Engineering With Nature

Engineering Practice Guides for Natural Infrastructure

This collection features technical guides for planning and design of inland and coastal water resources development projects.  These guides were developed by USACE’s Engineer and Research Development Center (ERDC) in close coordination with the Engineering & Construction (E&C) Directorate to expand consideration of natural infrastructure solutions.

Setting The Stage

The fields of engineering and design have made significant advances in developing solutions for today’s complex challenges. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recognizes the importance of maintaining this forward momentum. To help sustain this progress, Engineering Practice Guides are being developed that focus on the design of Natural Infrastructure (NI) solutions. While natural infrastructure has been employed for decades to achieve a variety of goals within the natural landscape, these new guides emphasize the benefits of hybrid approaches—combining traditional “gray” infrastructure with nature-based “green and blue” solutions. This integrated approach will enhance more outcomes across numerous Civil Works missions while addressing multiple objectives and mitigating potential risks.

Aerial photo of a constructed oyster reef in greenish water that resembles an arc opening to the right with fingers extending to the right, smaller ones at the top and bottom then three longer in the middle. the shoreline is visible to the right showing a sandy beach area with a dense treeline beyond.
Oyster reef near Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area, Milton, Florida. Photo credit: Darryl Boudreau, Nothwest Florida Water Management District.

While a robust body of technical guidance exists for conventional infrastructure, resources for Natural Infrastructure (NI) components are currently limited in both content and organization.  The Engineering Practice Guides are intended to fill this gap by serving as a primary source of technical direction for NI. Their purpose is to support practitioners in designing and implementing more holistic, resilient, and sustainable projects. The guides are being developed in alignment with the Engineering With Nature (EWN) Guiding Principles and are structured to follow the standard planning process of project design.

Photograph of a dark water river with a bank lined with tree trunks laid down along the shoreline which has a bank of green grass and shrubs and trees.
Ballasted log revetment were included in a levee rehabilitation on the Green River (WA) in 2008. The inclusion of logs and vegetation were part of building a levee with better alignment of flood risk management activities with regional considerations and requirements to protect and restore natural resources on PL 84-99 shorelines that complement adjacent land uses, including parks, recreational trails, farm, commercial, residential development, and other land uses.

Exploring Engineering Practice Guides

The use of the Engineering Practice Guides has been endorsed by USACE Headquarters, Engineering & Construction Directorate, for use in the planning and design of water resources development projects. Each Guide supports the application of natural infrastructure and hybrid solutions to meet project performance objectives.

Cover of Engineering Practice Guide for Floodplain Benching. A red vertical bar on the left reads "Engineer Research and Development Center" and "ERDC TR-25-15" in white text. The US Army star logo and US Army Corps of Engineers red castle logo are at the upper left of the main panel. The ERDC ribbon logo is at the upper right. The title reads "Engineering With Nature®", "Engineering Practice Guide for Floodplain Benching" in a larger bold font, "A Natural Infrastructure Approach for Riverine Systems", "Joanna Crowe Curran, S. Kyle McKay, Julie R. Beagle, Edward J. Brauer, Christopher P. Haring, Jeremy Thomas, Joe Lange, Daniel Buhr, Nich VanBuecken, Clara Rose, Debra Bishop, and Sage Jensen", and "July 2025". Below this text is a graphic of a scross section of a landscape with trees high on the left, a slope down to a revier bed labeled Guadalupe River and Gravel Augmentation. The bank rises a bit to the right of this and a lower section of lend with trees and brush. On the right of this area are 3 figures of people for scale. This level is labeled Floodplain and Bench widening, followed by Maintenance Road and Finish Grade. the landscape then steps up to the right which is labeled Existing grade. A flock of birds appears over the trees. This Graphic has a title below with the letter A in a circle and a line with the text Typical Section 777+00 and scale ?? At the bottom is the statement "Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: distribution is unlimited."

Engineering Practice Guide for Floodplain Benching

A report informing engineering activities related to site investigation and design of floodplain benches for use by engineers and ecologists to inform the design of floodplain benches in a manner consistent with and to augment other planning, design, and engineering guidance.

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Engineering Practice Guides for Oyster Reefs, Wood-Based Riverbank Stabilization, and Tidal Flow Reconnection for Wetlands

Cover of Engineering Practice Guide for Oyster Reefs. A red vertical bar on the left reads "Engineer Research and Development Center" and "ERDC TR-XX-DRAFT" in white text. The US Army star logo and US Army Corps of Engineers red castle logo are at the upper left of the main panel. The ERDC ribbon logo is at the upper right. The title reads "Engineering with Nature® Program", "Engineering Practice Guide for Oyster Reefs" in a larger bold font, "Technical Report", "Author McAuthor, Author A. Surname-Surname, A. Author Surname", "Natural Infrastructure Design for Bank Protection and Ecological Enhancement", and "August 2025". Below this text are 5 circles with graphics showing rock, recycled wood , ?, a box structure, and a grouping of 3 castle-like structures. Below this are 2 photographs of oysters attached to structures. At the bottom is the text "Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: distribution is unlimited."
Cover of Engineering Practice Guide for Wood-Based Riverbank Stabilization. A red vertical bar on the left reads "Engineer Research and Development Center" and "ERDC TR-XX-DRAFT" in white text. The US Army star logo and US Army Corps of Engineers red castle logo are at the upper left of the main panel. The ERDC ribbon logo is at the upper right. THe title reads "Engineering with Nature®", "Engineering Practice Guide for Wood- Based Riverbank Stabilization" in a larger bold font, "Natural Infrastructure Design for Bank Protection and Ecological Enhancement", and "June 24, 2025". A photo of a dark water river with a bank lined with tree trunks laid down along the shoreline is below.
Cover of Engineering Practice Guide for Tidal Flow Reconnection for Wetlands. A red vertical bar on the left reads "Engineer Research and Development Center" and "ERDC TR-XX-DRAFT" in white text. The US Army star logo and US Army Corps of Engineers red castle logo are at the upper left of the main panel. The ERDC ribbon logo is at the upper right. The title reads "The Engineering with Nature Program", "Engineering Practice Guide for Tidal Flow Reconnection for Wetlands" in a larger bold font, "A Natural Infrastructure Approach for Coastal Systems", "Author McAuthor, Author A. Surname-Surname, A. Author Surname", and "September 2025". Below this text is a grey scale aerial image of a wetland area follwed by a color aerial view of the area clearley showing the river delta.

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