineers–Chicago District.

26 Aug 2025

Tampa Harbor, Florida, Navigation Improvement Study

Abstract: The Port of Tampa Bay services approximately 30.5 million tons of cargo each year (based on 2017–2021 data) and is situated on the Tampa Bay/Orlando I-4 Corridor, which serves the largest concentration of distribution centers in the state. To expand operations to include direct Asia, Mexico, and Central America services, numerous port facility improvements were required. This rapid expansion of port capabilities led to increasing difficulty of port efficiency and navigation. A study was conducted investigating proposed channel improvements addressing these issues. In 2022 and 2023, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) assisted the US Army Corps of Engineers–Jacksonville District in evaluating proposed deepening and widening alternatives in Tampa Harbor by completing a ship simulation study using ERDC’s Ship/Tow Simulator. During this study, focus areas were passing lanes in Cut B and Gadsden Point Cut, the turning basin at Hooker’s Point/Port Sutton, the turn widener between Cut F and Gadsden Point Cut, and turns into Alafia and Big Bend. The proposed design was evaluated over the course of 2 weeks with four pilots. Proposed modifications were assessed through analysis of data resulting from the ship simulations including track plots, run sheets, and final pilot surveys.

26 Aug 2025

Miami Harbor Navigation Improvements Study

Abstract: In 2019, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), Ship/Tow Simulator (STS), was used to perform a navigation study assisting the US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. The study evaluates channel improvements to allow larger containerships to call at the Port of Miami. This study also evaluates improvements associated with the proposed cruise terminals. This study was conducted at the CHL real-time STS. Real-time refers to the fact that model time uses a 1:1 ratio to prototype time. In addition, real world environmental forces were simulated and acted upon the modeled ships during the study. These forces included currents, wind, bathymetry, and bank effects. Simulations for the project improvements were conducted at CHL for 3 weeks in August 2019 and 1 week in November 2019. Seven Biscayne Bay pilots participated in the validation and testing exercises. The design vessels include the MSC Daniela (14,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit [TEU]) container ship, the Majestic Maersk (18,000 TEU) container ship, the Allure of the Seas cruise ship, the Disney Dream cruise ship, and the M/S Paradise cruise ship. Results, in the form of track plots and pilot questionnaires, were reviewed to develop conclusions and recommendations.

26 Aug 2025

Evaluating Beneficial Use in the 1998–2021 Sediment Placement Data with Updated Placement Categories

Purpose: The objective of this study was to provide a comparable Beneficial Use (BU) to Disposal ratio for the data within the “historic” 1998–2021 Sediment Placement Data Viewer to the data within the 2022–Present Sediment Placement Data Viewer. In conjunction with this primary objective, a secondary target was to quantify a historic average volume of sediment placed by US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) annually on a national scale.

26 Aug 2025

The Quick Response Toolbox User’s Guide

Abstract: Regional-scale beach morphology, volume, and shoreline changes are quantified using the Joint Airborne Lidar Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) ArcGIS Python toolboxes. This user’s guide details the JALBTCX toolbox framework and the operation of the Quick Response Toolbox. A walkthrough for each individual step within the toolbox will be presented along with example data from Homer, Alaska. Best practices and example data and figures are included as additional documentation for new users.

25 Aug 2025

Development of a Hydrogen-Fuel-Cell Emergency Response Vehicle: H2Rescue for Energy and Water Resilience

Abstract: The successful fulfilment of the US Corps of Engineers’ civil and military missions relies on both mitigating and adapting to environmental insecurities. The prototype hydrogen-fuel-cell emergency response vehicle, H2Rescue, was built and tested to aid in disaster relief. A collaboration across government agencies and with Accelera by Cummins resulted in successful demonstrations of this vehicle, as described in this technical re-port. Additionally, researchers examined the broader economic and infra-structural factors to determine how soon such a vehicle might be mass-produced. Recommendations are given as to how a technology transfer of this research and development effort could be enacted, including the path forward for a future version of this prototype.

22 Aug 2025

Evaluating High Water Indicators Along Lake Powell’s Shoreline, Utah-Arizona

Purpose: This document is a technical note (TN) that outlines how to evaluate physical, chemical, biological, and statistical indicators of the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) for reservoirs of the Arid West, with identification of high water indicators around Lake Powell serving as a case study (Figure 1). The focus of this TN is to describe observed indicators, the processes that shape them, and how to put the information in context based on past and present water levels. It can be particularly complicated to evaluate evidence of OHWM in arid west lakes, because of the years of drought that has occurred in this region, leaving indicators high and dry over years. Therefore, this TN also provides information on how to apply the same weight-of-evidence (WoE) approach that was introduced for OHWM delineation in rivers and streams by David et al. (2025) to arid west lakes and reservoirs. Lake Powell is used as a case study to show how to interpret the indicators along the lake and evaluate the relevance, strength, and reliability of these indicators in relation to high water stage in the lake.

22 Aug 2025

Local Integrated-Technology Energy System to Meet Operational Needs (LITES ON) Project

Abstract: The ability to reliably charge battery systems, whether for vehicles, mission support equipment, or stationary purposes, is especially important in remote and cold regions. The US Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) project team evaluated and documented the performance of potential photovoltaic (PV) battery charging configurations (e.g., controller component) for use in such regions, especially as backup alternatives to other grid-connected charging stations that support Army installations, with a unique focus on the power electronics components of the system. In addition to its potential to support building energy resilience, this work complements other work that considers electrification of the DoD fleet of vehicles and the needed grid-connected infrastructure. This work adds to the growing information available on lithium ion (Li-ion) battery performance in cold regions by monitoring the battery performance as part of the test configuration. The results help better inform design and performance requirements needed for cold regions applications as well as the acquisition of such systems.

22 Aug 2025

Continuous Real-Time Acoustic Monitoring of Endangered Bird Species in Hawai‛i

Abstract: The decline of endemic bird species in Hawai‘i requires innovative conservation measures enabled by passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). This paper describes a novel real-time PAM system used in the Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA) to reduce wildlife collisions and minimize disruptions to military operations while ensuring the protection of endangered bird species such as the Nēnē and ‘Akē‘akē. The system is based on the BirdNET algorithm and was evaluated with over 16,000 soundscape recordings from Hawai‘i. The results show that the model version HI V2.0, based on BirdNET and specifically adapted to Hawaiian bird species, showed the clearest separation between true and false positive detections (average precision 49% to 52%), although this difference was not statistically significant. However, accuracy varied considerably between species and locations, emphasizing the need to adapt the models to the specific conditions of use. A novel web application allows immediate visualization of the predicted bird species, facilitating the implementation of conservation measures. The three acoustic monitoring units installed at the PTA in January 2023 demonstrate the system’s potential for continuous monitoring and protection of Hawaiian endangered bird species.