20 Apr 2026

New Poe Lock Emergency Closure System Physical Model Study

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Detroit District (LRE) has begun the process of designing a new emergency bulkhead for Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and has requested assistance from the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, in determining the hydraulic loads the bulkhead will experience during operation. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center has constructed a 1:25 scale physical hydraulic model to estimate the hydraulic forces on the bulkhead and pressure on the bulkhead sill during lowering operations. Multiple bulkhead lowering speeds and bulkhead lip designs have been tested over the course of the study. This report provides time histories of the hydraulic loads and bulkhead pressures throughout the bulkhead lowering operations. These results will inform the design of the emergency bulkhead and the size of its operating equipment.

15 Apr 2026

Field Evaluation of the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD): Hydrodynamic, Navigation, and Fish Response Effects

Abstract: The escape and subsequent spread of invasive carp (notably, bighead carp [Hypophthalmichthys nobilis] and silver carp [H. molitrix]) from aquaculture ponds and sewage lagoons into the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers poses a significant risk to further spread of these fish into the Great Lakes. Prior research demonstrated that commercial tows can transport juvenile invasive carp through locks and other barriers to fish migration. A recent physical model study recommended a linear array of bubble diffusers, the Automated Barge Clearing Deterrent (ABCD), for further evaluation in mitigating the transport of small fish in commercial tows. The present field study evaluated the ABCD for navigation safety and barge junction flushing capacity. An instrumented commercial tow executed 119 lock approaches with the ABCD both operating and idle. Pilot interviews and tow trajectory analysis indicated no significant navigation safety issues. The measured velocity data, fish recapture data, and a simple fish displacement model indicated that the ABCD produced sufficient flow to expel all passive objects and many small juvenile invasive carp. However, the ABCD is less likely to expel large juvenile invasive carp due to their stronger swimming ability. The ABCD and two alternative configurations prove strong contenders for further development and application.

24 Mar 2026

LaGrange Lock and Dam Navigation Study: Ship Simulation Results

Abstract: Located at River Mile 80.2, approximately 8 mi south of Beardstown, Illinois, the LaGrange Lock and Dam is a wicket gate structure with a single tainter gate to control pool elevation. LaGrange was constructed in the 1930s to aid navigation on the Illinois River. Due to increased commercial traffic, its existing 600 ft lock is now inadequate. To address this, the US Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island District and the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) studied the feasibility of adding a new 1,200 ft lock chamber. Initial physical model studies were conducted between 2009 and 2010 and continued in 2023. In 2024, the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) used the ERDC Watercraft and Ship Simulator for a feasibility study focusing on the approaches to the new lock. The goal was to assess the navigability of the proposed design under various conditions. By analyzing simulator data and pilot feedback, CHL worked to confirm the design's feasibility and ensure its construction would not adversely affect the existing structure, which will remain as an auxiliary chamber.

13 Mar 2026

John H. Overton Lock and Dam, Red River: Lower Navigation Approach Physical Model

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (ERDC-CHL) conducted a physical model study of the John H. Overton Lock and Dam to optimize the navigation conditions in the lower lock approach. ERDC built a 1:100 Froude scale model to evaluate the navigation conditions for tows entering and exiting the lower lock approach. The final design consisted of two submerged rock dikes implemented approximately 1,500 and 3,000 ft downstream of the dam’s crest. The larger submerged rock dike was parallel to the channel, located in a scoured area at the downstream end of the riprap channel bed, and contained a crest elevation of approximately 15 ft, North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The smaller submerged rock dike extended from the most upstream end of the first rock dike, diagonally crossing the channel to the right-descending bank, and contained a crest elevation of approximately 30 ft, NAVD 88. The model provided data regarding tow tracks, current direction, and velocity information for various possible optimizations to the dam’s lower lock approach.

24 Oct 2025

Hydraulic Evaluation of the Proposed Brandon Road Lock Flushing System

Abstract: The Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Study is a US Army Corps of Engineers effort focused on stopping the migration of aquatic nuisance species (ANS) from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. Brandon Road Lock and Dam (BRLD) has been chosen as the location to stop this northward migration. The study described in this report focuses on the performance of a proposed lock flushing system intended to reduce the risk of ANS from passing northward through BRLD. This system is a modification of the existing filling/emptying (F/E) system and must perform as both a lock flushing system and the F/E system. This study focuses on determining the performance of the flushing system and the F/E system to establish flushing and F/E operating parameters for safe lock operation. The results presented include qualitative descriptions and quantitative measurements of the flushing and F/E systems’ hydraulic performance. Finally, this study investigates commercial barge tows entering and exiting the lock chamber to determine the effects such barge tow movement has on both the barge tow and the vessel-generated currents. This report provides recommendations for flushing system and F/E system operation and commercial barge traffic considerations during flushing.

3 Jul 2025

Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock Replacement Study: Hydrodynamic Modeling and Ship Simulation

Abstract: The Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) Lock connects the Mississippi River to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, surrounded by developed areas in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tow transit times through the current IHNC lock take up to 20 hours. The US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, has proposed constructing a new lock to reduce tow transit times significantly. However, the new lock will have potential effects on vehicle traffic patterns due to the three bridges across IHNC. To address potential navigation issues, hydrodynamic modeling and ship simulations of the study area were conducted for the three phases of the project: new lock construction, present lock deconstruction, and proposed new lock design. The hydrodynamic model was developed and validated to present conditions, simulating various water levels across the lock structure to provide water levels and currents for ship simulation. The ship simulation was used to record transit times to determine impacts of the waterborne vessel traffic on vehicular traffic due to bridge raising and lowering, as well as navigability of the bypass channels associated with lock construction and existing lock deconstruction. Elicitation from the towing industry was used to inform final design of the new IHNC lock and bypass channels.

2 Apr 2025

LaGrange Lock and Dam, Illinois River: Navigation Approach Physical Model

Abstract: A physical model study of the LaGrange Lock and Dam was conducted to optimize the navigation conditions for the new landside lock chamber design developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers–Rock Island District, Inland Navigation Design Center, and Stanley Consultants. A 1:120 Froude scale model was built to evaluate the navigation conditions for tows entering and exiting the upper and lower approaches. The final design consisted of a new 1,200 ft lock chamber located landward of the existing chamber. Data were collected to evaluate tow tracks and current direction and velocity information. Satisfactory navigation conditions were developed, and details are shown in the results section of this report.

7 Aug 2024

Traveling Kevel Load Analysis for Inland Locks, Phase I: Previous Failures

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has begun an investigation of the load conditions experienced by a traveling kevel when moored to a moving barge train. These traveling kevel systems are essential for the safe and efficient use of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) navigation lock inventory. This work is being conducted as part of the Navigation Systems Research Program of the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL). Recent failures of traveling kevels suggest that the existing design guidance for design loads for traveling kevels may need updating. This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) describes the pertinent background information and the current issues related to previous traveling kevel failures.

10 Jun 2024

Lock and Dam 25, Upper Mississippi River Navigation Study: Ship-Simulation Results

Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), used the Ship/Tow Simulator to evaluate navigational conditions for the US Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District (MVS), proposed 1,200 feet (ft) lock chamber at Lock and Dam 25 in a tow simulation study. The study considers the impacts to navigation throughout construction sequences of the proposed 1,200 ft lock chamber and the final completed project. Testing occurred at CHL in October–November 2022 with five industry tow pilots. A total of 47 unique test conditions for a total of 187 ship-simulation exercises were evaluated. All final project simulations indicated that the design is feasible. When testing the construction scenarios of the design, it was evident that a tug assist boat would be necessary for entering the 600 ft lock for both approaches. Results found that the intermediate wall construction should begin at the existing structure and progress downstream. Entering the 600 ft lock from the pool side was additionally completed successfully; however, modifications are needed for entering from the tailwater side. Ultimately, the results of this study will aid MVS in the design plan and decision-making regarding the proposed lock.

20 Oct 2023

DataSwitch Data Sweeper (DS)2

Purpose: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering technical note (CHETN) is to specify the software requirements, architecture, and detailed design for the DataSwitch Data Sweeper (DS)² application. This document is designed for the software developers maintaining (DS)² and is intended to aid these developers in understanding its architecture and underlying functionality.