1 Oct 2021

Technical Guide for the Development, Evaluation, and Modification of Stream Assessment Methods for the Corps Regulatory Program

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Army Corps Regulatory Program considers the loss (impacts) and gain (compensatory mitigation) of aquatic resource functions as part of Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting and compensatory mitigation decisions. To better inform this regulatory decision-making, the Regulatory Program needs transparent and objective approaches to assess the function and condition of aquatic resources, including streams. Therefore, the Regulatory Program needs function-based stream assessments (1) to characterize a stream’s condition or function, (2) to improve understanding of the impact of a proposed action on an aquatic resource, and/or (3) to inform the development of stream compensatory mitigation tools rooted in stream condition and/or function. A function-based stream assessment can provide regulatory decision makers with the resources to objectively consider alternatives, minimize impacts, assess un-avoidable impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and monitor the success of mitigation projects. A multiagency National Committee on Stream Assessment (NCSA) convened to create these guidelines to inform the development of new methods and evaluation of both national-level and regional methods currently in use. The resulting guidelines present nine phases, including rationale and recommendations to facilitate work efforts. The NCSA hopes that this technical guide promotes transparency, technical defensibility, and consistent application of stream assessments in the Regulatory Program.

1 Oct 2021

Acoustic Nondestructive Testing and Measurement of Tension for Steel Reinforcing Members

Abstract: Many concrete structures contain internal post-tensioned steel structural members that are subject to fracturing and corrosion. The major problem with conventional tension measurement techniques is that they use indirect and non-quantitative methods to determine whether there has been a loss of tension. We have developed an acoustics-based technology and method for making quantitative tension measurements of an embedded, tensioned steel member. The theory and model were verified in the laboratory using a variety of steel rods as test specimens. Field tests of the method were conducted at three Corps of Engineers dams, located in Oklahoma, Georgia, and Illinois. Measurements of the longitudinal and shear velocity were able to be made on rods up to 50 ft long. Not all rods of this length were able to be measured and the quality and consistency of the signal varied. There were fewer problems measuring the longitudinal velocity than shear velocity. While the tension predictions worked in the laboratory tests, the tension could not be accurately calculated for any of the field sites. This is because we were not able to obtain the longitudinal or shear velocities in an unstressed state or precise measurements of the longitudinal and shear velocities due to the lack of knowledge of the precise length of the rods in the tensioned state.

1 Oct 2021

Thermal Camera Reliability Study: FLIR Pro One

Purpose: The purpose of the effort described herein is to verify the reliability of the FLIR One Pro Gen 3 (FLIR One) unit through systematic experiments that compare the temperature perceived by the unit to the temperature measured by contact sensors on different materials through a range of temperatures.