1 Dec 2020

Seamless Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Creation for the Mississippi River in Louisiana to Support Hydrologic Modeling

N/A

20 Aug 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Three Rivers, Southeast Arkansas Navigation Study: Ship Simulation Report

Abstract: The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River System (MKARNS) is a major inland waterway that begins at the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, OK, and travels to the confluence of the White and Mississippi Rivers. Over the years, many structures have been built to help control overland flow between the White, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. These structures have required a significant amount of rehabilitation, which has resulted in high maintenance costs. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the Arkansas Waterways Commission conducted the Three Rivers Southeast Arkansas Feasibility Study (also known as the Three Rivers Study). The Three Rivers Study focused on providing long-term dependable navigation in the MKARNS. From this study, a proposal was developed that included a 1,000 ft reopening of the Historic Cutoff and a reinforcement of several areas near the White River. In 2019, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Ship/Tow Simulator was used to perform a navigation study to ensure the proposed modifications did not negatively impact navigation on the White River section of the MKARNS. Assessment of the proposed modifications was accomplished through analysis of ship simulations completed by experienced pilots, discussions, track plots, run sheets, and final pilot surveys.

12 May 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: AIS Data Case Study: St. Louis Area Commercial Vessel Fleeting Activity and Potential River Training Structures

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District (MVS), needed to examine commercial river traffic patterns before designing new river training structures to reduce maintenance dredging costs in the St. Louis Harbor area of the Middle Mississippi River (MMR). The MMR is considered to be that portion of the Mississippi River from the confluence of the Missouri River down to the Ohio River, and the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) is everything north of the Missouri River. MVS analyzed historic Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, which provide georeferenced and timestamped position reports for commercial vessels, to reveal river use patterns. The Mississippi River within the MVS area of responsibility is heavily trafficked by the shipping industry and includes numerous loading facilities and fleeting areas that are outside of the main navigation channel. This work identified previously unknown fleeting areas in locations that were being considered for siting of river training structures. These areas were then removed from potential construction consideration, thus avoiding conflict with shipping industry river use.

29 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Application of Chirp Acoustic Sub-Bottom Data in Riverine Environments: Identification of Underlying Rocky Hazards at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Thebes, Illinois

NOTE: A revised version of the report MRG&P Report No. 31 has been published. While the link below remains valid, the PDF attached to the record is new. It is now 47 pages instead of 45 pages after the changes made. Please update your records as needed.

29 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Lake Providence to Old River Geomorphology Assessment

Abstract: This report integrates information from previous geomorphic studies coupled with new analysis to provide a comprehensive geomorphic characterization of the Lake Providence (River Mile [RM] 487.2 Above Head of Passes [AHP]) to Old River Control Complex, (RM 317 AHP) reach from the early-1800s to present. Individual components of this study included the following: historical geomorphic studies, development of an events timeline, specific gage records, stage and flow duration trends, trends in water surface slopes, bed material studies, suspended sediment data, channel geometry data, and effects of channel improvement features (cutoffs, dike, revetment, and dredging). These individual assessments were consolidated to develop an overall assessment of how the study reach has evolved since the early-1800s.

27 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: AIS Data Case Study: River Level and Vessel Approach Variation at Melvin Price Locks and Dam in St. Louis District

ABSRACT: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District (MVS), manages multiple lock and dam structures on the Mississippi River. One of these, Melvin Price Locks and Dam (MPLD), was the subject of at least 12 allision events from downbound (southbound) vessels between January and November 2018 according to US Coast Guard (USCG) records, an unusually high number for this location. In an effort to understand how vessel operations change under varying river conditions, historical river gauge data and historical vessel position data for both upbound (northbound) and downbound (southbound) traffic were examined together to describe general approach paths for vessels at different water levels. Historic tracks for vessels involved in allusion events are not included in this work because of ongoing investigations at the time of publication.

20 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Application of Chirp Acoustic Sub-Bottom Data in Riverine Environments: Identification of Underlying Rocky Hazards at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and Thebes, Illinois

ABSTRACT: Shallow acoustic reflection (chirp) data have been utilized to map the elevation of underlying stratigraphy in a wide range of aqueous environments. Of particular concern in riverine regions is the elevation of near-surface underlying rock that, if exposed during normal migration of sedimentary bedforms, can cause grounding and damage to vessels transiting the region during periods of low water. Given the ephemeral nature of the rock’s exposure, traditional surveying methods are insufficient to map rock when it is covered by a thin veneer of sediment, increasing the potential hazard. Accordingly, the US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, (MVS) explored the use of chirp sub-bottom surveys to identify buried rock within the Mississippi River in the vicinity of Cape Girardeau, MO, and Thebes, IL. Hazard maps showing the distribution of buried rock were generated, and the base of the mobile sediment layer was identified where possible. These data will allow MVS to accurately identify potentially hazardous regions during periods of low water. Although the study did not result in the complete mapping of all near-surface geologic hazards, regions that warrant further study are identified, and modifications to the original survey plan are provided to improve the accuracy of future data collection efforts.

14 Apr 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Numerical Sedimentation Investigation Mississippi River Cairo to Pilots Station

 Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/35573 Report Number: MRG&P Report No. 30Title: Numerical Sedimentation Investigation Mississippi River Cairo to Pilots StationBy Ronald R. Copeland, Leslie Lombard, Roger A. GainesApproved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited February 2020Abstract:  A HEC-6T numerical model of the entire Lower