14 May 2026

Engineering With Nature® Proving Grounds Innovation Handbook

Abstract: The Engineering With Nature® Proving Grounds Innovation Handbook provides a comprehensive framework for integrating innovative natural and nature-based features and sediment management strategies to address climate-driven hazards and increase resilience in coastal and fluvial environments. Developed through collaboration between engineers, scientist, landscape architects, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts and divisions, the EWN Handbook showcases a diverse collection of projects within the four coasts of the United States and offers the wide range of approaches available to achieve multiple benefits (economic, ecological, and social) through the application of traditional engineering with natural infrastructure solutions. The document aims to offer practitioners ideas on how to incorporate EWN concepts and strategies in all phases to build more resilient, multifunctional projects that protect communities and ecosystems against future natural hazards.

13 May 2026

Beach-fx Version 3.0 User’s Manual

Abstract: The need to strengthen the linkages between engineering analyses (project performance and evolution) and planning functions (alternative analysis and economic justification) with respect to coastal storm damage reduction projects within the US Army Corps of Engineers led to the development of the life-cycle simulation model Beach-fx. Beach-fx provides a comprehensive analytical framework for evaluating the physical performance and economic benefits and costs of shore protection projects, particularly beach nourishment along sandy shores. The model has been implemented as an event-based Monte Carlo life-cycle simulation tool that is run on desktop computers. This report describes the components, purpose, and operational function of the Beach-fx graphical user interface, including navigation within the interface and the organization and specification of all model input and output data.

12 May 2026

Barge Arrest System for Dams on Inland Waterways: Design Criteria

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), through the Navigation Systems Research Program, has begun developing a barge arrest system to reduce the damage and recovery costs of allisions (impact events) at US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) lock and dam (L&D) sites. This development effort addresses a need for a mitigation strategy to address allisions from uncontrolled, breakaway barges following accidents that occur on a relatively frequent basis near USACE L&D sites summarized in the USACE Statement of Need 1974. These allisions have caused millions of dollars in recovery and repair costs to both the L&D structure and to navigation industry property (USACE 2005). In extreme situations, barge impacts to multiple gates have inhibited USACE’s ability to regulate water levels. This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) describes the general problem and findings from an initial design charette conducted with USACE subject matter experts (SMEs) across various technical disciplines. This initial design charette focused on the identification of design criteria for the prototype design and potential case study sites.

4 May 2026

Impact of Vessel Operations on Navigation Channel Stability and the Broader Environment: Insights from a Workshop Held 4–5 September 2024

Abstract: Vessel operations in the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) portfolio of waterways create a range of environmental and navigation challenges. This report documents the proceedings of a workshop highlighting research and development (R&D) on vessel-related navigation channel stability and associated environmental impacts. Across 13 workshop presentations, three major themes emerged to guide future USACE R&D efforts: (1) the need for better data and standardized processing routines, (2) the need for a streamlined modeling framework that can simulate all relevant physical processes for vessel operation, and (3) the need for improved internal and external partnerships to better address vessel-related issues. Addressing these critical knowledge gaps will advance engineering practice associated with vessel operations in USACE waterways.

4 May 2026

Applying Direct Numerical Simulations to Investigate Wave Forcing Against a Vertical Wall

Abstract: Current engineering standards lack the ability to predict the peak impact forces of breaking waves impinging directly upon coastal structures. In this study solitary waves impacting vertical and tapered walls are investigated. To capture the detailed physics of the wave profile that impacts the wall, two-dimensional direct numerical simulations are applied to model the wave traveling over a simplified bathymetry consisting of an initially uniform depth, followed by a uniform beach ramp and then terminating in a uniform depth inshore region and vertical wall. Such an approach can simulate wave runup on land and then the impact with the vertical or tapered walls. The wall location in the bathymetry was varied to simulate different types of wave impacts, including non-breaking, plunging, and bores. The resulting wave characteristics and wall impact pressures were compared across these varying regimes. The associated wave impact force was extracted and compared to various standards used in coastal engineering, and severe underestimation has been found for plunging and weak plunging type impacts. To address this, in this study, a dimensionless distance parameter has been proposed to provide a unifying trend in regards to the peak impact forcing across the various impact types.

27 Apr 2026

Beneficial Use and Sources of Shoaled Material at Kahului Harbor

Abstract: Ongoing sediment shoaling in Kahului Harbor is detrimental to navigation as it creates a hazard to vessels operating within the Harbor and necessitates recurring maintenance dredging. This study addressed two aspects of the shoaling in Kahului Harbor. First, the volume of shoaling sediment was estimated based on this and previous research efforts in Kahului Harbor, and the material was evaluated for potential beneficial use as beach placement material. Second, sedimentary geochemical fingerprinting including elemental composition, grain size, and sediment color was assessed and compared to potential terrestrial sources to identify the source of the shoaling sediment for potential future mitigation studies. Results determined that the size and color of the shoaling sediment was not conducive for beach placement and thus would not have a beneficial use aspect unless a need could be identified for fine-grained dark-colored sand in an upland region. Additionally, results identified western Maui as the dominant source of shoaling sediment in Kahului Harbor, likely via high flow events in the Iao Stream. Further studies are suggested to both identify potential uses for the shoaled sediment, as well as to better quantify sediment transport pathways from West Maui into Kahului Harbor to identify potential mitigation strategies.

24 Apr 2026

A Comprehensive Review of the Primary Sources of Uncertainty in Stone Armor Stability

Abstract: Coastal rubble mound armor stability prediction uncertainty is relatively high in the field of civil engineering. The present study aims to provide an in-depth review of the principal sources of stone armor stability uncertainty derived from laboratory experiments. The study delineates the contribution of each source and sub-class to the total uncertainty based on the body of knowledge from the literature and data analysis. Uncertainty is first classified into two main components: aleatory (intrinsic), which is irreducible and arises from the inherent randomness of natural processes, and epistemic uncertainty, which relates to limited knowledge of physical processes, observations, and predictive methods, and can be reduced with appropriate precautions. Epistemic uncertainty is further subdivided into three main categories: data uncertainty (waves and damage), predictive model uncertainty, and experimental errors. The focus is on empirical stability equations and the underlying data and experiments. For each category and sub-class, a semi-quantitative estimation of the coefficient of variation is provided to convey a sense of the magnitude of the component contribution to the total epistemic uncertainty in stability predictions. Results indicate that data uncertainty, particularly related to damage assessment, is the dominant contributor, followed by predictive model uncertainty, while error-related uncertainty have a smaller impact. The findings highlight the importance of improving data quality and standardization to reduce epistemic uncertainty, thereby enhancing the reliability of empirical design models, and supporting more consistent probabilistic design of rubble mound structures.

24 Apr 2026

Conceptual Sediment Budget Creation Using CorpsCam Imagery: Holland Harbor, Michigan

Abstract: This Regional Sediment Management (RSM) technical note (TN) discusses the development of a conceptual sediment budget at Holland Harbor, Michigan, using CorpsCam imagery. Imagery from May 2020 through October 2021 was analyzed to calculate volume change along Ottawa Beach, just north of the entrance to Holland Harbor. Shoaling rates and longshore sediment transport rates were calculated to supplement the beach volume change rates, with a sediment budget developed as the final product. This is a companion piece to the ERDC/TN RSM-26-1, Conceptual Sediment Budget Creation Using CorpsCam Imagery: Lynnhaven Inlet, Virginia.

24 Apr 2026

Conceptual Sediment Budget Creation Using CorpsCam Imagery: Lynnhaven Inlet, Virginia

Abstract: This Regional Sediment Management technical note (RSM TN) discusses the development of a conceptual sediment budget at Lynnhaven Inlet, Virginia, using CorpsCam imagery. Analysis of imagery collected between September 2022 and July 2024 is used to calculate the volume change along the beaches adjacent to the inlet. The final budget incorporates shoaling change rates and estimated longshore-sediment transport rates. This is a companion piece to the ERDC/TN RSM-26-2 Conceptual Sediment Budget Creation Using CorpsCam Imagery: Holland, Michigan.

23 Apr 2026

Sediment Transport Modeling to Evaluate the Performance of a Dredged Channel at Pohoiki Bay, Hawaiʻi, Following the Kīlauea Lower East Rift Zone Eruption

Abstract: The Kīlauea volcano’s Lower East Rift Zone (LERZ), located approximately 20.5 miles south-southeast from Hilo on the Island of Hawaiʻi, erupted during the summer of 2018, destroying over 700 homes and advancing the shoreline east of the volcano into the Pacific Ocean. The recently formed lava field along the shoreline eroded into Pohoiki Bay, creating a black sand beach that closed access to a boat ramp that was vital to the local community. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Honolulu District, on behalf of the State of Hawaiʻi, requested the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) conduct numerical modeling of the existing condition at and around the bay to evaluate the impact of dredging a channel through the beach to reconnect the boat ramp to the Pacific Ocean. The Coastal Modeling System (CMS) was used to evaluate the shoaling rates in the proposed channel. The model was validated with morphology change calculations from a sediment budget, and the results provide a range of possible shoaling rates in the channel. The results of this effort were used to inform the State of Hawaiʻi’s plans to complete construction of a dredged channel in November 2025.