Enhancing Benefits Evaluation for Water Resources Projects Towards a More Comprehensive Approach for Nature-Based Solutions: Consideration of Nature-Based Solutions in USACE Planning Studies
This document is the second in a series of reports produced as part of this collaborative effort. It is intended to outline the steps and processes taken to select six final case studies for analysis. The report includes: a) a description of the process taken to compile and inventory 150 planning studies, b) a summary […]
A Multi-Decadal Assessment of Dredged Sediment Beneficial Use Projects Part 1: Ecological Outcomes
Dredged sediment has been used to create and restore wetlands and other landforms for decades as part of beneficial use initiatives. Previous studies demonstrate that beneficial use projects yield ecological functions such as habitat maintenance, floodwater detention, and biogeochemical cycling. However, questions persist about the long term ecological trajectory of beneficial use projects due to […]
Documenting Engineering with Nature® implementation within the US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District – completed projects and opportunities for chronosequence analysis
The purpose of this technical note is to document the beneficial use of dredged materials in a subset of shallow draft navigation projects conducted by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District between 1904 and 2016. The available data demonstrates (1) the expansion of beneficial uses of dredged materials over time incorporating Engineering […]
Revisiting historic dredged material habitat improvement sites informs the future of beneficial use initiatives
The beneficial use (BU) of dredged materials improves environmental outcomes while maximizing navigation benefits and minimizing costs. As a result, numerous BU projects have been implemented since the 1970s and BU efforts continue to expand within the navigation dredging portfolio. Yet, few studies document mid- to long-term project benefits due to a combination of 1) […]
A Multi-Decadal Assessment of Dredged Sediment Beneficial Use Projects Part 2: Ecosystem Functions, Goods, and Services
Data and observations made at > 40-year-old dredged sediment beneficial use project sites were used to link ecosystem functions (e.g., maintenance of floral and faunal habitat, energy dissipation) with an established ecosystem goods and services framework (e.g., navigation channel maintenance, hazard reduction, ecosystem sustainability). This approach works toward quantifying the full suite of positive outcomes […]
Financing Natural Infrastructure: Exploration Green, Texas
This technical note is part of a series collaboratively produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Institute for Water Resources (IWR) and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). It describes the funding process for Exploration Green, a large- scale community initiative that transformed a former golf course into a multipurpose green […]
Wave attenuation of coastal mangroves at a near-prototype scale
A physical model study investigating the dissipation of wave energy by a 1:2.1 scale North American red mangrove forest was performed in a large-scale flume. The objectives were to measure the amount of wave attenuation afforded by mangroves, identify key hydrodynamic parameters influencing wave attenuation, and provide methodologies for application. Seventy-two hydrodynamic conditions, comprising irregular […]
Planning and Implementation of Environmental Pool Management at Lake Red Rock, Des Moines River, Iowa
This technical note complements “Environmental Pool Management: The 25-Year Evolution of an Engineering With Nature® Practice,” an ArcGIS Story Map available for public access on the Engineering With Nature (EWN) website, and communicates the planning and implementation of environmental pool management (EPM) at Lake Red Rock located along the Des Moines River in Iowa. Read […]
Engineering coastal structures to centrally embrace biodiversity
Global environmental factors (e.g., extreme weather, climate action failure, natural disasters, human environmental damage) increasingly threaten coastal communities. Shorelines are often hardened (seawalls, bulkheads) to prevent flooding and erosion and protect coastal communities. However, hardened shorelines lead to environmental degradation and biodiversity loss. Developmental pressures that are growing in scale, scope, and complexity necessitate the […]
Financing Natural Infrastructure: South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, California
This technical note is part of a series collaboratively produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)–Institute for Water Resources (IWR) and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). It describes the funding and financing process for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project in San Francisco Bay, California and documents successful […]
