the military engineer - july/august 2011

LEADER PROFILE: TERRY G. EDWARDS AFCEE DIRECTOR 50

INSERT: SAME 2011-2015 STRATEGIC PLAN 45

MAIN THEME: WATER PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 54

S O C I E T Y O F A M E R I C A N M I L I T A R Y E N G I N E E R S

July-August 2011 • Vol 103 • Number 672

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“An amazing statistic is that 95% of U.S. imports and exports move through our nation’s harbors. Water planning and management deliver real, measurable value, keeping waterways open, saving lives and

preventing more than $700 billion in riverine and coastal damages. This program saves almost

$6 in damages for each $1 spent.”

Moving goods by water can make real economical and environmental sense. Conti’s work repairing jetties and providing hurricane cleanup to restore dredge spoil placement areas along the Gulf Coast Intercoastal Waterway has been essential to navigation of vital waterways.

The USACE maintains 14,000 miles of levee, over 12,000 miles of inland waterways and over 190 lock sites, vital to flood control.

Conti works in the Mississippi Valley region building floodwalls, levees, gates, pump stations and drainage systems. We are helping prevent large-scale storm damage to local residents, property and wildlife.

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan may be the largest environmental restoration effort in history. Often thought of as a swamp or wetlands, the Florida Everglades are actually a slow-moving river. CERP projects could save much of the 1.7 billion gallons of water lost daily to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Conti’s Florida operations are dedicated to ecosystem restoration.

1gallon of fuel

carries one ton of cargo...

59 miles BY TRUCK

202 miles BY RAIL

514 miles BY BARGE

Hydropower plants convert about 90% of the energy from rainfall and snowmelt into electricity. The plants operated by the Army Corps of Engineers provide 100 billion kilowatt hours annually, enough power to serve more than 10 million households.

By their nature, every hydropower project is unique. Each requires innovation and hard earned experience to get the best result for the communities we serve. Conti has decades of expertise in hydropower projects like the repair/upgrade of dam infrastructure assets.

Charlie Fresolone, Project Manager, Conti

OUR GREATEST

AND ONE OF OUR GREATEST ENGINEERING CHALLENGES

RESOURCE

ENOUGH POWER TO SERVE MORE THAN 10 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS

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The Military Engineer • No. 672 1

It is a very special honor and privilege to be your new President. SAME is a team of public- and private-sector engineering leaders focused on the defense of our na-tion, and I would further describe it as a national asset. I’m particularly honored to follow in this position Maj. Gen. Timo-thy A. Byers, USAF. We thank him for his leadership of SAME over the past year and for his steadfast commitment to SAME for more than two decades. I also want to thank SAME Executive Director Bob Wolff and the entire headquarters team for their passion and positive impact on our society every day—they truly have en-abled SAME to serve the professional and personal growth of its members.

As we look toward the future, a strategic planning meeting was held in March with members of the SAME Board of Direction, SAME’s senior leadership and select mem-bers of the SAME headquarters staff to chart our course for the coming year. It is apparent that there is great value in continuing our focus on building and operating sustainable installations—clearly this is a vital contribution we can make as a society in support of military engineering and our nation. We will continue to rely on our Sustainability Task Force to facilitate dialogue be-tween the government and industry as we all seek to find innova-tive and economic solutions for our nation’s energy and natural resource challenges.

There are two other focus areas for the coming year that I’d like to mention. The first is joint engineer contingency operations. Our experience in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 has high-lighted the power of the joint engineer force. SAME has been facilitating joint engineer interaction since its inception, and I believe there’s no better forum to enable dialogue between the uniformed services and our industry partners. Over the coming year, I am confident we can continue to make valuable contribu-tions and conduct meaningful dialogue and training. The focus on Joint Engineer Contingency Operations (JECO) has already had a positive impact. SAME has conducted a JECO workshop in New Orleans, La., at the SAME Executive Forum in November 2010, and two follow-on workshops in Doha, Qatar, in March and at the SAME 2011 Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo in May. In addition, SAME has sponsored a Contractors on the Battlefield panel at every session of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Engineer Operations Course for the past three years. I’m confident we can make even greater contributions in the coming year.

The other focus area that I ask your support for in the coming year is helping our wounded warriors and the families of our fallen warriors. Since the attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001, the four military services have presented at least 500 Pur-

ple Hearts to engineers wounded in ac-tion. The actual number is pretty hard to pin down, and it could very well be several times that. And as high as this number is, it accounts for only those Purple Hearts presented to members of our engineering community.

This is a focus area where I believe we, as a society, are uniquely capable to make a significant contribution. Our wounded warriors are getting the best medical care and treatment in the world, and many of our members are involved in the world-class facilities that are being built to pro-vide even better support.

These are amazing young men and women, and they’re hardwired to serve. All they need is support, and we have the

opportunity to provide this in many forms, from financial sup-port for deserving disabled veteran programs to volunteer efforts to support these veterans and their families to helping them find new employment opportunities as they transition back to civil-ian life. Whether visiting a recovering warrior, helping to build the facilities needed at their homes to aid their recovery, or open-ing our doors and hiring them to come work for us, we are posi-tioned to make a dramatic difference in their lives.

I’m excited about this coming year and what SAME can ac-complish, and I believe these three focus areas—providing sup-port to sustainable installations, joint contingency engineer op-erations and support for our wounded warriors and the families of fallen warriors—will further solidify SAME as an invaluable asset to our nation. Thank you for your trust, confidence and support, and thank you for your selfless service to this great so-ciety and to our country. I look forward to serving with each and every one of you.

Rear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey, P.E., CEC, USNSAME President, 2011-2012

A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

2011-2012 Focus Areas

GOVERNMENT NEWS MILITARY NEWS SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

TECHNOLOGY NEWS SMALL BUSINESS NEWSNEW PRODUCTS LEADER PROFILE

LETTER FROM . . .

ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICES

2011-2012 FOCUS AREASThe SAME Board of Direction has approved the following focus areas:

1. sustainable installations;

2. joint contingency engineer operations; and

3. support to wounded warriors and the families of fallen warriors.

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.westonsolutions.com


MAIN THEME: WATER PLANNING & MANAGEMENTEfforts of private companies, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other government agencies are underway to strengthen our nation’s water and wastewater infrastructure, flood control, beach erosion control, inland waterway systems, and ports and harbors.

54

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE 54 Coastal Fortifications of New Orleans The largest civil works project in American history

57 Comprehensive Planning in Flood Risk Management A model for flood-prone communities

59 Physical Modeling in Coastal Engineering A time-tested method

61 Charting the Course for Safer Waterways Vessel-based mobile mapping technology

63 Emergency Action Plans Mitigating the risks of an aging levee system

65 Reducing Water Loss, Improving Efficiencies Water loss can be both real and apparent

67 Blue River Going Green Sustainable flood control practices

69 Oyster Restoration in the Northeast Bivalves promote waterway health

SPECIAL REPORT: PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OF MEGA-PROJECTS

71 Life After BRAC in San Antonio Nearing the end of a four-year, $2 billion program

73 Status Report: The Guam Military Buildup Relocating U.S. Marines from Okinawa

ON THE COVER: USACE photo by Paul Floro

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed the sector gate leafs at Bayou Dupre in April 2011. These are the tallest sector gates in the entire 133-mi Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System.

45 INSERT: SAME

STRATEGIC PLAN AND 2011-2012 BOARD OF DIRECTION

SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MILITARY ENGINEERS

STRATEGIC PLANA p p r o v e d b y t h e S A M E B o a r d o f D i r e c t i o n M a y 2 7 , 2 0 1 1

www.same.org

2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 5

607 Prince Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • 703-549-3800

“We are accomplishing the same construction execution workload with 40 percent fewer people. This challenge makes it imperative that we continue to find efficiencies that can streamline project delivery processes.”

TERRY G. EDWARDS, P.E., SESDirector, Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment

Leader Profile, page 50

AND I QUOTE ...











































The Military Engineer • July-August • 20114

EXCLUSIVELY AT TME ONLINE Beginning July 25, learn about how an emerging technology is helping water managers comply with increasingly limiting effluent regulations in “Zero Liquid Discharge.” — by Richard A. Ubaldi, M.SAME, and Mark Owens, P.E.

www.same.org/TME

The Military Engineer (ISSN 0026-3982) is published bi-monthly by the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME), 607 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314-3117; Tel: 703-549-3800; editorial, ext. 141; advertising, ext. 145. © 2011 The Society of American Military Engineers. All rights reserved; reproduction of articles prohibited without written permission. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and at additional mailing offices. Rates: Single copy: Member, $5; Non-member (U.S.), $18; foreign, $30. One-year subscription $88 in the United States and Canada; $168 elsewhere. Two-year subscription $168 in the United States and Canada; $316 elsewhere. Three-year subscription $210 in the United States and Canada; $435 elsewhere. Agency discount available; Air Mail extra. For details go to www.same.org/subscribe. Annual subscription rate for SAME members is $18 and is included in dues. Address Changes: Send mailing label with changes to The Military Engineer Circulation Department, 607 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314-3117; allow 60 days for change to take affect. Article Submittals: We invite and encourage manuscript submissions for possible inclusion in The Military Engineer. TME editors consider each manuscript on the basis of technical accuracy, usefulness to readers, timeliness and quality of writing. SAME reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. Before submitting an article, please read the Writers’ Guidelines at www.same.org/tme. Submission of an article does not guarantee publication; unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned. Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect official SAME or TME policy unless so stated. Publication of advertisements does not constitute official SAME endorsement of products or services. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Military Engineer Circulation, 607 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314-3117.

EDITORIAL OFFICE607 Prince Street

Alexandria, VA 22314-3117703-549-3800 plus ext.

Fax: 703-548-6153www.same.org

EDITOR IN CHIEFL. Eileen Erickson, APR+MExt. 140; [email protected]

EDITORJohn M. Nank

Ext. 141; [email protected]

GRAPHIC DESIGNERNatalie L. Kirkpatrick


ADVERTISING COORDINATORMorgan Hall


MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Stephanie SatterfieldExt. 144; [email protected]

WEB MANAGERJosef M. Scarantino


CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Meighan Altwies, M.SAME

[email protected]

Wendi Goldsmith, [email protected]

E. Lewis (Ed) Link, Ph.D., [email protected]

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

MID ATLANTIC/NORTHEAST L. Eileen Erickson, APR+MExt. 140; [email protected]

WEST/NORTH CENTRALMorgan Hall


SOUTH/SOUTHEAST Beverly Ellis

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REPRINTSGail Hallman, Sheridan Reprints

717-632-8448, ext. [email protected]

PUBLISHERDr. Robert D. Wolff, P.E., F.SAME

President’s Message

Government & Industry News

Military News

Sustainability News

Technology News

Executive Director’s Message

Society News

Small Business News

Historical Perspective

DEPARTMENTS16

20323878808591

76 ENGINEERS IN ACTIONFlood Fight 2011

Advanced Valve TechnologiesAE WorksAECOMAerotekAFG GroupAMECARCADISAtkinsBay WestBig Ass FansBristol EnvironmentalBurns & McDonnellCarlisle SynTecCDM Inc.CH2M HillCJW ConstructionConti GroupContinental Mapping CPI Daylighting Inc.Custom Mechanical Systems Corp. Dck North America

DewberryDulohery WeeksEatonECCGannett Fleming GTS Technologies Hankins & AndersonHDR HNTB Federal ServicesICS SerkaIndependent Energy JM EagleJohn DeereKalwall Corporation Lindbergh & Associates MacDonald Bedford LLCMacro-Z Technology Michael Baker Corp.MOCA SystemsMWH AmericasPARSONS

Perini Management PMSI Pond & CompanyRS&HSAMESiemens Smith & Wesson Soil Stablization Products Southern Energy SunworksSuperior SolarTetra Tech The Shaw GroupTidewater EnvironmentalTTI Environmental U.S. GSAUnderground Solutions United InfrastructureURSVista Technology Service Weston Solutions

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72188112928907989C413157586C285858924

ADVERTISING INDEX

39904038

36, 42, 44, 8331352690858749C390902737864186

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428843

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81 JETC HIGHLIGHTS

Conference & Expo

Joint Engineer Training

A record number 2,400 people

attended the 2011 SAME Joint

Engineer Training Conference

& Expo, held May 24-27, 2011,

at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and

Convention Center in Grapevine,

Texas. The SAME annual

conference included a six-track

technical program, exhibit hall,

awards presentations,

networking events and the

annual SAME Society Ball. To

view presentations from the

Technical tracks or photos

from the event go to

www.same.org/jetc.

HIGHLIGHTS

2011 Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo • Grapevine, Texas

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GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY NEWS

PENTAGON ACQUISITION CHIEF TALKS “BETTER BUYING POWER”

Ashton B. Carter, Ph.D., the Undersec-retary of Defense for Acquisition, Tech-nology and Logistics, spoke to the U.S. Air Force Electronic Systems Center work-force May 25 at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., regarding Department of Defense (DOD) budget challenges, efficiency ini-tiatives and their impact. Dr. Carter said the defense budget for the next decade will not be similar to the past 10 years, and implementing efficiencies will be up to everyone. “Supporting the ongoing fight is job one for all of us. Job two is to get the best value for the taxpayer and the warfighter.”

During the town hall meeting, Dr. Carter spoke about cutting programs that were performing poorly or weren’t needed. Now, cost savings need to be found in remain-ing programs, he said. “What we have is what we want and need, and we need to complete them and we need to make that happen ... for not more money every year.”

He discussed the points of the “better buying power” guidance he put out in September and also the usage of contract types. Using fixed price incentive firm contracts is “not dogma,” Dr. Carter said. “It applies only if we know what we’re do-ing, it isn’t going to change and the con-tractor knows the projected cost and has mastered the process.”

He said contracts are business deals with contractors. The contractors should know if they don’t perform, their contract

dies. And those who are performing well should be rewarded. His remarks also highlighted competition, including sole-source contracts by comparing them to a marathon runner who is only looking to beat the clock. “The contractor should be looking for follow-on business and repu-tation,” he said.

Knowing what a program’s require-ments are is also important for success, Dr. Carter said. There needs to be a rap-port between requirements and acquisi-tion, and if acquisition personnel see an opportunity to save money or change the way things are done to improve, they need to ensure they have that relationship with the customer.

“Program managers should have a deep understanding of the product,” the he said, while admitting that the systems-en-gineering capability is not as strong as it should be in the Department of Defense. “I know you are doing a lot with less than you should have.”

Dr. Carter made it a point to say the acquisition workforce had been cut too much previously, on both the civilian and military sides, and both he and Air Force Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition David Van Buren would be keeping a close eye on acquisition person-nel numbers.

“You are a very important part of meet-ing this national challenge,” he told the audience.(Contributed by Patty Welsh, 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs)

USACE PARTNERS WITH NOAA, USGS TO SUPPORT WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), National Oceanic and Atmo-spheric Administration (NOAA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in May signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form an innovative partner-ship of federal agencies to address Amer-ica’s growing water resources challenges. Water resources decision makers nation-wide require new and more integrated information and services to adapt to the uncertainty of future climate, land-use changes, an aging water delivery infra-structure and an increasing demand on limited resources. These agencies, with complementary missions in water sci-ence, observation, prediction and man-agement, have formed this partnership to unify their commitment to address the nation’s water resources information and management needs.

To meet this demand for information, the Collaborative Science, Services and Tools to Support Integrated and Adap-tive Water Resources Management MOU will facilitate addressing water informa-tion needs including the creation of high-resolution forecasts of water resources showing where water for drinking, in-dustry and ecosystems will be available. In addition, integrated water information will provide one-stop shopping through a database portal to support stakeholders in managing water resources. The MOU also sets the foundation for other federal agencies and partners to elect to join the collaborative partnership in the future.

Terrence (Rock) Salt, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., NOAA Administrator, and Marcia McNutt, Ph.D., USGS Director, signed the MOU during a ceremony at Georgetown Wa-terfront Park, near the Potomac River streamgage in Washington, D.C.

“Water resources management will be one of the most significant challenges fac-ing the nation in the 21st century,” said Salt. “This memorandum of understand-ing is a commitment by our agencies to work together and closely coordinate our efforts in water management to provide



LETTER FROM . . .


Compiled by John M. Nank, M.SAME

By leveraging our innovative and award-winning expertise in markets such as transportation, facilities, environment, energy and water, AECOM is mobilizing to serve the U.S. military around the world. AECOM delivers technical expertise and management support in design and planning, civil works, environmental remediation, program and construction management, and logistics and base operations.

With over 100 years of experience serving the U.S. military, AECOM brings in-depth knowledge to managing large-scale programs, overseeing operations, and providing logistics support. Our complete portfolio of services, combined with a connected global presence that spans every continent, enables AECOM to deliver visionary turnkey solutions to the challenges facing our clients.

AECOM’s network of approximately 45,000 employees are united by a shared commitment to creating, enhancing and sustaining the world’s built, natural and social environments. Our work on seven of the largest infrastructure projects on the planet has helped AECOM become the #1 ranked design firm — in the U.S. and globally — by ENR.

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the nation with critically-needed water resources information and support for better and smarter water planning and management. The agreement achieves one of our objectives to build a federal part-nership to align programs and capabilities to support the states and stakeholders in smart, collaborative efforts.”

The MOU will serve as an umbrella agreement that will allow the participat-ing agencies to coordinate and cooperate in activities to improve water resource services. Cooperative activities in these fields may include, but are not limited to, project plan development; exchange of technical information, tools and services; joint studies; research and development activities of mutual interest; joint educa-tional and communications activities to advance the understanding of water re-sources planning and management; and exchange visits and work details of indi-viduals sponsored by all agencies who are engaged in water resources projects of mutual interest.

The MOU is designed to facilitate the ability of agency scientists, engineers and managers to: work together; achieve mutual goals and leverage resources for sharing information; and plan, develop and implement initiatives in support of integrative and adaptive water resources management.

NOAA, USACE and USGS have a long history of collaboration and information sharing. For example, for more than 100 years, the USGS, in collaboration with USACE and 850 other cooperators, has operated a nationwide streamgage net-work that monitors the water level and flow of the nation’s rivers and streams. The National Weather Service, under NOAA, forecasts flooding using this streamgage data to reduce losses from flood damages.

The new agreement will further fa-cilitate earlier and more accurate flood predictions and allow these government agencies to expand river and flood maps showing forecasted spatial extent and depth of flooding, which is only one ex-ample of the activities that will support the intent of the agreement. A copy of the MOU is available at www.building-collab-oration-for-water.org.(Contributed by USACE, USGS and NOAA)

“SPEED-DATING” CONNECTS USACE AND SMALL BUSINESSES

Traditionally, speed-dating sets poten-tial suitors at rows of tables, where paired participants have just a few minutes to exchange pleasantries before being forced to switch tables and repeat the process all over again. Several hundred small busi-ness owners encountered a strikingly sim-ilar version of traditional speed-dating, called the source connection, during the 10th Annual Veterans and Small Business Training and Outreach Conference in Sparks, Nev., hosted by USACE South Pa-cific Division and the California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance.

Prior to speed-dating, small business owners attended one of 24 breakout ses-sions and panel discussions led by confer-ence speakers or visited some of the 50 construction-related vendor booths. But the real connections for small business owners occur during the source connec-tion on the last day of the conference. The source connection is a speed-dating opportunity for small business owners to market their products and services to federal agencies, federal prime contrac-tors, or other large businesses. They are asked to come prepared with a one-page capabilities statement and business cards, ready to discuss upcoming contracting opportunities with participating federal agencies, contractors and large businesses.

What the small businesses are hoping

for is a second date, a chance to exchange information and hopefully take care of business later on. If all goes well, they end up exchanging not only phone numbers, but North American Industry Classifica-tion System (NAICS) codes.

“The first thing I typically ask some-one is, ‘What is your NAICS code?,’” said Michelle Stratton, USACE Sacramento District Deputy for Small Business. “That way we know right away if their business is compatible with what we typically have to offer.”

Stratton said source connections are a fantastic way to place businesses and gov-ernment contacts together—with match-ing NAICS codes—that may otherwise have a difficult time doing so, saving ev-eryone time and money for travel, adver-tising and marketing.

“My favorite thing about the conference is meeting all the contractors from the large and small businesses; I listen to their concerns and provide my expertise to help them obtain contracts,” said Denise Garcia, USACE Sacramento District As-sistant to the Deputy for Small Business. Stratton and Garcia prefer concluding the conferences with the source connections, and have even come to embrace its speed-dating nickname ever since Stratton started the conference 10 years ago. The overall objective for the hundreds of small businesses attending is to get a call-back from one or several of the large businesses




LETTER FROM . . .


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or government agencies that may con-sider contracting with them in the future.

“(Using the speed-dating model) is a great way to end the conference after three days of wonderful speakers, educational panels and visiting the various vendors’ booths,” said Garcia. “They gain more one-on-one time with all the right people under one roof instead of having to travel around to meet all of them separately.”

The USACE South Pacific Division small business program awards $860 mil-lion annually to small business in the West through its four districts in San Francisco, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif., Albuquerque, N.M., and Sacramento, Calif. Stratton and Garcia are already looking forward to and planning for next year’s conference.(Contributed by Todd Plain, USACE)

RECOMMENDATIONS TO PRESIDENT, CONGRESS PRIORITIZE BUILDING INDUSTRY CONCERNS

A new report from the National Insti-tute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Con-sultative Council identifies five primary areas of concern regarding the nation’s buildings and infrastructure, and pro-vides recommendations for action. Topics include: Defining High-Performance and Common Metrics; Energy and Water Ef-ficiency; Codes and Standards Adoption and Enforcement; Sustainability; and Ed-ucation and Training.

NIBS enabling legislation established the Consultative Council as an impor-tant link among disciplines in the field of building technology. The council engages the leadership of key organizations with the intent of providing findings and rec-ommendations for the advancement of the built environment. The council report represents the collective vision of these leading organizations from across the building community.

“Given the many services we ask our buildings and infrastructure to perform, it is essential that the many disciplines and organizations responsible for the design, construction, operations and mainte-nance of buildings work together to iden-tify overarching needs that can lead to widespread high-performance buildings,” said Ryan Colker, Director of the Consul-tative Council and Presidential Advisor at

NIBS. “The council’s initial report reflects this collective thinking and has the poten-tial to significantly influence policymak-ers and the building community.”

The council recommendations identify cross-cutting issues essential for reaching building industry goals. Specific recom-mendations include:• Common definitions to guide mea-

surement and expression of actual performance must be established.

• Energy codes and standards should shift from prescriptive requirements towards performance-based provi-sions aimed at ultimately achieving net-zero energy use.

• Investment in energy- and water-relat-ed infrastructure is desperately need-ed and will vastly improve efficiencies and create jobs.

• Increased participation by federal, state and local government agencies would yield more uniformity and consistently adopted and understood codes, and increase the effectiveness of model building codes.

• At the state and local level, financial and technical resources must be avail-able to ensure code and standard re-quirements are followed.

• Achieving sustainability requires addressing the triple bottom line of economic growth, environmental stewardship and social progress in all building and infrastructure projects.

• Public construction should address lifecycle costs and benefits, while ac-counting, financing, insurance and tax policies should facilitate and promote private investments in sustainable buildings and infrastructure.

• Education and training should be aimed at facilitating the entire lifecycle of buildings, from concept to design, construction, commissioning, occu-pancy, modification/renovation and deconstruction.

• Education and training incentive programs should be available to cover all levels and types of businesses and organizations, and should encompass all design, construction, maintenance and operational core competencies.

The summary of recommendations ap-pears in the NIBS 2010 Annual Report,




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LABOR DEPARTMENT GRANTS TO PROVIDE VETERAN JOB TRAINING

As part of an interagency effort to sup-port America’s veterans, the Department of Labor announced in early June $37 million in grants to provide job training for about 21,000 veterans, many of them homeless or at risk of becoming home-less. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the grants, awarded to contin-ue successful programs into their second and third years.

Twenty-two grants totaling more than $9 million will provide job training to about 4,000 veterans to help them succeed in civilian careers, according to Labor De-partment officials. Those funds, provided through the Veterans Workforce Invest-ment Program, emphasize training in jobs related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, modern electric power develop-ment and clean vehicles.

“Our veterans sacrifice so much for our country, so it is important that we pro-vide assistance to them when they return home from active duty,” Solis said. “These grants will help veterans access the re-sources they need to find good jobs and build a bright future for themselves and their families.”

Solis also announced 122 grants total-ing more than $28 million to provide job training to about 17,000 veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. These grants, awarded under the Labor Department’s Homeless Veterans Reinte-gration Program, include $4.3 million for the Homeless Female Veterans and Veter-ans with Families Program and $3.9 mil-lion for the Incarcerated Veterans Tran-sition Program that helps veterans who have served time in justice facilities.

Homeless veterans may receive occupa-tional, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job-search and placement assis-tance and follow-up services, through the programs.

“The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program is recognized as an extraordi-

narily efficient and effective program, and is the only federal program that fo-cuses exclusively on employment of vet-erans who are homeless,” Solis said. “I am pleased that the department can assist these veterans and their families.”

The Labor Department grants are awarded to state and local agencies, boards and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated through first-year funding their ability to administer effec-tive programs to veterans within their geographic areas, officials said. More in-formation on the Department of Labor’s unemployment and re-employment pro-grams focused on assisting veterans is posted at www.dol.gov/vets.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, USN, has been a staunch advocate of programs to sup-port veterans who have transitioned from military service, and he has recognized the Post-9/11 GI Bill as a big step in help-ing tens of thousands of veterans get the training and education many seek. But he also called communities a key part of helping combat veterans make a smooth transition following wartime service. “If we can just open up our lens to be inclu-sive of them as they return home, with that little boost, I really believe they will take off and make a huge difference for the future.”(Contributed by Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service)

PEOPLEMichael Bagshaw,

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Carol V. Bell was named Director, Inter-national Project Devel-opment, Tetra Tech.

Bob Berglund, RA, was promoted to Vice President, Internation-al Markets, Merrick & Co.

Capt. Michael Carosotto, P.E., CFM, PMP, USCG (Ret.), was named Senior Consultant, GEI Consultants Inc.




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Master Chief (SCW) Douglas R. Dickey, USN, became the 15th Force Master Chief Petty Officer of the Seabees in April.

Brig. Gen. Timothy Green, P.E., USAF, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force.

Andy Kirby was named Senior Project Manager, C.W. Driver.

Susan Merrigan, CPSM, was named Di-rector of Business De-velopment, BRPH.

Joseph P. McAtee, P.E., PLS, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drexel University Construction Manage-ment Advisory Council at the 3rd Annual CMAC Awards Reception.

CONTRACTS, ACQUISITIONS AND RECOGNITION

AMEC announced its acquisition of MACTEC, a leading engineering and en-vironmental services company, for a cash consideration of $280 million. AMEC also announced the rebranding of its Earth & Environmental business unit to Environ-ment & Infrastructure to better reflect the services and scope of the current business, and its global growth strategy.

Bristol Environmental Remediation Services LLC and Weston Solutions Inc. have entered into a Small Business Administration (SBA) Mentor-Protégé agreement that will uniquely position the companies’ complementary services to their federal clients.

CDM, along with joint-venture part-ners Brasfield & Gorrie and Yates Con-struction, was awarded a $675 million design-build contract by the USACE Hur-ricane Protection Office for the construc-tion of the Permanent Canal Closures and

Pumps Stations project. This is the final contract for the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Re-duction system.

CH2M HILL delivered a comprehen-sive feasibility study regarding renova-tions to the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial in Marnes-la-Coquette, France. The study is a comprehensive analysis of a histori-cal monument that pays tribute to and is the final resting place for American pilots who served with the French Air Force in World War I.

CORE Engineering & Construc-tion Inc., along with teaming partners, was awarded a five-year contract by the USACE Huntsville District for design-build services for the Energy Conserva-tion Investment Program.

Hanson Professional Services Inc. was selected by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a DOD agency, as one of 15 recipients of the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom




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Award in recognition of the firm’s excep-tional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.

HDR and the Defense Logistics Agency were awarded the 2010 Phoenix Award for Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 at the National Brownfields Conference in recognition of its work on the former Memphis Depot project.

J.M. Waller Assoc. Inc. received two Preservation Honor Awards from the Historic Hawai’i Foundation for its part in master planning, design and restoration work at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.

L-3 MPRI was awarded a contract with a total potential value of $30.7 million to support the U.S. Army Center for Strate-gic Leadership.

MacDonald-Bedford LLC awarded a five-year, $80 million indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity contract by the Nation-al Guard Bureau to provide Professional and Administrative Support Services, par-ticularly Schedule I Engineering Services.

Megadoor was awarded a $1.6 million door order contract for Air Force Plant 6, located on Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. The order includes three hangar door sys-tems sized for Hercules C-130 aircrafts.

Parsons was selected by the Orange County Water District to provide con-struction management services for the $128 million initial expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment System in Fountain Valley, Calif.

Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc. was awarded a $33.2 million con-struction contract by the Port of Houston Authority to for the Phase 3 entry and exit gate expansion project at the Bayport Ter-minal in Pasadena, Texas.

Terracon acquired Nodarse & Assoc. Inc., a firm providing environmental, geotechnical, construction materials en-gineering and testing and threshold in-spection services.

In separate transactions, URS Corp. ac-quired Apptis Holdings Inc., a provider of information technology and communica-tions services to the federal government, and BP Barber, a privately-held civil en-gineering firm specializing in water and wastewater infrastructure.

Warrior Group received two awards in the Modular Building Institute’s Awards of Distinction Contest for facilities con-structed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Fort Hood, Texas.

Watts Constructors was selected for the 2010 Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in the construction category. The award, presented by the SBA to honor those who support and champion small businesses, recognizes large prime con-tractors that have excelled in their utiliza-tion of small businesses as suppliers and subcontractors.

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CIVIL ENGINEERS INSPECT, REPAIR 17 GENERATORS FOR USE IN JAPAN

The Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency’s Civil Engineer Maintenance In-spection Repair Team (CEMIRT) at Tra-vis Air Force Base, Calif., was tasked to inspect and repair 17 generators that will be used to help power Yokota and Misawa air bases in Japan. As a result of the dam-age to the Fukushima-Daiichi power plant caused by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in March, the Japanese government has instituted a mandate for large consumers to reduce energy con-sumption by a minimum of 25 percent. This mandate includes all U.S. military installations in Japan.

“To maintain the needs of the mission at our bases in Japan, the government tasked us with supplying the generators, which will make up for the lost power,” said Gary Campbell, the CEMIRT Power Systems Foreman. “Our generators will furnish the energy needs at Yokota and Misawa for approximately two years.”

The 17 generators, which include five CEMIRT emergency power systems and 12 tactical generators, are being inspected, tested and fixed by CEMIRT technicians before they can be approved for opera-tion. Once inspections are complete, the units will be sent by ship to Japan by the end of August and split between the two installations to form mini-power plants, Campbell said. Engineers plan to run the generators for approximately three hours a day, seven days a week, to keep each base at the required 25 reduction.

Once the generators arrive, a 16-person CEMIRT team plans to set up mini power plants and train local service members and Department of Defense civilians to operate and maintain the systems.

The CEMIRT team is composed of eight electrical and eight mechanical tech-nicians who will be divided between the two locations. The Travis Air Force Base CEMIRT, a partner unit headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., provides mechanical and electrical capabilities for all Air Force bases west of the Mississippi River, as well as the entire Pacific.(Contributed by Airman 1st Class Michael Battles, 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs)

AFGHAN ARMY CELEBRATES NEW GARRISON COMPLETION

Completion of an Afghan National Army garrison to support about 1,000 troops was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting and flag-raising ceremony in March in Nimroz Province, Afghanistan. Afghan National Army officials, local Afghan government officials, U.S. Marine Corps mentor representatives, USACE Afghanistan Engineer District–South (AED-South) officials, and more than 400 Afghan National Army troops turned out for the celebration. The guest speaker for the event was Brig. Gen. Abdul Wasea, Commanding General of the 2nd Brigade, Afghan National Army 215th Corps. An avid supporter of providing security and stability throughout Nimroz Province, Gen. Wasea has worked to strengthen the partnerships between the local village elders, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Afghan Na-tional Security Forces.

Construction of the Afghan National Army garrison was managed by AED-South. The $34 million project, awarded in June 2008 to an Afghan firm, includes of-ficer barracks, enlisted barracks, a battal-ion storage facility, a maintenance facility, an arms and ammunition storage facility, a fuel distribution and storage facility, a communications facility, a dining facility, a sanitary sewer network and a generator

plant. The garrison is being completed in two phases. Phase two construction, with a target award date in the early third quarter of FY2011, will expand the current facility to accommodate 4,300 personnel.

It sits on what used to be known as For-ward Operating Base (FOB) Delaram 1 and is across from FOB Delaram 2, where soldiers of the 215th Corps currently serve with troops from the Georgian Army and U.S. Marines. It’s located about 1-km southeast of the city of Delaram, which serves as a major transportation center in western Afghanistan, with sev-eral major roads converging on the area, including Highway 1, known as the Ring Road, Route 515 to Farah City, Route 522 to Gulistan and Route 606 to Iran.

Following the ceremony, the com-manders shared light refreshments with the elders of Delaram and then toured the 22-building facility. “These buildings were built by Afghans for Afghans,” commented Col. Anthony C. Funkhouser, AED-South Commander, while shaking hands with Gen. Wesea during the tour.

With completion of this vital train-ing center and regional hub, soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, 215th Corps, are more equipped to provide security and stability throughout Nimroz Province. (Contributed by Brenda L. Beasley, USACE Afghanistan Engineer District-South Pub-lic Affairs)

MILITARY NEWS Compiled by Meighan Altwies, M.SAME



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IRAQI AIR FORCE PRIMED FOR POWERSix U.S. instructors prepped Iraqi ser-

vice members for self-sufficiency by teaching students the basics of running generators for power production. The class, which involved service members from all over Iraq, was designed to pro-vide an introduction to power produc-tion, enabling the Iraqi military to gen-erate their own power and be safe in the process. The students, whose experience ranged from having a grasp on the con-cepts to no knowledge at all, will learn to maintain a base power plant and get power where it needs to go.

“We’re trying to show them the right way to do it and make sure they main-tain that information,” said Tech Sgt. Randall Weston, USAF, 467th Expedi-tionary Prime Base Emergency Engineer Force Squadron, Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Sgt. Watson explained that the instruc-tors often return to items they taught ear-lier in the course to quiz the students and make sure they remember what they were taught. “We’re training them to take over the bases once we leave.”

Such a course does not appear from thin air, and the instructors spent time before the class developing a training plan. One of the instructors was Sgt. Jessie Correia, USA, of the U.S. Army’s 249th Engineer Battalion, Delta Company.

“Some of the words and technical terms don’t translate too well,” said Sgt. Correia, so the instructors used their expertise to develop a training plan that would not get lost in translation. “Our goal is to teach these guys enough to be safe and be aware of their surroundings. When these bases are set to turn over, they can start produc-ing reliable power for themselves.”

The 32 students graduated in early May and returned to their bases, enabling Iraq’s military to power their mission.(Contributed by Staff Sgt. Levi Riendeau, 321st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Af-fairs)

ENGINEER BATTALION WELCOMES FIRST FEMALE COMMANDER

Command of the Louisiana National Guard’s 843rd Horizontal Engineer Com-pany switched hands May 22 during a change of command ceremony held at the unit’s headquarters in Franklinton, La. Capt. Heather S. Englehart, USANG, for-mer Assistant Plans Officer for the 205th Engineer Battalion, assumed command of the unit from Capt. Alan T. Dunn, USANG, becoming the first female com-mander in the 205th Engineer Battalion.

“Thank you for entrusting me to take command of this great unit,” said Capt. Englehart. “I couldn’t be any more excited, and I will work hard for you and expect you to do the same for me.”

In his remarks, Lt. Col. Michael Kazmi-erzak, USANG, Commander of the 205th, welcomed the new commander to her first command with some words of advice. “I charge you with being an inspiring leader because your soldiers deserve it. Leader-ship is what it’s all about, and you have to demand it from all levels to be a successful commander.”

Col. Kazmierzak also presented the Army Commendation Medal to Capt. Dunn for exceptional meritorious service while serving as commander of the 843rd since November 2008.

“You have led this unit through re-sponding to oil spills, floods and hur-ricanes,” Col. Kazmierzak said to Capt. Dunn. “To be a great leader you have to give your troops the resources and means to do their jobs, and you have done ex-actly that.”

Addressing the unit for the last time, Capt. Dunn expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Troops he has led for the past two and a half years. “We’ve been through a lot, and you’ve always stepped up when I needed you to. Even during the current flood mission, you continue to amaze me, and I thank you for all your support the last couple of years.”

The 843rd mission consists of horizon-tal construction, which includes building roads and airfields for military missions, as well as maintaining equipment and supporting state and federal operations.(Contributed by Sgt. Michael Owens)

USACE OPERATES NEW MADRID FLOODWAY TO CONTROL FLOODING

To relieve pressure from the lower Mississippi River watershed during this year’s record spring flooding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in early May operated the Birds Point New Madrid Floodway near Cairo, Ill., for the first time since 1937 by breaching three le-vee sections. The Mississippi River Com-mission, led by USACE Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. Michael Walsh, USA, announced the decision at a news conference at the Birds Point levee.

Gen. Walsh directed USACE Memphis District Commander Col. Vernie Reich-ling, USA, and crews to load an explosive slurry material into pipes and to subse-quently detonate three different sections of the levee, allowing water to inundate the floodway area, which is enclosed by other setback levees. The decision, ac-cording to Gen. Walsh, involved looking at the entire system, which encompasses both the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, and evaluating conditions at every stage.

“Making this decision is not easy or hard—it’s simply grave—because the de-cision leads to loss of property and liveli-hood, either in a floodway or in an area that was not designed to flood,” Gen. Walsh said.

The watersheds of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers experienced historic flood-ing levels. Along portions of the Ohio River, more than 25-in of rain during the month of April contributed significantly to record levels, putting pressure on the entire watershed and flood risk reduction

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system. The watersheds of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers experienced precipitation 125 percent to 150 percent above normal precipitation levels.

Following the blasting of the levee, river gages indicated significant decreases in the water levels in Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky. At Cairo, the gage read a record 61.72 before the event and decreased to 60.15 only 14 hours later. USACE models and National Weather Service forecasts projected 3-ft decreases at Cairo, and Paducah, Ky. It was expected, however,

that levels would rise again within several days after the opening of the floodway as water was released from reservoirs along the Ohio River that had been storing ad-ditional water in an attempt to keep levees along the Mississippi from overtopping.

The Birds Point New Madrid Flood-way was authorized as part of the Missis-sippi River & Tributaries project in 1928 following devastating floods a year ear-lier. It is designed to divert approximately 550,000-ft3/sec of water from the main channel of the Mississippi River just be-low Cairo. USACE hydrologists estimated it would take 45 to 60 days for water to re-cede from the floodway area and another 21 to 30 days for the land to dry out.

Experts in explosive technology from the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center assisted the Mem-phis District with blasting the inflow and outflow levee sections.(Contributed By Stephen Rochette, Opera-tion Watershed )

MARINE CORPS ENGINEERS TRAIN WITH RED HORSE AIRMEN

As the Department of Defense (DOD) moves towards more judicious fiscal spending, the 554th RED HORSE Squad-ron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, partnered with Engineer Operations (EOPS) Com-pany Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Camp Foster, Japan, to bat-tle budget woes by conducting joint train-ing at Kadena Air Base’s Silver Flag site.

The 554th RED HORSE Squadron is a highly mobile and self-sufficient response force that specializes in rapid civil engi-neer deployment as well as heavy opera-tional repairs. RED HORSE instructors hosted a week-long training camp for the Marines, teaching various techniques in heavy equipment operation and rapid runway repair methods that are unique to the Air Force.

According to Maj. Lynn Moriarty, USAF, the 554th RED HORSE Det. 1 Commander, joint training not only saves

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DOD money by combining efforts, it also helps build understanding and posi-tive relations between sister services. “In a fiscally-constrained environment, this type of training enables us to support and develop the integration of joint operations between the Air Force and Marine Corps to better support future contingency or humanitarian missions across the Pa-cific. This training is the foundation from which we will build future successes.”

Although Marines are commonly known as lean, mean, wrecking machines, the teams assigned to the RED HORSE camp proved to be more than a pack of destructive “Devil Dogs.” Marine Corps support squadron units, like the EOPS Company, are a key logistical component in Marine aircraft wings (MAW).

Staff Sgt. Frederick Henson, USMC, Company Gunnery Sergeant for Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 172, explained how his Marines are respon-sible for general engineering operations

and construction projects at home station and in deployed environments.

“EOPS Marines provide the MAW with various capabilities from the construction and maintenance of airfields and landing zones to demolition operations, explo-sive and non-explosive obstacle removal, and airfield damage repairs. In a nutshell, without MWSS units, MAWs wouldn’t be able to fly sorties of any kind and would thus be mission incapable.”

The training provided by the 554th RED HORSE Squadron saves DOD dollars and provides Marines a unique opportunity.

“Airfield repair is one of the corner-stones of our mission at MWSS-172,” Sgt. Henson continued. “The Marine Corps doesn’t have a facility in the states where we can conduct rapid runway repair. Hav-ing the opportunity to train our young [non-commissioned officers] and junior Marines in rapid runway repair at the RED HORSE facility greatly improves our capabilities, making us a force multiplier

within 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.”Tech. Sgt. Russell Jamieson, USAF, a

RED HORSE cadre, said that while many of the junior Marines lacked experience, instructors at the squadron were im-pressed with their attitude.” The Marines came here with a lot of motivation and they were willing to learn our methods. Although they didn’t have much experi-ence with certain areas, they picked up concepts relatively quickly and were able to apply those new skills immediately.”

Sgt. Jamieson explained how training like this can help DOD successfully ex-ecute future missions. “To ensure con-struction operations are accomplished effectively and with minimal adverse im-pact, joint training is a necessity. It fosters a better working relationship and under-standing between the services and is the best way we can become familiar with how our sister services operate.”(Contributed by Senior Airman Shaunlee Hostutler)

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U.S. ARMY SAPPERS, CZECH EOD HUNT FOR IEDS

Sapper soldiers of the 541st Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion Task Force Dolch, along with explosive ord-nance disposal (EOD) teams from the Czech Republic army spend their days scraping at the dirt, tirelessly searching for hidden improvised explosive devices

(IED) in rough and grueling terrain to make roads and transit ways safe for coali-tion forces and Afghan civilians in Logar Province, Afghanistan.

Logar Province is fertile with dangers of all types, including mines, insurgent small-arms fire, rocket-propelled gre-nades and IEDs. The terrain is a mix of dusty dirt alleys, ploughed soil fields and

rough roads that can easily conceal explo-sives. These conditions provide an ample amount of danger and work for U.S. Route Clearance Patrol (RCP) soldiers and Czech EOD troops. However, the soldiers 541st Engineer Company are better able to accomplish their mission when their Czech allies join them.

“The Czechs tend to be more effective,” said Sgt. 1st Class Walter Taylor, USA, RCP Platoon Sergeant for the Task Force Dolch RCP, speaking about the vital role the Czech EOD assumes on RCPs. “The Czechs have accurate IED-confirming techniques that save us time and allow us to cover more ground while on mission.”

Czech army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Prouza, an EOD team leader from Frenstat Pod Radhostem, Czech Republic, and his team join 541st soldiers on route clearing mis-sions regularly. Sgt. Prouza and his team said they are eage r to help comb the roads for indentified unexploded ordnance (UXO) and IEDs using their specialized equipment, and he believes dismounting from their vehicle with the RCP soldiers ensures expedient reaction time to dis-pose of IEDs and other ordnance.

“We prefer to be dismounted as op-posed to sitting in our vehicle because it’s more exciting. We have an opportunity to help search for command wires and IEDs, and when the RCP soldiers or Czech EOD discover an IED or UXO, our reaction time is quicker,” explained Sgt. Prouza. “If we have to walk a ‘click’ from the truck to the site, it increases the overall time we spend in that area, leaving us susceptible to security hazards.”

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Alekseiunas, USA, an RCP Platoon Sergeant for Task Force Dolch, uses the Czech EOD teams because they strengthen the RCP’s ability to discover explosives and can easily ar-range for Czech infantry to provide added security in hostile locations. “We request the Czech EOD because they always dis-mount and offer us extra interpreters, and they give us an opportunity to work with the Czech infantry, as well. They’re defi-nitely an asset to RCPs because of all the support they provide us. They strengthen our route clearance and our security.”(Contributed by Spc. Rosalind Arroyo, USA)

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COALITION FORCES CONSTRUCT NEW AFGHAN ARMY BASE

Regional Support Command–North engineers have taken the next step in tran-sitioning the national security of Afghani-stan over to the Afghan National Army by helping them place a foothold in the

Samangan Province, Afghanistan, in the northern part of the country. A new for-ward operating base (FOB) that was set to open in late May in Hazrat-e-Sultan will allow the sustainment of up to 800 full-time Afghan National Army soldiers.

Regional Support Command–North is one of six Regional Support Commands that come under the control of the Dep-uty Commander, Regional Support, head-quartered in Kabul.

“The FOB cost $2.2 million to build and will give the Afghan National Army a sig-nificant presence in the province, some-thing they lack right now,” said Master Sgt. Phil Harkleroad, USAF, the Project Budget Analyst and Noncommissioned Officer-in-Charge of Engineering. Ulti-mately, the goal will be to have an Afghan National Army FOB in each province, he added.

Building defensible positions in the often-remote areas of the northern region supports the Afghan government’s efforts to protect citizens from insurgent vio-

lence, especially during the annual spring offensive conducted by those opposed to the coalition- supported government.

“The FOB at Hazrat-e-Sultan is under-going final inspections,” said Tech. Sgt. Eric Denner, USAF, the Engineer Tech-nical Adviser on Construction, during the May site visit. “After everything is complete and the contractor is deemed finished, the FOB will be turned over to Afghan forces and they will begin opera-tions immediately.”

Coalition transition forces were to re-main on-hand to provide assistance to the occupants of the FOB. A contingent of German military mentors is co-located with the Afghan National Army to advise them on conducting regional security op-erations. (Contributed by Tech. Sgt. Mike Andriacco)

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SUSTAINABILITY NEWS

ARMY IDENTIFIES NET-ZERO PILOT INSTALLATIONS

The U.S. Army announced April 19 the locations identified to be pilot net-zero installations. As part of the Army’s over-all effort to conserve precious resources, net-zero installations will consume only as much energy or water as they produce and eliminate solid waste to landfills.

The announcement initiated the pro-grammatic environmental analysis and planning process for the Army’s Net-Zero Installation Strategy. Specifics for projects and initiatives will be determined through a programmatic environmental analysis that will include public engagement and stakeholder outreach.

A net-zero energy installation produces as much energy on site as it uses, over the course of a year. The Army’s pilot net-zero energy installations are Fort Detrick, Md., Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Kwajalein Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, Ca-lif., Sierra Army Depot, Calif., and West Point, N.Y.

Additionally, the Oregon Army National Guard volunteered to pilot a unique and challenging net-zero energy initiative that includes all of their installations across the state. This strategy will be included in the environmental analysis.

A net-zero water installation limits the consumption of freshwater resources and returns water back to the watershed so as not to deplete the groundwater and surface water resources in quantity and quality over the course of a year. The pilot net-zero water installations are Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., Camp Rilea, Ore., Fort Buchanan, P.R., Fort Riley, Kan., Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa.

A net-zero waste installation reduces, reuses and recovers waste streams, con-verting them to resource values with zero landfill over the course of a year. The Ar-my’s pilot net zero waste installations are Fort Detrick, Md., Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Fort Polk, La., Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and U.S. Army Garrison Grafenwoehr, Germany.

Two installations volunteered to be in-tegrated net-zero installations: Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo. A net-zero

installation is comprised of three interre-lated components: net-zero energy, net-zero water and net-zero waste.

As part of the pilot, the installations participated in a kick-off meeting in June to receive training and showcase their proposed strategies to achieve net zero. Each installation will participate in monthly conference calls and share expe-riences and lessons learned in newsletters and military and industry conferences. These installations will also participate in a programmatic environmental analysis and integrated planning process that will inform future decisions regarding im-pacts to resources throughout the Army’s initiative. Public participation will be an integrated part of the process and part of the environmental planning process.

Three panels made the pilot installa-tion recommendations from the 100 self-nominations (53 energy, 23 water and 24 waste) received from 60 highly-motivated installations managed by the Army Na-tional Guard, Army Materiel Command, Installation Management Command, Medical Command, Space and Missile Defense Command and the U.S. Army Reserve Command.

Installations that self-nominated for the pilot initiative, but were not identified are highly encouraged to continue to strive towards net-zero learning from the net-zero journeys of the pilot installations. In FY2014, another 25 installations in each category will be asked to self-nominate to achieving net zero.(Contributed by the Department of Defense)

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO CLEAN WATER

Recognizing the importance of clean water and healthy watersheds to our econ-omy, environment and communities, the Obama administration released a national clean water framework that showcases its comprehensive commitment to protect-ing the health of America’s waters. The framework emphasizes the importance of partnerships and coordination with states, local communities, stakeholders and the public to protect public health and water quality, and promote the nation’s energy and economic security.

For nearly 40 years, the Clean Water Act, along with other important federal mea-sures, has been a cornerstone of efforts to ensure Americans have clean and healthy waters. The administration’s framework outlines a series of actions underway and planned across federal agencies to ensure the integrity of the waters Americans rely on every day for drinking, swimming and fishing, and that support farming, recre-ation, tourism and economic growth. It includes draft federal guidance to clarify which of the nation’s waters are protected by the Clean Water Act nationwide; in-novative partnerships and programs to improve water quality and water efficiency; and initiatives to revitalize communities and economies by restoring rivers and critical watersheds.

Clean water provides critical health, economic and livability benefits to Amer-ican communities. Since 1972, the Clean Water Act has kept billions of pounds of pollution out of American waters, dou-bling the number of waters that meet safe-ty standards for swimming and fishing. Despite the dramatic progress in restoring the health of the nation’s waters over the past four decades, an estimated one‐third of American waters still do not meet the swimmable and fishable standards of the Clean Water Act. Additionally, new pollu-tion and development challenges threaten to erode gains, and demand innovative and strong action in partnership with federal agencies, states and the public to ensure clean and healthy water for fami-lies, businesses and communities in the United States.

The Obama administration is safe-guarding clean water by promoting inno-vative partnerships, enhancing communi-ties and economies by restoring important water bodies, innovating for more water‐efficient communities, ensuring clean wa-ter to protect public health, enhancing use and enjoyment of our waters, updating the nation’s water policies and support-ing science to solve water problems. For more information and to read the Obama administration’s clean water framework, visit www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/clean‐water.(Contributed by the Environmental Protec-tion Agency)

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USACE RELEASES BENCHMARKS TO MEET ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released, for the first time, its FY2010 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance. Using this scorecard as a benchmark, USACE will identify and track the best opportunities to reduce pollution, improve efficiency and cut costs. Under Executive Order 13514, President Barack Obama directed federal agencies to lead by ex-ample in clean energy and to meet a range of energy, water, pol-lution and waste reduction targets. Based on scorecard bench-marks, USACE was to update its Sustainability Plan, as required by E.O. 13514, no later than June 3, 2011, and shortly thereafter post its Sustainability Plan on the USACE public website.

USACE is on its way to meeting goals to decrease energy, potable water and fleet petroleum use; incorporate sustain-able building practices; and increase renewable energy use at USACE-owned facilities. USACE’s progress thus far in meet-ing energy and sustainability goals includes development of the USACE comprehensive greenhouse gas inventories for FY2008 (baseline) and FY2010; incorporating federal sustainability and energy metrics into the USACE Strategic Management System to provide commanders throughout USACE a dashboard tool to track their sustainability performance; apportioning of USACE Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas reduction targets so Major Subordi-

nate Commanders have a clear understanding of the greenhouse gas reductions they are required to achieve; completion of bio-diesel testing in several vessels in the USACE floating plant fleet; and completion of facility energy and water evaluations at five of the USACE’s most energy-intensive facilities.

Areas within USACE showing a need for improvement include facility energy and water intensity, non-tactical vehicle petro-leum, sustainable acquisition, and increasing the use of renew-able energy. To address these areas, USACE plans to implement all federal, Department of Defense and Army policy and regula-tions related to sustainable acquisition and green procurement, and to educate staff about environmentally-preferable products and services. USACE plans also to work with its engineering districts throughout the U.S. to decrease fossil fuels usage and increase use of renewable energy.

To view the USACE Office of Management Scorecard, visit www.usace.army.mil/sustainability.(Contributed by USACE)

DOE, DOI ANNOUNCE FUNDING FOR ADVANCED HYDROPOWER TECHNOLOGIES

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu and U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar in April announced $26.6 million in funding for research and development projects to advance hydropower technology, in-cluding pumped storage hydropower. This funding is focused on development of innovative technologies that can produce power more efficiently, reduce costs and increase sustainable hy-dropower generation at sites not previously considered practical.

Hydropower is a minimal-emission, low-cost source of en-ergy that can be relied upon for long-term, stable production of domestic electricity. The funding announcement seeks environ-mentally-responsible projects that increase the generation of re-liable hydropower for the nation’s electricity supply. Projects will be selected in four areas:

Sustainable Small Hydropower ($10.5 million awarded over three years): These projects will research, develop and test low-head small hydropower technologies that can be quickly and effi-ciently deployed in existing or constructed waterways. DOE will fund system or component model development, as well as the testing of these systems.

Environmental Mitigation Technologies for Conventional Hy-dropower ($2.25 million awarded over three years): These projects will develop innovative conventional hydropower technologies that feature enhanced environmental performance designs to in-crease electricity generation while mitigating fish and habitat im-pacts and enhancing downstream water quality. As an example, concepts that demonstrate turbine efficiencies greater than 90 per-cent and fish passage survival greater than 96 percent will be sought.

Sustainable Pumped Storage Hydropower ($11.875 million awarded over four years): DOE intends to provide technical and financial assistance to accelerate pumped storage hydropower projects already in the pipeline. Projects that begin construc-tion by 2014 and integrate wind or solar will be preferred. DOE also will support analyses that calculate the economic value of



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pumped storage hydropower in dynami-cally responding to the grid and in pro-viding other ancillary services.

Advanced Conventional Hydropower System Testing at a Bureau of Reclama-tion Facility ($2.0 million awarded over three years): These projects will support system tests of innovative, low-head hy-dropower technologies at non-powered hydro facilities and sites owned by DOI’s Bureau of Reclamation. Deliverables in-clude testing to demonstrate energy cost reductions that could be replicated at oth-er Bureau of Reclamation sites. Both the bureau and DOE are sponsoring this work.

DOE will evaluate applications based on the metrics and guidelines published in the solicitation and will award fund-ing on a competitive basis to a variety of projects and to technologies at various levels of development. Mandatory letters of intent were due May 5, 2011, and com-pleted applications were due June 6, 2011. The solicitation was issued by DOE’s Wind and Water Power Program, which works to research, test and develop inno-vative technologies capable of generating renewable, environmentally-responsible and cost-effective electricity from wind and water power. The DOI Bureau of Rec-lamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the U.S., with operations and facilities in the 17 western states. Information on the Bureau may be found at www.usbr.gov(Contributed by DOI)

EPA LAUNCHES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE USE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new strategy to pro-mote the use of green infrastructure by cities and towns to reduce stormwater runoff that pollutes our nation’s streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Green infrastructure decreases pollution to local waterways by treating rain where it falls and keeping polluted stormwater from entering sewer systems. In addi-tion to protecting Americans’ health by decreasing water pollution, green in-frastructure provides many community benefits including increased economic activity and neighborhood revitalization, job creation, energy savings and increased recreational and green space.

“Through this agenda, we’ll help cities and towns across the nation clean up their waters and strengthen their communities by supporting and expanding green infra-structure,” said Bob Perciasepe, EPA Dep-uty Administrator. “Green infrastructure changes improve the health of our waters while creating local jobs, saving commu-nities money and making them healthier and more prosperous places to raise a family and start a business.”

Stormwater is one of the most wide-spread challenges to water quality in the nation. Large volumes of polluted storm-water degrade our nation’s rivers, lakes and aquatic habitats and contribute to downstream flooding. Green infrastruc-

ture captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infra-structure tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alterna-tive designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting systems.

As part of the strategy, EPA will work with partners including local govern-ments, watershed groups, tribes and oth-ers in 10 cities that have utilized green infrastructure and have plans for addi-tional projects. EPA will encourage and support expanded use of green infrastruc-ture in these cities and highlight them as models for other municipalities. The 10 cities are Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Cleveland, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Jackson-ville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Puyallup, Wash.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Washington, D.C., and neighboring Anacostia Watershed communities.

Energy savings is one of the greatest benefits of green infrastructure. On and around buildings, green infrastructure can reduce heating and cooling costs. For example, green roofs reduce a building’s energy costs by 10 percent to 15 percent, and an additional 10 percent of urban tree canopy can provide 5 percent to 10 percent energy savings from shading and windblocking. It also conserves energy by reducing the amount of stormwater en-tering combined collection and treatment systems, which reduces the amount of wastewater processed at treatment plants.

EPA will continue to work with other federal agencies, state and local govern-ments, tribes, municipalities and the pri-vate sector to identify opportunities for using green infrastructure and provide assistance to communities implementing green approaches to control stormwater. EPA will also provide additional tools to help states and communities leverage green infrastructure opportunities within other innovative environmental projects.

For more information on EPA’s green infrastructure agenda, visit epa.gov/greeninfrastructure. (Contributed by EPA)

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS



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ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICESINTEGRATED WATER AND ECOSYSTEMS MODELING AND ANALYSIS

One of the most perplexing issues fac-ing water managers is the ability to under-stand the impacts of change in watersheds and water management on ecosystems and to formulate adaptive management approaches that will meet both economic and ecological objectives. This has been a vexing issue largely because most analyti-cal tools are formulated to examine proj-ect-level problems or local issues, and it was typically necessary to examine water and ecosystem issues separately, in spite of their complex interdependencies.

The System-Wide Water Resources Pro-gram (SWWRP) is a recently-completed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) research initiative that was undertaken to address this need. SWWRP was initiated to transcend individual project-level anal-ysis by developing effective approaches for forecasting system-wide outcomes to wa-ter resources management activities. The program was built around the theme of

environmental sustainability in water re-source projects. Fundamentally, SWWRP coupled water and ecosystems models at the watershed level to provide a better un-derstanding of the implications of alter-native water management approaches in the face of complex changing needs and conditions. This is a major paradigm shift.

Some of the principal benefits of this new capability are: • improved linkages between watershed

changes and water management activi-ties that influence both waterway uses and environmental conditions;

• defendable decision-making approaches keyed to watershed-based tradeoff analyses and stakeholder input;

• improved forecasting approaches to include cumulative impacts of water management approaches;

• improved technological interoperabil-ity of hydrological and ecological mod-els within a collaborative framework for stakeholder use; and

• the ability to examine adaptive ap-proaches to more effectively address is-sues of environmental sustainability.Components included in the SWWRP

are numerous, and include the HEC Hy-drologic Modeling System, the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis Model, the HEC River Analysis System, and a multitude of others, each with spe-cialized capabilities. The overall SWWRP capability is comprised of numerous mod-els, many that are familiar to water and environmental analysts. The difference is that they have been upgraded in many instances to include new capabilities and they have been placed in a framework that allows their coupled application.

The SWWRP research and development has been completed, and many of the in-dividual tools are in use within USACE on a variety of water management projects around the country. The models and their full capabilities and limitations are better defined through their application. While this represents a major advancement in the ability to examine complex issues that involve both water and ecosystems, it is only the first step in an area that has enor-mous potential for the future.

For more information on the SWWRP capabilities contact Steve Ashby, Ph.D.,

U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), at [email protected].

MONITORING TECHNOLOGY PROVES CRITICAL AFTER RIVER BARGE CRASH

A recent Mississippi River barge crash gave a new structural health monitoring (SHM) technology a chance to shine, as the Louisiana Department of Transpor-tation and Development (LA DOTD) called for back-up to ensure motorists could safely cross the river bridge con-necting Vicksburg, Miss., with the state of Louisiana. The structure had been hit by a grain-filled barge and was closed as state employees assessed the damage.

The SHM system was conceived and de-veloped by ERDC and a team of contrac-tors as part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense/Army Corrosion, Prevention and Control Program. The SHM technol-ogy monitors the long-term degradation of steel bridges and determines any effect on the structure due to changes in condi-tion, such as corrosion, fatigue, or other forms of deterioration. Collected informa-tion gives inspectors a head start in bian-nual assessments and aids in maintenance and repair planning. A similar system is installed on the Swing Span of the Govern-ment Bridge at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., to monitor the dynamics and loads the bridge section experiences in everyday service, as well as long-term changes in condition.

“The I-20 Mississippi River bridge was selected as one of the two SHM demon-stration sites because it is a critical cross-ing of the Mississippi, with the next clos-est bridge about 50 miles away. It is also part of the Defense Strategic Highway Network and close to ERDC Vicksburg,” said Steven Sweeney, Structural Engineer at the ERDC Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and SHM project engineer. “Following the barge impact, LA DOTD called upon the system, along with subcontractor support, to check for any indication of structural problems.”

The I-20 bridge SHM was installed in November 2010. The technology continu-ously observes structures on which it is installed to provide real-time monitor-ing and dynamic assessment of structural health. Dynamic assessment achieved

Compiled by Lewis E. (Ed) Link, Ph.D., M.SAME

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS



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TECHNOLOGY NEWS



LETTER FROM . . .

ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICESthrough a set of algorithms that contain preset limits for each structural variable based on a finite element model of the bridge. For example, if the bridge design parameters do not exceed the preset limits, the traffic light indicator will remain green, indicat-ing safe bridge operation. The information on sudden changes provided by the SHM makes it a perfect fit for post-crash needs.

“Bridge engineers were en route but were still a distance away when we received the call for help,” said Sweeney. “We checked for structural problems in the strain, displacement and tilt data. In addition, the system includes three cameras and we were able to look for visible problems.”

In the aftermath of the recent crash, the ability to see the river bridge at close range proved particularly useful. After the 30-barge tow vessel struck the old U.S. 80 bridge in the river’s an-nually flooded waters, the offending barge floated downstream and didn’t simply strike one of the I-20 structure’s piers—it also lodged against it. The barge eventually sank but remained lodged, leading to a multiple-week effort to remove the wreckage.

“In the hours following the crash, we monitored the system closely, continuing throughout the night, and our subcontrac-tor provided the LA DOTD with updates every three hours. We have continued to closely watch the structure and have offered our services as the clean-up efforts continue,” said Sweeney.(Contributed by ERDC)

ERDC LABORATORY AIDS 2011 FLOOD FIGHTDuring the winter and spring of 2011, the Mississippi River

Basin experienced the perfect storm for flooding, resulting in record crests throughout the Lower Mississippi. In responding to the flooding, the USACE Mississippi Valley Division and US-ACE Vicksburg and New Orleans Districts requested the ERDC Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) to provide a variety of support, ranging from data collection to modeling to detailing experts for technical support.

The CHL Field Data Collection and Analysis Branch collected data related to operational issues such as water surface pro-files and bed-form roughness to aid in making accurate model predictions on flood impact. The branch collected LIDAR and RTK-GPS data along the Yazoo Backwater Levee to establish the relationship between water level in the vicinity of the levee and the Vicksburg, Miss., gage, and conducted multi-beam surveys to quantify size, shape and movement of sand waves in an area below the Mississippi River Bridge in Vicksburg. In addition, be-cause the flood was a unique opportunity to measure high-end river processes, the branch collected daily discharge and sus-pended sediment samples and multi-beam surveys to quantify sediment transport during the high-water event.

Michael Winkler of the CHL Navigation Branch has served as area commander for the West Memphis, Tenn., area, where he managed eight levee inspectors responsible for patrolling 175-mi of main line levee. His duties included dispatching geotechni-cal experts to possible areas of concern, daily upward reporting and post-damage assessment analysis. CHL personnel provided technical guidance on ship wave height, drawdown magnitude and wave run-up on flood protection structures caused by vari-ous sizes of deep draft vessels.

Additionally, Charles D. Little of the CHL River Engineering Branch deployed to Vicksburg District to assist in water man-agement activities including assessment and analysis of real-time hydraulic data for flood response efforts in the Yazoo River Back-water area and the Red River Backwater area. Little also assisted with meetings, conference calls and flood forecast mapping for the governor of Louisiana’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, as well as public meetings at several locations within the Red River Backwater area. (Contributed by CHL)

BRAC RADAR RELOCATION YIELDS MILLIONS IN SAVINGSThe installation of an experimental radar receiver atop a 100-ft

tower at Springfield Air National Guard Base, Ohio, in May marked the near completion of a project initiated in 2007 to con-solidate sensors research capabilities for the Air Force Research Laboratory. The bi-static radar tower now located at Springfield complements three similar towers located at nearby Wright-Pat-terson Air Force Base for C-Band, S-Band and L-Band research radars, along with an elaborate control room.

Base Realignment and Closure 2005 (BRAC) decisions directed the radars be dismantled at Rome, N.Y., and transported and re-erected at Area B of Wright-Patterson by Sept. 15, 2011. But when engineers with the Air Force Research Laboratory Sen-

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LETTER FROM . . .

ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICESsors Directorate in Rome prepared for the entire project to be accomplished under contract, bids came in ranging from $25 million to $35 million. Engineers deter-mined there had to be a better, more cost-effective solution.

Cue the Air National Guard. Rick Shaughnessy, a Sensors Directorate Engi-neer in Rome was convinced that airmen with Air National Guard Engineering In-stallation Squadrons (EIS) possessed the right skills and could accomplish the task for a fraction of the expected contract cost. Shaughnessy turned to the 213th En-gineering Installation Squadron in nearby Newburgh, N.Y., where electrical engi-neer Maj. Mark Padrnos mapped out the entire project. Together with Chief Mas-ter Sgt. Stephen Thorenz, also of the 213th EIS, they came up with a plan for guards-man assigned to Engineering Installa-tion Squadrons from across the country to complete the project on schedule for around $4.2 million in man-days, travel, lodging, per-diem and materials.

“It took some convincing of senior Air

Force leadership that we could tackle this with uniformed technicians,” said Shaugh-nessy. “Joe Sciabica, who was then-direc-tor of AFRL’s Sensors Directorate, said he was willing to assume the risk.”

Four years later, the nearly-completed project has cost the Air Force about $600,000 less than the projected $4.2 million.

“I don’t think you can overstate how big a deal this was,” said Frank Albanese, director of AFRL’s BRAC office. “The un-derlying theme behind BRAC is achiev-ing savings for the taxpayers. This effort is one of our biggest success stories to date implementing BRAC.”

Chief Thorenz became the Engineering Installation Lead Project Coordinator. He determined that while several guard teams would be needed, a single management team would oversee throughout. Maj. David Rasmussen, with the 219th EIS, Tulsa, Okla., became the Air National Guard Project Manager. Daily on-site AFRL sup-port at Wright-Patterson came from Dave Coates, of the Sensors Directorate.

“If I had to single out just one per-

son who was critical to the success of this project, it would be Chief Thorenz,” Shaughnessy said. “He pulled the man-power together from Guard EI units in six states, worked the MPA days with person-nel, and developed the deployment sched-ules for the teams that would ultimately complete the radar removals at Rome Research Site, and the reinstallations at Wright-Patterson.”

Ultimately, Chief Thorenz and his fel-low New York Guardsman were joined by the 219 EIS to lead installation of the S-Band system, while the 212th EIS, Mil-ford, Mass., installed the L-Band system, the 219th EIS and the 220th EIS, Zanes-ville, Ohio, installed the control room sys-tem and media room at Wright-Patterson, and the 243rd EIS, South Portland, Maine, installed the antenna tower and bi-static antenna system at Springfield. The 211th EIS, Annville, Pa., is expected to final-ize installation of the C-Band system at Wright-Patterson in July.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these Airmen,” Chief Thorenz said. “The Ohio

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS



LETTER FROM . . .

ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICESweather hasn’t exactly been cooperative, with heat last summer and all of the rain and thunderstorms this spring.”

The Air National Guard teams weren’t the only Airmen to put their finger-prints on the radar relocation project. Maj. Rasmussen said the Air Force’s only active-duty engineering installation unit, the 85th EIS, Keesler AFB, Miss., also provided manpower, along with combat engineers from the 820th RED HORSE Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev.

“Ninety-five percent of the Air Force’s engineering installation capability exists within the Air National Guard,” said Col. Wade Rupper, Commander of the 251st Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group during an outbrief on the project. “This was a spectacular example of our Total Force brothers and sisters working together [just] as they do when they’re deployed outside the wire with the Army.”

AFRL researchers said they soon hope to put the one-of-a-kind in Department of Defense research radars back to work developing new sensing capabilities for small, remotely-piloted vehicles, fusion of radio frequency and optical sensing and other related efforts.

“Not only will be able to do basic re-search, but we will be able to demonstrate techniques as we develop them to acceler-ate delivery of new sensing capabilities to the warfighter,” said Gary Scalzi, an engi-neer with AFRL’s Sensors Directorate.(Contributed by Derek Kaufman, 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs)

MODULAR PROTECTIVE SYSTEM EFFECTIVE OVERHEAD COVER FOR REMOTE BASES

A recent demonstration conducted at Fort Polk, La., by ERDC Geotechni-cal and Structures Laboratory’s Surviv-ability Branch validated the protective performance of an overhead cover struc-ture built with no heavy equipment us-ing ERDC’s Modular Protective System (MPS). The MPS is a rapidly-deployable and recoverable system that consists of a lightweight space frame and composite armor panels that have been validated for protection against a wide range of threat munitions.

“The MPS was originally designed for use as a protective wall system, but was recently adapted to also provide overhead protection from indirect fire threats,” said Nick Boone, Research Mechanical Engi-neer and Work Package Manager for De-feat of Emerging Adaptive Threats Army Technology Objective.

The demonstration, which simulated direct hits from mortars and rockets, was the culminating validation event for an ef-fort that was accelerated to meet the needs of troops in remote austere bases like those in Afghanistan, where construction assets and equipment are unavailable for building standard overhead cover.

“We started designing the overheard cover option for MPS about a year ago,” said Omar Flores, Research Structural En-gineer and Work Unit Manager for MPS Spiral Development. “We placed the first

prototype structure in our mobility bay to protect a vehicle asset last November with the idea that anything can be substituted for the vehicle such as a tactical opera-tions center, living trailer, equipment, et-cetera.”

As part of this project, the team con-ducted a bare-charge explosive experi-ment in November to evaluate the dy-namic response of the structure. At the Fort Polk demonstration, the team deto-nated a fragmenting warhead to see if the occupied space beneath was survivable.

“We are very pleased with the results,” Flores said. “We designed the MPS for the expected loads, but until you blow it up, you are not 100 percent convinced it will work. Other than the hole on the trigger-ing layer, the structure is completely reus-able, and the covered are fully survivable.”

According to Boone, there have been numerous requests from theater recently for a capability like this. “The acquisition folks are interested in helping field this system quickly, and we’re trying to do our part to make that happen so our soldiers will have an increased level of protection in theater.” (Contributed by ERDC)

Submit Technology News items with high-resolution (300-dpi) electronic images, to [email protected] .



LETTER FROM . . .


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SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MILITARY ENGINEERS

STRATEGIC PLANA p p r o v e d b y t h e S A M E B o a r d o f D i r e c t i o n M a y 2 7 , 2 0 1 1

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607 Prince Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • 703-549-3800

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GOALS & OBJECTIVESGOAL 1: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND CONTINGENCY

OPERATIONS Support joint engineer operations, emergency preparedness, response and recovery in the continental United States and abroad in the interest of national and homeland security.

OBJECTIVES1.1 Educate SAME members and develop SAME programs based on require-

ments of the National Security Strategy, National Response Framework and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan in order for members to be in a posi-tion to respond to public agency emergency response and homeland security requirements.

1.2 Foster dialogue and relationship building between the private sector and government entities responsible for the National Security Strategy, National Response Framework and the National Infrastructure Protection Plan implemen-tation.

1.3 Enhance the strategic partnership between SAME and The Infrastructure Secu-rity Partnership (TISP) in support of the SAME and TISP goals and objectives.

1.4 Facilitate education among the military services and industry on joint engineer doctrine and service capabilities in support of all phases of combat and stabil-ity operations.

1.5 Facilitate dialogue among the uniformed services and industry on issues re-lated to effective joint engineer operations in the theater of operations, with emphasis on engineering, construction and facility management requirements.

GOAL 2: EDUCATION AND TRAININGPromote, enhance and reinforce the professional and technical competence of present and future SAME members through outreach, training and continuing education programs.

OBJECTIVES2.1 Provide educational forums to increase knowledge and understanding of

emerging technologies and best practices in planning, architecture, engineer-ing, construction, facility asset management and sustainability.

2.2 Provide relevant, accessible and cost-effective training opportunities to support and encourage the personal and professional development of members and their ability to obtain and retain licensure and certification in their chosen fields of interest.

2.3 Conduct Regional and joint-Regional training conferences and Post programs to support the technical, professional and business interests of SAME members.

2.4 Develop partnerships and alliances with other professional societies and related associations to provide relevant certification programs to SAME members.

2.5 Facilitate industry and government dialogue to improve understanding of pro-grams, trends and technologies.

2.6 Conduct educational programs geared towards small business to facilitate their successful participation in DOD programs.

MISSIONTo promote and facilitate engineering support for national security by developing and enhancing relationships and competencies among uniformed services, public- and private-sector engineers and related professionals, and by developing future engineers through outreach and mentoring.

VISIONTo be a premier global engineering organization leading the professional and personal growth of all members in support of military readiness and development of solutions to national security challenges.

VALUESINTEGRITYUnwavering commitment always to do what is right, regardless of consequences.

PATRIOTISMSupport our national ideals and take pride in our country.

PUBLIC SERVICERecognize the critical contribution that public servants play in supporting the economic and environmental needs of the nation.

NATIONAL SECURITYRecognize the dedication of our national security team, composed of the uniformed services, civil service and contractors, in defending freedom.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCEDeliver high-quality solutions.

EXCELLENCEStrive for the highest standards of performance in all actions, both personal and professional.

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIPPreserve, protect, conserve and restore our national resources through sustainable practices.

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GOAL 3: RELATIONSHIPS AND RECOGNITIONFoster inter-disciplinary, inter-agency, inter-service, international, and public- and private-sector sharing of information, technology and business prac-tices, and recognize accomplishments of SAME members.

OBJECTIVES3.1 Facilitate partnering opportunities for public and private or-

ganizations to develop professional relationships and solve common problems.

3.2 Promote and facilitate opportunities for government officials to provide current and forecast information on service policies, programs, projects and requirements to SAME members.

3.3 Engage with other professional associations through joint meetings and conferences to promote SAME goals and ob-jectives.

3.4 Actively seek new members from companion fields such as surety and insurance, finance, law and contracting, and en-gage them in SAME activities.

3.5 Promote diversity of SAME membership, professional disci-plines, small and large companies, and federal, state and local public agencies at the Post, Regional and National levels.

3.6 Use web-based and traditional communications portals to effectively convey timely and accurate Post, Regional and National information that will aid public-private cooperation, advance education and training, and promote exchanges among SAME members.

3.7 Promote Post involvement in community service. 3.8 Establish and conduct outreach programs and events to sup-

port wounded and fallen warriors, deployed forces and their families, to include active, reserve, National Guard, civil ser-vice and contractors.

3.9 Develop and implement an active recognition program at Post, Regional and National levels, to include recognition of professional accomplishments, leadership and mentoring, and support to SAME.

3.10 Publicize and promote internal and external recognition of the accomplishments of SAME members and organizations.

GOAL 4: LEADERSHIP AND MENTORINGCultivate leadership competence and mentoring within SAME by providing opportunities for members to lead, serve and promote the development of SAME’s vision at Post, Regional and National levels while encourag-ing, acknowledging and highlighting outstanding leadership and mentoring examples.

OBJECTIVES4.1 Utilize the expertise and knowledge of SAME members, in-

cluding Post Fellows and past Post leaders, to develop and train Post members to assume leadership positions.

4.2 Encourage Post leaders to participate in SAME’s national edu-cation opportunities, including but not limited to the Joint En-gineer Training Conference & Expo, Regional conferences, and Post leaders training.

4.3 Strengthen SAME Posts through effective leadership by Re-gional Vice Presidents, as evidenced by relevant programs, increasing membership and SAME Streamers and national awards.

4.4 Establish a culture in SAME that promotes mentoring of K-12 and college students and young members by SAME profes-sionals and Fellows.

4.5 Exhibit executive leadership to encourage and permit mid-level civil service personnel, NCOs, junior officers and Young Members opportunities to participate in SAME activities, es-pecially training and educational events.

4.6 Inspire primary and secondary (K-12) students to enter archi-tecture, engineering, construction and related career fields through engineering and construction camps, jobsite tours, scouting merit badges and patches, and related outreach programs.

4.7 Promote the engineering career field at colleges and universi-ties through Student Chapters, mentoring programs, scholar-ships and career planning seminars.

NATIONAL OFFICERS: PRESIDENTRear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey, P.E., CEC, USN

1ST VICE PRESIDENTAnthony F. Leketa, P.E., F.SAME, Parsons

VICE PRESIDENT & CHAIR, ACADEMY OF FELLOWSPaul A. Parker, SES, F.SAME, USAF

VICE PRESIDENT: Jennifer P. Fogg, CPF, F.SAME, Asset Group

PAST PRESIDENT: Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Byers, F.SAME, USAF

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Robert D. Wolff, Ph.D., P.E., F.SAME (Non-voting)

TREASURER: Richard S. Khalil, CPA, A. Morton Thomas and Assoc. (Non-voting)

GENERAL COUNSEL: Harold I. Rosen, Esq., F.SAME, The Law Office of Harold Rosen (Non-voting)

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS: • Carolinas: Capt. Len Dillinger, P.E., F.SAME, USN (Ret.), PB • Europe: Col. Richard S. “Scott” Jarvis, USAF • Great Lakes: Joan Freitag, F.SAME, Hanson Professional Services Inc. • Lower Mississippi: Ashlyn Graves, Evans-Graves Engineers Inc. • Middle Atlantic: Lt. Col. Neal Wright, P.E., PMP, F.SAME, USA (Ret.),

Dewberry • Missouri River: Jeanne LeBron, F.SAME, SEH • New England: Alan Fillip, MACTEC • North Atlantic: Judy Cooper, F.SAME, PB • Northwest: Capt. Bob Schlesinger, P.E., LEED AP, USN (Ret.), Baker • Ohio Valley: Marci Snyder, Woolpert Inc. • Pacific: Col. John Lohr, USAF • Rocky Mountain: Col. Steve Rose, USAFR• South Atlantic: Capt. Michael Blount, P.E., USN (Ret.), Balfour Beatty

Construction US • South Central: Mike Thompson, P.E., Thompson Engineering Inc. • Southwest: Vida Wright, Ph.D., F.SAME, Veridico Group Inc.• TEXOMA: Greg Kuhn, P.E., F.SAME, Halff Assoc.

COUNCILS: • Noncommissioned Officer: CSM William McDaniel, USA (Ret.), USACE • Small Business: Matt Wallace, WT Resources Inc. • Young Member: Capt. Timothy “Chef” Scheffler, USAF

MISSION COMMITTEE CHAIRS: • College Outreach: Col. Joe Manous Jr., Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, USA (Ret.), USACE • Emergency Preparedness & Homeland Security: Capt. Jay Manik, P.E.,

F.SAME, USCG (Ret.), CDM • Engineering & Construction Camps: Lt. Col. Scott Prosuch, F.SAME, USA

(Ret.), Tetra Tech • Environmental: Col. Jack Norris, USA (Ret.), AECOM • Facilities Asset Management: Stacey Hirata, SES, USACE• International: Chris Williams, CH2M HILL • Joint Engineer Contingency Operations: Col. Mike Flanagan, USA (Ret.), Shaw

ELECTED DIRECTORS: 2009 – 2012 • Julie Fisher, Farnsworth Group • Capt. Randall Gardner, P.E., USPHS • Rick Cunningham, R.A., F.SAME, City of Omaha, Neb.• Chris Ackert, P.E., CMS Corp. 2010 – 2013 • Lt. Col. Wendell “Buddy” Barnes, P.E., F.SAME, USA (Ret.), Montgomery & Barnes • Richard “Rad” Delaney, AIA, LEED AP, Ewing Cole • Ann Ewy, PMP, USACE • Patricia Gaskins, F.SAME, Advanced Engineering Consultants 2011 – 2014 • Joseph Angell II, P.E., CCM, F.SAME, VHB Inc.• Satyesh “S.K.” Nanda, Ph.D, P.E., WRE, F.SAME • Col. Sal Nodjomian, P.E., F.SAME, USAF • Nadja Turek, P.E., LEED AP, Woolpert Inc.

APPOINTED DIRECTORS (NON-VOTING): William “Bill” Anderson, Director, The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) Rear Adm. Sven Rodenbeck, P.E., DEE, ScD, USPHS Capt. Tom Jones, P.E., USCG

OPERATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRS AND LIAISONS • Awards & Recognition Committee: Capt. Tom Bersson, P.E., USN (Ret.), SAIC • Army Liaison: Sheri Moore, USACE• Navy Liaison: Lt. Cdr. Jay Lutz • Air Force Liaison: Maj. Michelle Harwood • Coast Guard Liaison: Lt. Scott MacCumbee • Public Health Service Liaison: Lt. Cdr. Ryan Costello • Marine Corps Liaison: Lt. Col. John Osborne

2011-2012 BOARD OF DIRECTION

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LEADER PROFILE



LETTER FROM . . .



“We are accomplishing the same construction

execution workload with 40 percent fewer people. This challenge makes it

imperative that we continue to find efficiencies that can streamline project

delivery processes.”


TME: Congratulations on your selection as Director of the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE). What are the top priorities that you have set in your new position?

EDWARDS: AFCEE’s focus on excellent installations directly contributes to the success of the U.S. Air Force, whose in-stallations are its warfighting platforms. AFCEE supports the focus of Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Byers, F.SAME, USAF, the Air Force Civil Engineer, to build ready engineers, great leaders and sustainable installations.

We have six focus areas that encompass the mission the Air Force has entrusted AFCEE to execute. I have made the fol-lowing our mission priorities:• environmental stewardship, including

restoration at both closed and active bases and environmental compliance;

• sustainable design and construction;• privatized housing and portfolio man-

agement—it is our commitment at AFCEE to ensure we provide quality homes for airmen and their families;

• strategic sourcing and flexible contract tools—our goal is to ensure we have the right contract tools in place for what the

• Air Force needs today and tomorrow;• enhanced asset management—AFCEE

is looking for ways to maximize the utilization of Air Force assets through technology and other innovation; and

• energy security—AFCEE plays a sig-nificant role in its design of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified buildings.

TME: How is the consolidation of MILCON program management from the Major Commands (MAJCOM) working?

EDWARDS: For MILCON, the consolida-tion of the execution functions at AFCEE has been a real success story. We think it is working exceptionally well, and it has allowed us to take full advantage of the numerous efficiencies made possible through our centralized processes. For example, we have greatly improved com-munications with our construction agents and we now speak with a single voice for Air Force MILCON, resulting in much improved and more seamless execution as we proceed through design, award, con-struction and closeout of our projects.

We have improved the project award rate, as well. For the years FY05 through FY07, the overall rate for the Air Force av-eraged 74 percent of projects awarded in their year of appropriation. For FY09, the first full year of consolidation at AFCEE, our award rate was a record 85 percent. In FY10, our overall award rate was 80 per-cent even with late-arriving Base Realign-ment and Closure projects. Without those, we were well over 90 percent. And the real plus: All this has been accomplished with a 40 percent manpower savings.

TME: What are your major challenges in satisfying your customers?

EDWARDS: We are accomplishing the same construction execution workload with 40 percent fewer people. This chal-lenge makes it imperative that we continue to find efficiencies that can streamline project delivery processes. We have made good progress on several initiatives. For example, we are aggressively promoting the use of the design-build acquisition method with our customers and agents. Design-build has proven to deliver high-quality Air Force facilities that allow more efficient use of our project managers’ time and efforts during the execution process.

Also, we are pursuing more standard-ized designs and requests for proposal. This initiative results in a decreased num-ber of issues that normally occur during design and construction of our facilities.

TME: How is the consolidation of the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) management from the MAJCOMs working?

EDWARDS: Though consolidation of the ERP is still evolving, the benefits thus far have been rewarding and have resulted in a more efficient use of Defense Envi-ronmental Restoration Account funding and an improved awareness of program requirements.

By consolidating the restoration pro-gram at AFCEE, program requirements are optimized and funded at Air Force level. This provides the flexibility to develop program strategies that can cut across MAJCOM lines and focus on the highest priorities first. For example, one of our current initiatives is considering regional performance-based contracts that incor-porate several installations from different MAJCOMs. This has the potential to of-fer significant economy-of-scale savings while optimizing the ability to provide

Edwards talks with radio hosts John Thurman and Mark Frye about AFCEE operations during a broad-cast of the program “Military City USA Radio” on KLUP 930 AM in San Antonio in February.

Terry G. Edwards, P.E., SESThe recently-appointed Director of the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment talks about the center’s MILCON, environmental and small business goals.

LEADER PROFILE



LETTER FROM . . .



oversight and management in a given re-gion. This type of strategy was not easily as attainable under the decentralized con-struction program.

To effectively and efficiently build and execute the centralized program, AFCEE developed a standardized application of guidance, assumptions and cost estima-tion to provide a more realistic awareness of the program’s true progress. In addi-tion, and for the first time in the program, the information garnered from this effort is allowing us to build a master program strategy that will chart our way ahead for the life of the overall program and give us a better understanding of the costs associ-ated with restoration.

TME: What have been your major challenges in satisfying your customers in ERP management?

EDWARDS: Keeping customers informed of our efforts as we evolve has been our most challenging task thus far. The new aggressive application of a fence-to-fence performance-based remediation strategy focused on site completion as recently directed under Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics (SAF/IE) policy has moved the program into a state of acceleration and change.

AFCEE has been working diligently to develop several products and forums to keep customers abreast of the latest devel-opments. In March 2011, AFCEE hosted the Restoration and Technology Transfer Workshop, whose audience included in-stallation and MAJCOM restoration pro-gram managers, state and federal regula-tors and other experts in environmental restoration. The forum addressed the concepts and details associated with the new direction and questions related to old efforts in transition. In addition, AFCEE created a suite of road-show briefings and Q&A papers that are being used at part-nering meetings, Restoration Advisory Board events, MAJCOM Project Manage-ment Reviews and installations.

Also, once we garner lessons from our first wave of contracts under the new strategy, we will finalize our PBR Guid-ance Book in October 2011, which is a

cradle-to-grave product covering the performance-based remediation (PBR)process, contract templates, post-award oversight and other details. These prod-ucts also are being posted on our CE Por-tal website for easy access by our custom-ers. Finally, we plan by December 2011 to have completed our Restoration Master Strategy, which will be the foundation for the entire program throughout its life, to include the planned acquisition sequence of installation PBRs. This will provide an essential tool for installations and regula-tors to plan their programs, and for the Air Force to defend future program funding.

TME: How is AFCEE addressing Department of Defense (DOD) sustainability and energy reduction goals?

EDWARDS: The DOD Sustainable Build-ings Policy, signed Oct. 25, 2010, requires compliance with Federal High-Perfor-mance and Sustainable Building require-ments and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver cer-tification, as appropriate, with an empha-sis on achieving credits related to energy efficiency and water conservation. The current Air Force Sustainable Design and Development policy requires us to meet or exceed the Federal High Performance and Sustainable Building requirements, and to achieve formal LEED Silver certi-fication for a minimum of 10 percent of all vertical construction. This policy is be-ing expanded to require pursuing LEED Silver certification for all eligible projects. The new Air Force policy also will require all new vertical construction and major renovations to fully incorporate federal requirements for high-performance and sustainable buildings and achieve a mini-mum of 20 LEED points dedicated toward energy efficiency and water conservation, as required by DOD policy.

In addition to achieving LEED Silver certification, our present and future proj-ects place heavy emphasis on energy- and water-reduction features. By incorporat-ing the requirements early in the project planning and development, the cost to achieve the federally-mandated reduc-tions in energy and water consumption

can be minimized. AFCEE also is involved in a pilot program with the U.S. Green Building Council called the Portfolio Partnership Program. This program will help us set goals and measure our prog-ress at meeting federal requirements and increasing the sustainability level, year-to-year, of our existing facilities. This concept of continuous improvement is a cornerstone in our Sustainable Communities effort.

TME: Small business is an important component of federal acquisition. How is AFCEE doing in the area of small business awards and subcontracting?

EDWARDS: Approximately 49 percent of AFCEE prime contracts are held by small businesses. Historically, about 22 percent of AFCEE dollars have been obligated to its small business primes. As of April 25, 2011, 26 percent of AFCEE obligations have been awarded to small businesses for FY11. AFCEE is doing a solid job with this program and has several successes that prove we are committed to the small business program.

For example, AFCEE’s former Small Business Programs Office, which now falls under the Air Force Materiel Command Enterprise Sourcing Group, is involved in all source selections from the beginning of the acquisition, and the director is an advisor to the source selection authority on all source selections. The AFCEE lead-ership team has maintained an open-door policy for any small business owner who wants to meet with them. We have added contract language to allow small business set-asides at the task order level. This also involves the new PBR acquisition strategy, and the small business office is engaged in ensuring the word is getting out about small business opportunities in this area.

LEADER PROFILE



LETTER FROM . . .


Terry G. Edwards, P.E., SES, became Director of AFCEE in October 2010 after serving most recently as AFCEE Civilian Deputy Director. Edwards’ ties to AFCEE date to 1991, when he first served as a Senior Environmental Program Manager while an officer on active duty. He transitioned into civil service in 1994 and has since continued to work at AFCEE in various capacities.

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WATER PLANNING & MANAGEMENT



USACE installed the sector gate leafs at Bayou Dupre in April 2011. These are the tallest sector gates in the entire HSDRRS.

USACE PHOTO BY PAUL FLORO.



In 1794, the United States of America began a program of military construction for the protection of coastal communi-ties against attack from the sea. Coastal defense works continued almost unin-terrupted until shortly after World War II. After nearly 15 decades of coastal for-tification work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), this type of con-struction was nearly dormant until 2006.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the largest and most devastating natural disaster in America’s history, Congress fully authorized and funded a $14.45 billion Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) for the greater New Orleans, La., area to ensure the city could defend against a 100-year storm surge, or a storm surge event that has a 1 percent chance of occurring during any given year. As the largest civil works project in American history, HSDRSS includes 120-mi of le-vees, floodwalls, gates, barriers and other structures in the five-parish greater New Orleans area.

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both made commitments to com-plete the system by the 2011 hurricane season, which began in June.

FIVE SHORT YEARSTo construct an integrated and robust

risk reduction system, three major strate-gic improvements were made to the dis-parate collection of existing substandard floodwalls and levees. First, all canals, bayous and waterways that had openings into the heart of the City of New Orleans were closed off with steel gates, walls, and/or pump stations. Second, all levees and floodwalls along the 120-mi perimeter were engineered, designed and constructed to the same standards. This involved de-

molition, removal and replacement of tens of miles of unacceptable levees and flood-walls. And third, nearly 50 pump stations were storm-proofed so the city could more effectively remove interior stormwater during a tropical weather event.

USACE and its contractors planned, engineered and designed the 120-mi pe-rimeter risk reduction system in about 36 months, with construction taking place over the following 24-month period. In five short years, the perimeter system went from authorization by Congress to completion of a continuous, capable 100-year system.

USACE used a variety of strategies to design and construct HSDRRS under an unprecedented, aggressive timeline for a major civil works project. First, the White House Council on Environmental Qual-ity granted USACE special permission to abide by a set of alternative arrangements in compliance with the National Environ-mental Policy Act (NEPA). These NEPA alternative arrangements have allowed USACE to break up comprehensive Envi-ronmental Impact Statements into smaller units of assessment, known as Individual Environmental Reports, and have allowed for more public input opportunities. This has enabled individual projects to move more expeditiously into the construction phase. A Comprehensive Environmen-tal Document is currently being drafted to address the cumulative impacts of all HSDRRS construction.

Second, the USACE Mississippi Valley Division, which oversees the six districts along the entire length of the Mississippi River, employed acquisition strategies nor-mally associated with military construc-tion to deliver several large projects within HSDRRS on this aggressive and unprec-edented schedule. These acquisition strat-egies include design-build and early con-tractor involvement, which significantly shortened the project delivery schedule.

Lastly, USACE employed innovative

construction techniques to help over-come many of the challenges associated with construction in some of the worst soil conditions found in the world. For in-stance, USACE used the deep soil mixing method along a stretch of levee being con-structed in New Orleans East to increase the strength of the weak underlying soil so it could support the higher levee. Approxi-mately 500,000-T of cement was incorpo-rated into the 5.7-mi-long stretch of levee. In total, approximately 1.7-million-yd3 of soil was treated with deep soil mixing to strengthen the underlying soil, making it the largest deep soil mixing project in the country, and possibly the world.

Along those same lines, USACE in-stalled wick drains along a separate stretch of levee in New Orleans East to in-crease the rate of soil consolidation so that it could support a higher levee embank-ment. More than 250,000 wick drains were placed in the 7.5-mile-long stretch of levee just east of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, making it the largest wick drain project in U.S. history. These innovative construction techniques went a long way in ensuring that these projects were delivered on time.

ON A MASSIVE SCALEMany of USACE’s risk-reduction proj-

ects were built on a massive scale. Three of the more high-profile HSDRRS projects are the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC)-Lake Borgne Surge Barrier, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW)-West Closure Complex, and the Perma-nent Canal Closures and Pump Stations.

IHNC-Lake Borgne Surge Barrier. This 1.8-mi-long barrier wall is anchored nearly 200-ft into the ground and stretches across the confluence of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) and the GIWW on the east bank of the Mississippi River near Lake Borgne. In addition to the 26-ft-high steel and concrete barrier wall and floodwall tie-ins, the surge bar-

Coastal Fortifications of New Orleans

BY COL. ROBERT A. SINKLER, M.SAME, USA, and NICK L. SILBERT

The Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System is both an unparalleled feat of engineering and a critical line of defense for residents of greater New Orleans.



rier also consists of three gates: a sector gate and barge gate, each 150-ft wide, at the GIWW and a 56-ft-wide vertical lift gate at Bayou Bienvenue. The $1.1 billion IHNC-Lake Borgne Surge Barrier is the largest design-build civil works project in USACE history.

GIWW-West Closure Complex. Lo-cated on the west bank of the Mississippi River about a half-mile south of the conflu-ence of the Harvey and Algiers canals on the GIWW, this nearly $1 billion project consists of the nation’s largest sector gate, measuring 225-ft wide, as well as foreshore protection and the world’s largest drainage pump station.

Permanent Canal Closures and Pump Stations. As the second largest design-build civil works project in the history of USACE, this $675 million project will permanently close off the three outfall ca-nals that allowed storm surge to penetrate 2-mi into the heart of metro New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. They will have a combined pumping capacity of 24,200-ft3/sec when complete.

One of the largest and most substan-tial components of the system is the $1.5 billion, 23-mi floodwall surrounding St. Bernard Parish. This new concrete T-wall is anchored 120-ft underground with 42,000 steel H-piles. More than 50 Eiffel Towers worth of metal is used in the con-struction of this massive floodwall, which is at 32-ft in elevation along MRGO, and 26-ft in elevation where it ties back into the Mississippi River levee. More than

2-mi of T-wall were constructed per month to deliver HSDRRS on schedule.

In total, the 120-mi concrete, steel, rock and clay perimeter “wall” includes two interstate highway crossings, three four-lane state highways crossings, five railroad crossings, and roughly 500 smaller road and vehicular crossings. Thirteen signifi-cant canals, waterways and bayous also cross the system and require massive steel gates and concrete structures, including the two largest sector gates ever constructed by USACE. More than 600 major pipelines, utilities and facilities had to be relocated to complete the system, and the USACE real estate team had the very challenging mission of acquiring real estate access, as virtually none of the perimeter system was built on property originally owned by the federal government.

A TEAM EFFORTThe USACE New Orleans District and

the Hurricane Protection Office (HPO) are responsible for overseeing the execu-tion and delivery of the system. HPO is the expeditionary project execution task force created to assist the Mississippi Valley Division Commander in deliver-ing a high-quality HSDRRS under bud-get and on an aggressive timeline for the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. The Mississippi Valley Division, based in Vicksburg, Miss., also created Task Force Hope, a forward division cell in New Orleans, to oversee management of the program.

All six districts within the Mississippi Valley Division have been engaged in the engineering, design and delivery of HSDRRS, with several other USACE districts and commands given specific responsibility for supporting different aspects of project delivery. Thousands of USACE employees, contractors and consultants have had a fundamental role in delivering HSDRRS, as have dozens of military personnel. Indeed, personnel from every USACE district in the U.S. has supported the delivery of HSDRRS at some point over the past five years.

USACE also has leveraged external ex-pertise from academia and private indus-try in designing, constructing and peer reviewing components of the system. Stakeholders including state and local government partners and non-govern-ment organizations have all been instru-mental in facilitating resolution of a mul-titude of complex issues. This has been the largest interagency domestic disaster recovery operation in the nation’s history.

A WALLED CITYIt is a local joke that Andrew Jack-

son requested coastal fortification from Congress in 1814 to help repel the Brit-ish attack up Bayou Bienvenue. Now the government is finally getting around to building the coastal defenses. The new 132-T lift gate installed across Bayou Bienvenue would have easily kept Capt. Nicholas Lockyer and his 1,200 Brit-ish sailors and Royal Marines and their 42 longboats, launches and barges from reaching New Orleans.

The modern storm surge fortifications of New Orleans are a model for coastal cities around the globe. New Orleans is currently the most modern walled city in the world, and because it is in a hurricane zone, its storm surge defenses have a more robust design than even the world-class systems found in Europe and Asia.

Col. Robert A. Sinkler, M.SAME, USA, is Commander and Nick L. Silbert is Public Affairs Contractor, Hurricane Protection Office, USACE. They can be reached at 504-862-1310 or [email protected], and 504-862-1934 or [email protected], respectively.

Col. Robert Sinkler, M.SAME, USA, Commander of the USACE Hurricane Protection Office, surveys the progress of the Seabrook Floodgate Complex in February 2011.

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The city of Crookston, Minn., aver-ages a significant flood at least once ev-ery seven years. The financial impact of these floods has numbered in the mil-lions of dollars, and the emotional toll on the city’s 8,000 people is incalculable. As with many upper Midwest commu-nities, mitigating flood devastation has been a major challenge for Crookston. But a creative collaboration between the city, the state of Minnesota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has resulted in a long-term, comprehensive plan for flood risk management that will keep Crookston’s people and property safer and serve as a model for other com-munities facing the same challenges.

Located about 25-mi from Grand Forks, N.D., Crookston is situated in a geographic area that is highly susceptible

to flooding. The Red Lake River flows through the city on its way to the Red River of the North approximately 30-mi away. The segment of the Red Lake River that flows through Crookston has fre-quent meanders and steep banks, making the city vulnerable to flooding and river-bank failures. More than 40 percent of the city’s land surface and 710 residences are in the 100-year floodplain.

Each year, spring snow melt, early rains and thunderstorms threaten flooding in Crookston. Records indicate there have been 18 floods in the city over the last 114 years, with 15 of those floods occurring since 1960. This calculates to approxi-mately one flood every three of the last 50 years. Hydrologic evaluations indicate that even more floods of a large magni-tude, similar to those experienced in the past, are expected to occur in Crookston in the future.

DEVELOPING A PLANA 4.5-mi levee system constructed un-

der emergency conditions between 1950 and 1979 protected Crookston during several flood events. However, because the levees were constructed under emer-gency conditions, during flood events and not under ideal construction conditions, in recent years they began to show signs of settlement, erosion and general deteriora-tion. The city began planning a flood pro-tection project several years ago to replace the emergency levee system.

Crookston enlisted the help of USACE, which in 1997 prepared a feasibility study and environmental assessment for a flood risk management project. USACE deter-mined that there was federal interest in a flood risk management project for the Woods Addition, one of Crookston’s five flood-prone neighborhoods. Started in 2001, construction of Stage 1 of the flood

Comprehensive Planning in Flood Risk Management

BY MARK ANGELO, P.E.

As demonstrated by the success of flood-prone Crookston, Minn., many U.S. flood control projects could benefit from a long-term, comprehensive planning approach.

The Red Lake River meanders through the Woods Addition, one of Crookston’s five flood-prone neighborhoods. PHOTO COURTESY SHORT ELLIOTT HENDRICKSON INC.




protection project consisted of a 1,100-ft-long cutoff channel across an oxbow on the river. USACE hired an engineering firm to perform final design and prepare construction documents for Stage 2. In 2002, Stage 2 construction began on a cut-off channel across another river oxbow as well as the flood protection facilities in the Woods Addition.

These stages of construction predicted some relief for Crookston citizens. Hy-draulic modeling indicated that construc-tion of the two cutoff channels lowered the 100-year flood water surface elevation by .8-ft. The city planned to submit a request for a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) based on the lower water surface elevation upon completion of Stage 1 and 2.

However, in spring 2003, as construc-tion on Stage 2 was closing, a high-water event on Red Lake River was followed during the summer by extreme low-water conditions. The impervious soil in the riv-erbanks was still saturated from the high water in the spring, and without the water in the river to offer resistance, the river-banks began to slough in several areas. One slough was especially damaging, de-stroying 10 homes and jeopardizing utili-ties and a state highway.

The city of Crookston hired a private contractor to develop options for sta-bilizing the river banks and providing flood protection for the four remaining flood-prone neighborhoods. The primary challenge was developing a solution that would not increase the base flood eleva-tion. While the overall project, including already constructed Stages 1 and 2, would result in a net decrease in base flood ele-vation, the remaining construction stages would cause a slight increase in the water surface elevation.

If the LOMR were approved based only on Stages 1 and 2, a new, lower, base flood elevation would be established, prohibit-ing construction of the remaining four stages. However, because the net result of all construction stages would decrease the base flood elevation, the remaining stages could be constructed if the LOMR was postponed to include all stages of the project at once.

Based on these considerations and the contractor’s recommendations, the proj-

ect team decided to take a holistic ap-proach to the project. Instead of looking at each flood-prone neighborhood as a separate project, the team developed a comprehensive plan of flood protection and bank stabilization for the entire com-munity.

A HOLISTIC STRATEGYThe long-term solution included sev-

eral phases and various actions. The riv-erbanks were stabilized by placing rock fill along the riverbank to provide ballast. Slope stability analyses on the rock fill and levee sections determined the required rock fill section and minimum setback for the levees from the top of the riverbank slope. Hydraulic analyses determined impacts on the base flood elevation from the rock fill and levee alignment. Where possible without removing homes, levee alignments were moved landward to re-duce the impact on the base flood eleva-tion.

Hydraulic modeling determined that if the levees were moved too far back from the top of the river slope there would ac-tually be an increase in base flood eleva-tion due to a reduction in velocity of the river water. Thus, the geotechnical and hydraulic engineers iterated to find an optimal levee alignment that would mini-mize base flood elevation impacts while meeting slope stability requirements. From these analyses, they determined that Stages 3 through 6 would increase the flood elevation by a total of .1-ft. Com-bined with the reduction of water eleva-tion associated with Stages 1 and 2, the net project result was a reduction of water elevation of .7-ft feet.

In total, construction of the six project stages will cost approximately $29.5 mil-lion and will provide protection for the 100-year, or 1 percent frequency, flood event. The project facilities include:• removal of the existing emergency le-

vee system;• construction of 20,400-ft of earth levee

ranging in height from 5-ft to 15-ft;• construction of 3,500-ft of concrete

floodwall;• two cutoff channels across oxbows;• installation of eight tractor-driven

pump stations;

• installation of eight electric pump stations for seepage drains; and

• emplacement of 160,000-yd3 of rock fill for bank stabilization.In addition to providing better long-

term flood risk management, the compre-hensive project approach proved benefi-cial for the pursuit of project funding. The City of Crookston and the federal govern-ment shared the cost of Stages 1 and 2. Federal funding was not forthcoming, however, for Stages 3 through 6, leaving the city to raise the necessary funding for these stages.

Crookston’s comprehensive flood risk management plan included preliminary construction plans, an opinion of prob-able project cost, and a timeline for land acquisition, permitting and construction for each stage. The Minnesota state legis-lature and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which administer the state’s Flood Damage Reduction Grant program, appreciated the comprehensive plan.

Several state officials called Crookston the most flood-prone city in Minnesota. The plan showed that each project stage was as close to “shovel ready” as possible, and state officials knew the project could be implemented promptly and a return on the investment would be physically visible shortly thereafter. This provided an ad-vantage for Crookston, as it was compet-ing for project funding with several other communities.

With the funding provided by the state, Stages 3 and 4 of the project have been completed and have already protected Crookston through two flood events. Stage 5 has been awarded to a construc-tion contractor and was anticipated to be under construction in May 2011. Con-struction on the sixth and final stage should begin in late 2011. When com-pleted, these new facilities will provide re-liable, certifiable flood protection for the city of Crookston.

Mark Angelo, P.E., is Civil Engineer, Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.; 651-490-2193 or [email protected] .

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WATER PLANNING & MANAGEMENTWATER PLANNING & MANAGEMENT

Engineers inspect the sector gate model as water is released through the gates from the polder behind the surge barrier. These conditions created the maximum forces designers had to overcome in order to open the gates after a storm’s withdrawal.

Most residents of New Orleans, La., are unaware that the design-build team of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC) surge barrier project has already built, in-stalled and tested the structures against a 1 percent-chance hurricane storm surge and waves—just at a smaller scale.

The tests were performed at one-twentieth the size of the actual structures and were performed for less than one-hundredth of the actual cost. Commonly

known as “physical modeling,” the act of simulating real-world physical processes is not a new tool used by engineers and scientists. The practice of physical model-ing dates back to as early as Sir Isaac New-ton’s record of similarity laws, in which the dominant forces in a system are used to derive relationships between the actual and scaled systems.

Physical modeling is widely used in coastal engineering for solving problems that can’t be solved using computer mod-els in a reliable manner. Physical model-ing continues to push the technological

frontier through the use of modern in-strumentation and active wave generation controls needed to simulate the waves of complex acts of nature, such as a hurri-cane.

THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSEPhysical models in coastal engineering

are used to assist engineers with complex systems not capable of being analyzed with modern computer models or with engineering equations. To this effect, the scaled models of the New Orleans Hur-ricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction

Physical Modeling in Coastal Engineering

BY PETER GRANT, P.E.

Engineers used a time-tested method to assist in the design of a critical surge barrier project included in the greater New Orleans Hurricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction System.

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System’s Gulf Intracoastal Water Way (GIWW) sector gates were constructed to provide the critical design information that designers needed.

The IHNC surge barrier is the first line of defense against storm surge and is de-signed to allow some waves to overtop the structure. A polder (an area of low land) behind the surge barrier is designed to accumulate up to 1.5-ft of additional water surface during a 1 percent-chance hurricane. The GIWW sector gates then become a large flood-relief valve and are required to open to let the accumulated water back out to sea. The designers used information gathered from the physical model to help determine the forces acting upon the gates during a storm and those required to open the gates after a storm.

By April 2009, 12 months after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) awarded the construction contract, a pri-vate firm under another contract had de-signed and built a special-purpose coastal physical modeling laboratory near Seattle, Wash., and had begun testing a section of the 1.8-mi-long surge barrier. Six months later, the team began testing the GIWW sector gates in a 3D wave basin, which included the entire width of the GIWW and approach walls leading to the 150-ft navigational passage between the gates. Test measurements were thoroughly scru-tinized by internal and external quality re-view teams including key members of the sector gate’s design team, scientists from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and De-velopment Center and the USACE Hur-ricane Protection Office.

The sector gates were modeled to achieve what is known as hydroelas-tic similitude. Besides being geometri-cally similar at a one-twentieth scale, the model components were individually de-signed to bend and vibrate at a scalable frequency recorded by accelerometers placed on the gate. This scaling technique is not often utilized for coastal structures like surge barriers and breakwaters, but is more common for the investigation of gate vibration in a dam’s floodgates such as the radial Tainter gate. The GIWW sector gates, which are similar to radial Tainter gates turned on their side, have significantly more structural members forming three truss layers that resist the approximately 20-ft storm surge of a 1 percent-chance hurricane.

The GIWW gates incorporate two buoyancy tanks per gate leaf. A large buoyancy tank near the front of the gate helps to ease gate movement by reduc-ing the force placed on the bottom seal. A smaller buoyancy tank near the gate’s axle allows these large, 84-ft radial sector gates to be floated in place for final assem-bly. The innovative use of these buoyancy tanks in the sector gate design was neces-sary for ease of operability of the gates and to reduce operations and maintenance costs. However, this also presented the designers with difficult-to-answer ques-tions regarding the forces experienced by the gates and the plausibility of exciting resonant vibrations.

The model gates were instrumented to record waves in front of the gates, pres-sures on the outside surface of the gates as well as an overhanging roadway, forces at bearings and actuators, and vibrations along the gate’s main structural mem-bers. Key findings from the experiments showed that waves directly in front of the GIWW gates were reduced by deeper wa-ters and the long approach walls in front of the structure. Although these waves were reduced in total height, the curva-ture of the sector gates helped to focus wave energy where the gates meet, occa-sionally creating wave pressures acting on an overhanging portion of the gate which was twice the horizontal design pressure.

Confirming the magnitude of wave pressures and forces during large wave

impacts helped designers make final se-lections for structural members and the casting design of the main bearing sup-porting the weight of the sector gate. Small vibrations were recorded when waves overtopped the gates, but these vi-brations quickly dissipated and were not severe enough to cause damage to the gates. The gates tested were very stable, enough so that Playmobile toys, which are very near a one-twentieth-scaled rep-resentation of a real person, were used to provide evidence of the low amounts of gate vibration during wave impacts. Mod-elers noted that although the test results were good, standing on the GIWW sector gates during a hurricane is not advisable, for obvious reasons.

Further benefits of using the physi-cal model to assist designers were found when testing the gates’ reaction to open-ing under a reverse differential head. Such a condition is created when releasing flood waters from the polder behind the surge barrier after a storm’s withdrawal. During these tests, it was found that the hydraulic torque curve was considerably different than that for sector gates without buoyancy tanks, which happened to be the only guidance available prior to test-ing. The test results created new hydraulic torque curves for sector gates with buoy-ancy tanks which the designers used for their selection of an appropriately sized gate opening and closing actuator.

A FUNDAMENTAL TOOLAs the world learns to cope with the

increasing forces of nature, coastal engi-neers will need to continue to embrace new technology while continuing to mas-ter the art of simulating and anticipating large events such as hurricanes. The prac-tice of physical modeling in coastal en-gineering still remains one of the funda-mental tools engineers and scientists need for design of risk reduction structures. A physical model can provide critical design information so that these structures can be designed with confidence.

Peter Grant, P.E., is Project Manager, Hydraulic Engineering & Modeling, AECOM; 206-624-9349 or [email protected] .

Each gate member was scaled using hydroelastic similitude laws to allow modelers to record the gate’s vibration during storm surge and waves as well as flood release scenarios.

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The nation’s inland waterways support a vital transportation network with an adaptable and effective system of barge navigation channels. As the primary ben-eficiary of the nation’s rivers, the towing industry relies heavily on maps and charts to help navigate rivers and negotiate pas-sage beneath bridges and other structures that support land-based road and rail transportation.

Although the barge industry has been largely a safe mode of transport, a handful of accidents occurring over the last two decades are reminders of what can hap-pen when there are inland waterway navi-gation problems. For example, in 1993, a barge struck the Big Bayou-Canot swing bridge and derailed an Amtrak train in northeast Mobile, Ala., killing 47 and in-juring 103. In 2002, a tugboat captain lost control of a barge on the Arkansas River in Oklahoma and collided with the I-40 Webber Falls Bridge, killing 14. Incidents such as these illustrate the need for accu-rate charts of inland waterways.

Charged by Congress in 2001 with the task of charting this transportation net-work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has undertaken the challenge of developing Inland Electronic Navigation Charts (IENC) for all major navigable wa-terways in the nation.

“The major goal of the IENC program is to help ensure the safety of navigation on the nation’s inland waterways,” accord-ing to Denise LaDue, USACE Louisville District IENC Production Manager.

To assist with this program, USACE tapped the private-sector expertise of two firms—one specializing in geospatial and engineering services and the other in IENC mapping—to provide marine vessel-based hydrographic and light de-tection and ranging (LIDAR) scanning of

the inland waterways for multiple USACE districts. The team’s combined expertise has provided USACE with the capability to capture spatial data and digital imagery of features below and above the waterline using multiple remote sensing systems.

A GIANT LEAP The process of surveying and collect-

ing navigation chart data has evolved rap-idly in the last two decades. Survey crews in the 1990s relied solely on traditional techniques, using total stations, traverse methods and levels to collect critical points on the ground. GPS technology was introduced to the surveying industry in the early 1990s, but all these techniques

required physical access to the features being surveyed. In 2002, a GPS-enabled, marine vessel-based remote sensing and mapping system was introduced as a solu-tion to capture position and attribute data of features from a moving platform. Com-bining this technology with a vehicle-mounted LIDAR mobile mapping system, USACE utilized a comprehensive method for upgrading and maintaining IENC data.

MOBILE LIDAR SURVEYING In August 2010, the IENC team kicked

off its surveying efforts in the USACE Huntington District in Ohio and West Virginia. A total of 72 highway, railroad and pipeline bridges were surveyed on the

Charting the Course for Safer Waterways

BY KENT E. STEWART, PSM, and JOHN C. GUSTIN IV, PSM

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using vessel-based, GPS-enabled mobile mapping technology to improve navigation safety on the nation’s inland waterways.

A vessel equipped with a mobile mapping system scanned water-

way features including bridges to record any detail that could

impact navigation, including piers, lights, low steel and actual

bridge deck structures.

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Ohio, Kanawha, Big Sandy, Little Sandy, Elk, Muskingum and Pocatalico rivers. Data collection involved surveying all bridge features that could impact navi-gation, including piers, lights, low steel and the bridge deck structures. For each feature, the process made calculations of horizontal and vertical clearances.

Each day, the team planned a survey route based on a strategy to group bridges within close proximity of each other. Dur-ing the scanning of each bridge, a GPS base station occupied a control point es-tablished near one of the bridges central to the group of bridges being surveyed for the day. To ensure accuracy and to stay within range of the receiver on the vessel, the GPS base station could be no more than 5-mi from any bridge in the group.

An aluminum mounting rack accom-modated hardware including laser scan-ners, an inertial measurement unit, digital cameras and a GPS reference antenna on the survey vessel. To ensure the integrity of the sensor alignment, the hardware platform was transferred from a mobile scan van to a 28-ft survey vessel.

The technology combines LIDAR la-ser scanners with a position and orien-tation system consisting of GPS, an in-ertial measurement unit and a distance measurement indicator. For maritime environments, the distance measurement indicator is not utilized. Inside the cabin, the vessel is equipped with a 50-amp pow-er supply, multiple system control compo-nents, hydrographic survey software and Google Earth.

Once the system is installed, a boresite data collection and calibration procedure is performed on the mobile mapping sys-

tem prior to scanning the waterways. A boresite is required to calibrate the pre-cise angular relationships between the LIDAR sensor heads, digital cameras, GPS antennas and the inertial measure-ment unit-mounted position angles. Although X, Y and Z offsets are known, the boresite determines the heading, roll and pitch offsets. Boresite misalignment angles for marine surveys are calculated to .005°, equating to an error of .01-ft at 100-ft from the sensor—well within the accuracy specifications of the project re-quirements.

DATA COLLECTION AND POST-PROCESSING

To ensure that every feature of a bridge was comprehensively recorded in the data, the survey vessel made a scanning pass parallel to each side of the bridge in opposite directions. The vessel’s onboard system utilized both of its LIDAR scan-ning units to collect up to 400,000 points per second at the vessel’s maximum safe operating speed. Additionally, the inertial measurement unit in the position and ori-entation system allowed the system to op-erate during GPS outages caused by over-head obstructions such as bridges and tree canopies. The project team collected a massive amount of 3D, survey-grade, high-precision mapping data from the mobile platform. For hydrographic data collection below the waterline, the survey vessel is equipped with a positioning sys-tem for marine vessels, a high-resolution multi-beam sonar system and a side-scan sonar imagery system.

At the end of each day, mapping system software was used to calculate the smooth best estimate trajectory (SBET) to geore-ference all points and attributes that had been gathered. Once an acceptable SBET was computed, the final LIDAR was cal-culated using a post-processing software suite. From there, LIDAR data was ex-ported as .LAS files and edited in several software programs. From the point cloud data, GIS and CAD technicians extracted point and polygon features such as piers, bridge decks and navigation lights.

Shapefiles were then created from the point and polygon features, and attri-bute data required by the IENC Encoding

Guide Edition 1 for all features was popu-lated in a GIS mapping software package. These shapefiles can easily be integrated into the International Hydrographic Of-fice’s S-57 international exchange format. Other deliverables included georefer-enced digital imagery with links in Google Earth, MicroStation, AutoCAD and ESRI ArcGIS. These deliverables provide USACE with access to very granular de-tails and photos of every feature surveyed.

“By incorporating detailed information, particularly for features such as bridge piers and locks walls, which can be consid-ered hazards to navigation, we ultimately have been able to help the towing industry (our primary user) to more safely transit the inland waterways,” stated LaDue.

BEYOND THE IENCThe resulting geospatial point data gen-

erated from LIDAR scanning of waterway features has value well beyond the context of the IENC. Numerous opportunities exist to extend the value of the collected data for operation and maintenance of the waterways. The data from the point cloud can be processed into valuable byproducts applicable to various USACE missions on the nation’s navigable waterways, includ-ing hydrology and hydraulics modeling, bank stabilization and erosion control, resource management, port security, and levee mapping and inspection.

Kent E. Stewart, PSM, is Technology Specialist, Woolpert Inc.; 850-650-9563 ext. 117 or [email protected] .

John C. Gustin IV, PSM, is President Seaside Engineering and Surveying Inc.; 850-650-9563 ext. 102 or [email protected] .

Numerous opportunities exist to extend the value of the collected data for

operation and maintenance of the waterways.

Scanning and surveying hardware was custom mounted on the vessel.

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When a fire bell rang, a bucket brigade formed. Long before modern fire fighting, this system worked because communi-ties put a plan in place before the flames erupted. Communities today can take a page from this book by developing an emergency action plan (EAP) that will mitigate damage should an aging levee breach or crest.

According to the most recent Ameri-can Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Report Card for American Infrastructure, “more than 85% of the nation’s estimated 100,000 miles of levees are locally owned and maintained. The reliability of many of these levees is unknown. Many are more than 50 years old and were originally built to protect crops from flooding. With an increase in development behind these le-vees, the risk to public health and safety from failure has increased.”

ASCE points out communities are of-

ten unaware of the risk of living behind levees and the likelihood of flooding is misunderstood. As a result, little is done to mitigate risk, despite the fact that dam-ages from flooding in levee-related ar-eas have been substantial. The National Committee on Levee Safety documented the damages following several major re-cent flood events: more than $272 million in the Midwest in 1993; $152 million in North Dakota and Minnesota in 1997; more than $16 billion after Hurricane Ka-trina; and more than half a billion in the Midwest in 2008.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates “that levees are found in approximately 22% of the na-tion’s 3,147 counties. Forty-three percent of the U.S. population lives in counties with levees.” Levees are either federally constructed and turned over to a local sponsor to operate and maintain or con-structed by a local sponsor. This local sponsor—a municipality, county, levee district or drainage district—is responsi-

ble for the operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the levee and, in turn, holds the responsibility for the develop-ment of a solid EAP.

Anecdotal evidence suggests the ma-jority of local sponsors don’t have an EAP, and if they do, it is not specific to levee flood fighting. People who have spent their entire lives next to a levee and never seen it tested often have no sense of ur-

Emergency Action Plans

BY 1ST LT. (P) JASON DAVIS, P.E., USAR

As the nation’s levee system ages and the risk to public health and safety mounts, communities can greatly mitigate risk through the use of a basic emergency action plan.

Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District and City of Memphis officials place sandbags on a sand boil in Memphis, Tenn., in May 2011. USACE PHOTO BY PATRICK MOES


People who have spent their entire lives next to a levee and never seen it

tested often have no sense of urgency. Many believe their levee will never be

breached.



gency. Many believe their levee will never be breached. To overcome this mindset, communities must be educated on the protection their levees provide and the consequences of a levee failure.

TRAINING AND EAP COMPONENTSTraining and the development of an

EAP are vital first steps in reducing the risk of levee failure and mitigating dam-ages if failure occurs. Classes provide instruction on assigning specific respon-sibilities, limits of responsibility, chain of command and common terminology. In cities with emergency contact and emer-gency readiness centers, staff members participate in classes, while in smaller communities training is provided to members of the fire department, the chief of police, or the county sheriff. Specific training on flood fighting and directing vol-unteers also is available.

Once initial classes are completed, training is opened to the general public. Volunteers learn when they will be needed, receive training in proper sandbagging techniques, gain general information on how a levee operates and learn what to look for during a high-water event. Resi-dents need to understand how a levee works. An example is sand boils; during a high-water event, water pressure creates seepage paths that begin to move levee embankment material. If left unchecked, the sand boils can continue to move mate-rial until piping through the levee causes a breach. This could happen behind some-one’s house near the levee and the owner could be unaware of the danger.

An EAP should be a living document that is regularly updated and improved, and it should have a basic framework similar to the following sequence: • event detection; • emergency level determination, with

a plan that includes trigger events for each emergency level;

• notification and communication, in-cluding a notification based on the de-termined emergency level, a script and an updated phone tree;

• expected actions determined by emer-gency level; and,

• termination of the event based on pre-determined criteria.

An EAP also incorporates an emergency alert system that should include phone dialer, radio and television alerts, siren, door-to-door notification for people who need protection, and drills for what to do when alerts are issued. Radio, television and phone alerts are prepared to provide forecasted flood stages, notification of when volunteer services are needed and, if necessary, evacuation alerts when the levee will be breached.

Every local sponsor should have a dedi-cated emergency manager or coordinator who is responsible for coordinating train-ing and managing the EAP as well as no-tifying residents of upcoming flood fight training, workshops and other important levee information.

ENFORCING THE STANDARD OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

Some states require a levee district to designate a chief engineer responsible for ensuring the levee performs as intended. For instance, duties of the chief engineer, as defined in Missouri, are “accept, ap-prove and adopt or amend any plan for leveeing, draining, reclaiming or protect-ing the lands and property described in the decree of the court incorporating said district…” The U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers (USACE) requires local sponsors to submit all levee modifications for review and approval by USACE.

LOCAL SPONSOR RESPONSIBILITY Along with a documented EAP and

training for the community and volun-teers, the local sponsor should see that levee staff and maintenance crews receive annual flood fight training. In addition, the local sponsor should ensure that he or she is in compliance with the Occupa-tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement that all person-nel who enter confined areas (defined by OSHA under 29 CRF 1910) complete confined-entry training and follow proce-dures including toxic gas testing, proper harness equipment and an emergency evacuation plan. Although levee mainte-nance frequently requires entry into a man-hole or other types of confined areas, many communities don’t realize compliance with this OSHA requirement is mandatory.

LEVEE ENCROACHMENTSUSACE provides all levee districts an

operation and maintenance manual that details specific criteria for maintenance and operation of levee systems. The man-ual is provided to the local sponsor and addresses every level of maintenance, from the frequency of greasing sluice gates to their operation to mowing to clo-sure structures for gaps. The manual also explains how to submit modifications to levee systems. For example, a utility com-pany that wants to cross the levee must submit a plan to the local sponsor, who then submits the plan to USACE for ap-proval. All levee modifications must be reviewed and receive USACE approval.

In conducting inspections, the most common threats to levee integrity are en-croachments. The local sponsor must take responsibility and fight for the levee on a daily basis to prevent encroachment creep and the destruction caused by trees, utili-ties, buildings, fences, and so on.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT The United States Department of Ag-

riculture (USDA) offers the public an excellent EAP example. Essentially a fill-in-the-blank document, it is one of the best ways for a community to get started in developing its plan. The USDA EAP is accessible at directives.sc.egov.usda.gov.

FEMA offers online training classes un-der its Community Emergency Response Team Program, and the State Emergency Management Association offers unique training for each state. Most USACE dis-tricts have an emergency management section, a resource that can provide flood fight training and technical advice for le-vee operation and maintenance.

Many local sponsors are under the mis-conception that another office is in charge of the EAP. A city may think the county has the plan and will handle any levee situation. Community stakeholders must assume that if they can’t put their hands on an EAP, it doesn’t exist.

1st Lt. (P) Jason Davis, P.E., USAR, is Vice President, Federal Services, Affinis Corp., and a member of the U.S. Army Reserve 733rd En-gineer Facility Detachment; 913-239-1106 or [email protected] .

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Ensuring long-term mission viability for water systems at military installations requires efficient operations. However, ef-ficient operations can be challenging with aging infrastructure that is prone to leaks and inaccurate metering. Reducing water loss through proactive means improves efficiencies by helping to ensure water purchased or produced gets to the end user and is accounted for accurately.

The inefficiencies from systems pump-ing and treating water that is never deliv-ered to their customers is an unnecessary cost that must be reduced throughout the country. In fact, Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and Transportation Management, signed by President Bush in January 2007, directs federal facilities to conduct water audits on its infrastructure.

Water loss is best described as real losses, which include water main leaks and over-flows, and apparent losses, which describe paper losses associated with meter inac-curacies and billing data. Implementing system improvements identified after conducting water audits coupled with leak surveys is a proactive means of re-ducing water loss and improving efficien-cies. Additionally, locating and repairing leaks before they surface prevents damage to other infrastructure.

FINDING A WATER BALANCEThe American Water Works Associa-

tion (AWWA) describes how to conduct a water audit in its Manual of Water Supply Practices. A standard water audit begins with identifying the source of supply and then quantifying and categorizing water use so that the water supply balances with the water used.

Following this process allows the water supplier to differentiate between water

that generates revenue and the amount of water that does not. Revenue water is water that is billed. Nonrevenue water in-cludes unbilled water that is authorized (construction water, hydrant use, etc.), real losses (leaks and overflows) and ap-parent losses (meter inaccuracies, billing errors, etc.).

The major benefits in conducting a wa-ter audit stem from the ability to compute performance indicators for benchmark-ing the water system and determine the quantity and cost of the water lost. Imple-menting steps to reduce water loss reduces operating costs by helping ensure that water purchased or produced provides a beneficial use and typically reduces en-ergy costs associated with treating, pump-ing and storing the water. Two major components in reducing water loss are conducting a leak survey and determin-ing the accuracy of water meters.

LEAK SURVEYS Leak surveys are conducted with acous-

tic equipment to sound hydrants, valves and other system appurtenances and lis-ten for noise associated with water leak-ing from the pipes. Once these locations are identified between the appurtenances, special equipment is used to pinpoint the leak location. When the leak loca-

Reducing Water Loss, Improving Efficiencies

BY DAVID GUASTELLA, P.E.

Water losses both real and apparent can be remedied through comprehensive leak surveys and meter testing, leading to improved efficiencies and preventing future damage.

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Testing residential water meters for metering accuracy is accomplished by identifying a statistical sample based on age and volume of water metered. These meters are then removed and bench tested in accordance with AWWA standards.

Locating and repairing leaks and overflows before

they surface prevents damage to other

infrastructure.



tion is unearthed, an assessment can be performed to quantify the volume of the water lost based on the type of water main failure, size of the failure and the pressure.

Proactively surveying for leaks and repairing them before they surface also saves money that would be associated with repairing other infrastructure. In most cases the payback on the cost of leak detection services versus the value of the water saved is six to eight times.

In one recent case, a leak had resulted in the formation of a large cavity underneath the pavement of a roadway. Finding and repairing the leak not only saved money associated with the likely collapse of the road, but also prevented personal injury and property damage suffered by some-one traveling the roadway.

PAPER LOSSES Although not real losses, apparent or

paper losses attributed to meter inaccura-cies also contribute to water loss. Meters typically become inaccurate as they age. Also, commercial or industrial meters can become incorrectly sized when a change in the use of the facility requires less water than the meters’ optimum flow accuracy range, resulting in under-recording water

use. In cases where a community is sup-plied by a master meter, it is also prudent to test the water purveyor’s meter.

Residential meters are best tested by identifying a statistical sample based on age and volume of water metered. These meters are then removed and bench tested in accordance with AWWA standards for low, medium and high flows. Further-more, AWWA guidelines state that meters should be replaced once the meter falls outside of the accepted accuracy limits. For residential meters, the accepted accu-racy range is from 98.5 percent to 101.5 percent.

Due to the downturn in the economy and base realignments, it is not unusual for industrial or commercial facility me-ters to be oversized due to a change in the building’s use. An oversized meter will tend to under-record water use, and therefore the analysis must take this into account. Commercial meters are much larger and can be difficult to remove for testing. Therefore, an evaluation of the meter’s accuracy is typically based on bill-ing data. Using flow rates calculated from

billing data, the meters are analyzed for:• meter life, based on vendor specifica-

tions, average daily flow and the total projected volume through the meter;

• safe operating capacity; and • short-duration flow calculations.

Based on the evaluation, commercial meters that are suspect are identified for field testing to test their accuracy or ana-lyzed using data loggers that record flow rates through the meter at one-minute in-tervals. The logger data is then evaluated to identify the correct size meter for the facility.

In many cases, a community or base is supplied water from a municipality. In these cases, the water supplied typically comes through a master meter at the ju-risdictional boundary between the water purveyor and the community or base. Be-cause the master meter is used to deter-mine the volume of water sold, it is criti-cal to ensure the accuracy of this meter, as well.

Master meters can be tested using in-sertion magnetic meters that are installed in line with the master meter. In some cases, valves in the distribution system

may need to be closed to be certain that the same volume of water passing through the master meter is also be monitored by the insertion magnetic meter.

RECENT FINDINGSA recently-completed water loss pro-

gram was conducted for a community of nearly 10,000 accounts with an average day demand of 2.5-million-G/day and a water loss of more than 20 percent. A leak survey was conducted concurrently with a water audit and substantial savings were realized.

Reviewing the water system’s master meter records is one method of identify-ing possible leaks in the system. Increased use from leaks in a system is best observed by reviewing nighttime flows when water use is at its lowest and most consistent. One significant leak was discovered dur-ing the leak detection program and re-paired. Prior to the repair, nighttime flow was approximately 2,000-G/minute. After the leak was repaired, the nighttime flow dropped to 1,000-G/minute. This one leak of nearly 1.5-million-G/day was estimated to have leaked for approximately two months at a cost of water equal to $85,000.

In another community supplied through a master meter, an insertion magnetic meter was installed to verify the master meter’s accuracy. The investiga-tion found that the flow readings from the insertion meter were approximately 12 percent lower than the flow readings from the water purveyor. As a result, the master meter was further evaluated and eventu-ally replaced.

CONCLUSIONConducting water loss programs is

cost-effective and can improve operating efficiencies, especially at facilities with aging infrastructure. Implementing these programs at military installations will not only save money and protect other infra-structure from damage associated with leaking water mains, it will also help pre-serve water resources.

David Guastella, P.E., is Vice President, Tucker, Young, Jackson, Tull Inc.; 313-963-0612 or [email protected] .

Proactively surveying for leaks and repairing them before they surface also

saves money that would be associated with repairing other

infrastructure. In most cases the payback on the

cost of leak detection services versus the value

of the water saved is six to eight times.

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With its banks lined with boathouses and resorts that served as social and cul-tural meeting points, the Blue River in Kansas City, Mo., was once a treasured spot of beauty and recreation. That was more than a century ago. As the 20th cen-tury progressed, the Blue River’s beauty languished and gave way to industry. The once scenic river and its floodplain be-came a major source of flooding.

Flooding and water management has been a major a concern of Kansas City since the disastrous floods of the 1920s. Then, record flooding in 1961 brought about a congressional resolution to study the problem. Consequently, Congress au-

thorized a flood control project in 1970 that eventually included recommenda-tions for upstream reservoirs in both Mis-souri and Kansas and channel improve-ments from 63rd Street downstream to the mouth at the Missouri River. However, upstream reservoirs in Kansas failed to gain local approval and sponsorship, and the project was reduced in scope to the downstream channelization only. Con-struction of the re-channelization proj-ect has progressed in a series of segments since 1983.

The Blue River Channel Modification Project is a joint effort between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Kan-sas City District and the City of Kansas City to provide flood mitigation on the Blue River, which flows 41 river miles through the Kansas City metropolitan

area. Channel improvements have been focused on the lower reaches of the Blue River along a 12.5-mi segment to reduce flooding to adjacent properties. Nine channel segments have been completed since the project began. The ninth seg-ment, which stretches about 4,000-ft from 53rd Street to the confluence with Brush Creek—includes approximately $15 mil-lion in improvements and was completed in 2009. From Brush Creek, the river flows through previously constructed segments to the Missouri River approximately 10-mi downstream.

UNIQUE PROJECT FEATURESThe ninth segment of the project has

several unique features. Among them, it is the first major civil works project man-aged by the USACE Kansas City District

Blue River Going Green

BY ALAN E. WOLFE, JOHN D. HOLM and TIM FOBES

The newest segment of the Blue River Channel Modification Project, the USACE Kansas City District’s first major civil works design-build project, incorporates sustainable flood control practices.

A Hogan Preparatory Academy student performs water quality testing on the Blue River in Kansas City, Mo., at an educational event in fall 2010 that was presented by the Blue River Watershed Association and sponsored by project contractor HDR. The nonprofit association provides water quality education activities for area students. PHOTO COURTESY HDR




using the design-build approach. This segment also incorporates green solutions on a large scale to be compatible with the authorized flood control purposes. Exten-sive aquatic and terrestrial environmen-tal habitat enhancements were designed and constructed to work in a flood con-trol channel under the extreme hydraulic conditions and strict conveyance require-ments of traditional USACE flood control channel conditions. These enhancements are part of a growing trend in sustain-able flood control and water management practices, requested by local sponsors, like Kansas City, and the general public to ad-dress ecological and environmental needs in conjunction with flood management.

PLANNING PRECEDES CONSTRUCTION

Beginning with the end in mind was important to the success of the Blue River Channel Modification Project’s ninth segment. A basic concept plan view for green solutions was requested by Kan-sas City officials and submitted as part of the bid. The city’s environmental goal for this segment was to reduce stormwater runoff and pollutants and address natu-ral resources. The city wanted a greener project that would be more in line with its overall environmental strategy. Following the project award, the city hosted a public meeting with stakeholders to gain feed-back on a proposed green solutions con-cept. Using stakeholder input, a revised environmental enhancement plan includ-ing in-stream habitat features, plantings with native plants, and stormwater man-agement features was prepared and taken to preliminary and final design. The en-vironmental enhancement design plans are incorporated into the channel flood protection design.

Prior to starting clearing activities, the team submitted erosion control plans to the city to obtain a land disturbance permit. Once issued, contractors began clearing the site and finished the design of the channel. The bulk of the design work was completed in the spring and sum-mer of 2008. As clearing proceeded, the river banks were cleared of 100,000-T of solid waste that had resulted from years of unregulated disposal. Many hours were spent planning and coordinating design

and construction activities, and final con-struction documents were submitted to USACE in September 2008.

Construction of the channel started soon after. During summer 2008, a ma-jor water transmission line relocation was planned, designed and approved in an-ticipation of a narrow winter construction window. The team worked with adjacent property owners to address any concerns and keep them informed of local con-struction issues, enabling USACE and the City of Kansas City to quickly address owner concerns about access, utility inter-ruptions and tree removal.

Thanks to the design-build approach, the project was completed two years after the contract was awarded, several months ahead of schedule, and about one year sooner than a traditional design-bid-build project would have allowed.

GREEN SOLUTIONSApplying green solutions to stream res-

toration and bank stabilization projects is common. Incorporating green solutions into large flood control projects is some-what unique. Extensive environmental enhancement features on the ninth seg-ment of the Blue River Channel Modifica-tion Project focus on aquatic habitat, na-tive vegetation planting, tree preservation and water quality.

Plans for aquatic habitat include incor-porating sustainable in-stream structures that support aquatic life such as fish and aquatic insects. These structures include engineered rock riffles, boulder clusters and the adaptive reuse of cleared trees as rootwads, locked logs and lunker logs.

In the past, the downstream sections of the flood control channel included removal of significant tree canopy in or-der to widen the channel and stabilize its banks. However, by removing the trees, many ecological functions, as well as much bird and riparian habitat, was re-moved. USACE and the City asked the project team to evaluate means to rees-tablish habitat that is compatible with the river’s flood conveyance function. Tree canopy removed from the banks was re-placed with willow stakes on a low-lying channel bench next to the water’s edge, which will eventually produce a canopy of willow trees and other opportunistic growth along the river channel. In addi-tion, seeding of native grasses and wild-flowers, trees, shrubs and wetland plugs was incorporated on the upper channel banks and overbanks, in a stormwater wetland and in several vegetated bio-swales.

FROM BROWN TO GREEN TO BLUE The bare and brown edges of the re-

worked river channel are already growing into lush, green banks. With solid waste removed and native plantings established, the water draining to the river is cleaner, with runoff filtered by the environmental enhancements, which support improved fish and wildlife habitat. The Blue River now serves as an outdoor environmental resource for urban youth education by lo-cal watershed advocates. In the end, the recently-completed ninth segment of the Blue River Channel Modification Project is a gem in the midst of a much larger project and a key step to achieving the goal of more sustainable flood control on a green Blue River.

Alan E. Wolfe is President and General Man-ager, ESI Contracting Corp.; 816-523-5081 or [email protected] .

John D. Holm is Chief, Civil Works Branch, USACE Kansas City District; 816-389-3111 or [email protected] .

Tim Fobes is Environmental Scientist, HDR En-gineering Inc.; 816-360-2700 ext. 2754 or [email protected] .

“Applying green solutions to stream restoration and bank stabilization projects is common. Incorporating green solutions into large

flood control projects is somewhat unique.”

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Since the founding of the United States, military engineers have worked to ensure the waterways of the country are healthy enough to support maritime law enforce-ment, commerce and recreation. Al-though engineers have had many partners along the way, one overlooked partner has received much attention recently for its success in clearing the water and stabiliz-ing shorelines: the Eastern Oyster.

Although once found in abundance in the waterways of the northeastern United States, oysters have been hard hit by dis-ease, over-harvesting, poaching and pol-luted water. This has so devastated the oyster that the weakened population is no longer self-sustaining. The absence of oyster beds along with the stabilizing seagrasses they promote has caused rapid shoreline erosion in the northeast, which threatens local real estate, increases the cost of navigation channel maintenance and potentially jeopardizes the fisheries industry. Sediments released through ero-sion smother remaining oyster beds, add-ing to the challenges facing their survival.

The North Atlantic Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is working with state, federal and non-gov-ernmental partners throughout the region to help the keystone species of our north-east waterways make a comeback in three principal areas: the country’s two largest estuaries—the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay—and the harbor estuary of New York City, N.Y.

HOW OYSTERS HELPOysters help water quality and man-

agement in two ways. One, oysters build reefs. These reefs serve as a unique and safe habitat for a variety of fish, shrimp, crabs and invertebrates and also serve as

natural breakwaters that absorb wave en-ergy and provide a protected marsh area where marine life can thrive. This can ul-timately lead to improved erosion control and improved fisheries.

Secondly, oysters filter feed, which pro-vides two main water quality improve-ments. Filter feeding takes plankton and particulates from the water column and delivers them to the seafloor, where they are consumed by other marine life. It also helps circulate nutrients, preventing the accumulation of elements such as nitro-gen and phosphorus, which are the main nutrients in fertilizer and, when not circu-lated, can create dead zones in which no marine life can survive. The improved wa-ter quality from these two services allows more sunlight to penetrate to the seafloor, allowing seagrasses to grow, further stabi-lizing shorelines and further promoting marine ecosystems.

FOCUS AREA 1: THE CHESAPEAKE BAYSince the passing of the Water Resources

Development Act 1986, the USACE North Atlantic Division’s Baltimore and Norfolk districts have been working with state and industry partners to construct substrate to establish sustainable breeding popu-lations of native oysters. In constructing an oyster reef, substrate is the supporting foundation that provides vertical relief and a platform to which the spat (juvenile oysters) can attach. Fossil shell is the pre-ferred, but scarce, substrate.

As part of an effort to develop a long-term plan for large-scale oyster restoration, in 2009 USACE also announced a “native-only” strategy that ruled out non-native Asian oysters as a restoration alternative for fear that they would threaten the Ches-apeake Bay’s already stressed ecosystem.

Since 1997, the Baltimore District has constructed 459 acres of reef habitat

Oyster Restoration in the Northeast

BY LOU FIOTO, JUSTIN WARD and ROSELLE HENN

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers North Atlantic Division has embarked on a program to restore oyster populations—and improve water quality and shoreline stability—at locations throughout the region.

Adult oysters taken from an oyster restoration sanctuary reef in Virginia Beach’s Lynnhaven River play host to several baby oysters, or spat. U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY MARK W. HAVILAND



in multiple tributaries in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay. In the southern portion of the bay, the Norfolk District executed the Lynnhaven Ecosys-tem Restoration Project, which included 58 acres of oyster habitat and earned the Coastal America Partnership Award in 2009. The Norfolk District also executed the Great Wicomico River Oyster Resto-ration Project, which at 85 acres was one of the world’s largest restored oyster sanc-tuary reef network. Most of the Chesa-peake Bay reefs were constructed using dredged fossil shell.

The Chesapeake Bay Native Oyster Res-toration Master Plan is being developed collaboratively by the Baltimore and Nor-folk districts in partnership with the state of Maryland. It is being coordinated with several federal agencies and will identify tributaries most likely to develop sustain-able populations of oysters with the imple-mentation of large-scale reef construction, seeding and other restoration activities.

In February 2011, many areas of the bay reported the highest spat average since 1997.

FOCUS AREA 2: THE DELAWARE BAYIn the Delaware Bay, the USACE Phila-

delphia District worked with the partners of the Delaware Estuary Program to initi-ate a shell planting program in 2005. From 2005 to 2008, the district worked with

the Delaware Department of Natural Re-sources and Environmental Control, the New Jersey Department of Environmen-tal Protection and others to plant almost 1.8 million bushels of clam shells—waste from local clam processing plants—on 1,044 acres of the bay. The shells provided a desirable clean, hard substrate for spat to attach to and grow and also alleviated storage and disposal costs to the clam companies, effectively turning a waste product into a useful commodity.

Studies of the $5 million program showed steady oyster bed improvements and, in 2008, oyster beds appeared to be stabilized. In 2008, this oyster restoration program received the 2008 Coastal Amer-ica Partnership Award given by the White House for successfully stabilizing the oys-ter beds of the Delaware Bay.

FOCUS AREA 3: THE NEW YORK HARBOR ESTUARY

Oysters are a part of New York history. Before the last oyster bed was shut down in 1927, if someone said they were going to New York, it has been reported that the most likely response was “Enjoy the oysters.”

Since 1927, oyster carts have been re-placed by hot dog carts and “The Big Oyster” now goes by “The Big Apple.” But through USACE’s leadership in the collab-oratively-developed Hudson River Estuary

Comprehensive Restoration Plan, residents of New York can anticipate the restoration of this important natural resource by 2050. The intent is to restore habitats that will be preserved as sanctuaries.

The Comprehensive Restoration Plan, adopted by the Hudson Estuary Program and more than 20 other partners, takes a broad vision for restoring a mosaic of habitats to the estuary. A panel of expert oyster scientists recommended that the best way to determine the feasibility of re-storing oysters to their historic numbers was to build several experimental small-scale reefs in a natural environment where they are exposed to predators and other biological and physical interactions, and observe their development. This approach of optimizing the scale has proven to be successful in USACE’s oyster restoration efforts in the Chesapeake Bay.

If deemed feasible, the USACE New York District will construct reefs at five locations (with about 5,000 shells set with spat for each site) and provide vessel and team support to assist in data collection. The ongoing, two-year placement of spat and reefs addresses the questions of where and how sustainable oyster populations can be reintroduced in New York Harbor and the lower Hudson River. Through cohesive collaboration with the various entities working on the program, USACE seeks to provide important information that will guide policymakers in decisions affecting the conditions of the harbor and river far into the future.

The various partnerships as well as the news of increasing spat numbers—and possible disease tolerance—are encour-aging. But oysters aren’t out of the muck yet. Federal, state, academic and industry programs must continue for several years, even through tough economic times, be-fore results can be labeled as bona fide, and before New York City can once again be “The Big Oyster.

Lou Fioto and Justin Ward are Public Affairs Specialists and Roselle Henn is Environmental Planner, USACE North Atlantic Division. They can be reached at 347-370-4550 or [email protected] .

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Diana Kohtio, a biologist with the USACE New York District, places oysters on an artificially-created reef off Soundview Park in Bronx, N.Y., with students from the New York Harbor School, Rocking the Boat and other partners.

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PROGRAM MANAGEMENT OF MEGA-PROJECTS

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After compressing roughly $2 billion and more than 6-million-ft2 of projects into fewer than four years of construc-tion, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program in San Antonio, Texas, is nearing its conclusion. The magnitude and pace of the program were dictated by requirements of the 2005 BRAC law, which called for completing BRAC proj-ects by September 15, 2011. Additionally, many facilities were built to accommodate consolidation of U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force training missions, necessi-tating integration of the facility standards of all three service branches. With total construction placement approaching 95 percent, only a few of the larger projects remain to be completed by the deadline.

JOINT MANAGEMENTBringing the program to this point has

been largely attributable to the distinctive management approach that was employed. The Department of Defense established a new organization solely to supervise the design and construction efforts of the BRAC construction surge at San Anto-nio’s three military installations: Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base and Lackland Air Force Base. This organiza-tion, the Joint Program Management Of-fice (JPMO), was formed by agreement of the Service Engineer Chiefs. At the height of the program, JPMO numbered as many as 200 individuals, including representa-tives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Air Force Center for Engi-neering and the Environment (AFCEE), the Naval Facilities Engineering Com-mand (NAVFAC) as well as private-sec-tor contractors. While it has primarily received direction from the USACE Fort Worth District, JPMO also has been sup-ported by more than 400 personnel from

various USACE districts and AFCEE and NAVFAC offices, as well as several archi-tectural and engineering firms.

The tri-service nature of JPMO allowed access to a broad array of contracting tools and funding resources that typically would not be accessible by a single ser-vice. The presence of Army, Navy and Air Force representatives strengthened coor-dination across the service branches and enhanced collaboration with end users of the facilties. In several cases, project de-livery teams incorporated input from end user representation in planning, prepara-tion and throughout contract execution. Additionally, individual area offices were established within the JPMO framework to focus greater oversight on the larger, more complex projects. Eventually, these area offices were all reorganized under the leadership of the Engineering and Construction division of the USACE Fort Worth District. This arrangement allowed for cross-flow of personnel and resources

between area offices to more effectively respond to the dynamic workload in San Antonio.

FINISHING STRONGThe most prominent San Antonio

BRAC projects still to be completed are located on Fort Sam Houston. The proj-ect to expand and renovate Brooke Army Medical Center, which will become the San Antonio Military Medical Center, is maintaining a schedule that would allow it to meet its BRAC completion require-ments. The hospital’s new 5,000-space parking structure opened at the end of March, while work continues at a rapid rate on the seven-story, 760,000-ft2 tower addition and the 300,000-ft2 of interior renovations to the existing facility. More than 5 million work hours have been performed on the project without a lost-time accident. The prolific construction progress is evident from the fact that the project reached 3 million work hours per-

Life After BRAC in San Antonio

BY BRIAN DWYER

After four short years, the tri-service Joint Program Management Office is on the verge of completing its roughly $2 billion Base Realignment and Closure construction program.

Medical Instructional Facilities 3 and 4 of the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) on Fort Sam Houston, Texas, are two of numerous San Antonio-area Base Realignment and Closure facilities that have achieved some level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.



formed without a lost-time accident less than a year ago, in November 2010.

Across the post, construction also is moving quickly on the campus of facili-ties being developed to accommodate the relocation of Headquarters, U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) from the Washington, D.C., area. The campus includes a new 168,000-ft2 IMCOM headquarters building located in the middle of three historic structures that are being renovated to provide ad-ditional space for IMCOM. One of the buildings is occupied, while it is antici-pated that the other two will be ready for occupancy by the end of summer. Across the street from IMCOM headquarters, a new instructional facility has been built for the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command (FMWRC), a sub-command of IMCOM. Nearby, the historic Fort Sam Houston Theater is also being renovated to become part of the IMCOM campus. It will provide a new home for the FMWRC’s Army Entertainment Division, which produces the traveling U.S. Army Soldier Show. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entire IMCOM campus of facilities is slated for Aug. 19.

Not far away, representatives of the 502nd Air Base Wing expected to move into a new 26,000-ft2 headquartersbuild-ing this summer. Under the new organi-zational structure of Joint Base San Anto-nio, the 502nd has merged the installation support functions of Fort Sam Houston, Lackland Air Force Base and Randolph Air Force Base. A ribbon-cutting cer-emony for the Joint Base headquarters is scheduled for Aug. 5.

ON THE MOVE TO GREENElsewhere on post, the last of the 14

structures that compose the new Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) haver begun being utilized, as more train-ing courses continue to be integrated into campus operations. METC’s roughly 2-million-ft2 of facilities include five Medi-cal Instructional Facilities (MIF), three dormitories, a dining facility and the headquarters and administration build-ing. More facilities have become avail-able for use in recent months. The METC physical fitness center was made ready

for occupancy at the end of April, and Navy personnel began utilizing the up-graded aquatic center at the beginning of May. METC has consolidated the enlisted medical training programs of all branches of the military, providing instruction for a variety of medical specialists, such as combat medics, Navy corpsmen, radiology technicians and biomedical equipment technologists.

The Joint Center of Excellence for Battlefield Health and Trauma Research formally opened earlier this year next to Brooke Army Medical Center. This 150,000-ft2 facility was built to com-bine the research programs of all service branches that are aimed at enhancing combat casualty care.

To the north, missions are moving into the 181,000-ft2 Tri-Service Research Labo-ratory, which houses research programs that address the health and safety effects of exposure to a variety of stressors in the field.

Beyond merely keeping projects on schedule, the San Antonio BRAC pro-gram continues to be recognized for in-corporating sustainability into its proj-ects. All BRAC facilities have been built according to standards that would allow them to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Some projects that have gone through the certification process have exceeded this standard. Most recently, Medical Instructional Facilities 3 and 4 of the METC complex have been certified as LEED Gold structures. The administra-tion center completed at Randolph Air Force Base to incorporate five Civilian Personnel Offices also has been formally certified LEED Gold. The METC dining facility is a certified LEED Silver facil-ity, while the certification process is pro-ceeding for as many as nine other METC structures. Elsewhere, the Fort Sam Hous-ton Primary Health Clinic is being evalu-ated for LEED Silver certification, and all IMCOM projects are also on track to be certified as LEED Silver, or higher.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

While BRAC has accounted for the bulk of construction activity at San Antonio military installations in recent years, a sub-

stantial number of Military Construction (MILCON) and Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization projects also have been taking place during the same time period. Combined with the BRAC jobs, these additional projects have brought the total amount of construction work occurring between FY2006 and FY2011 to roughly $3.3 billion in projects that represent approximately 10.8-million-ft2 of facilities.

Although BRAC construction con-cludes in September, military construc-tion in San Antonio will not fade away anytime soon. A large amount of non-BRAC work is underway and more is expected in the next several years. One of the more prominent non-BRAC proj-ects involves construction of the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Care Center, which will replace 54-year-old Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland Air Force Base. The 681,000-ft2 replacement facility will be the largest outpatient clinic in the Depart-ment of Defense. It is being constructed in phases through 2014, after which demoli-tion of the medical center will begin.

The size of the replacement project and the growing number of additional MIL-CON projects at Lackland Air Force Base prompted a reorganization of the area of-fice structures supporting San Antonio. The Lackland Area Office was formed to support non-medical projects at Lackland Air Force Base and Laughlin Air Force Base. The Lackland Medical Area Office was formed to manage the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Care Center Project. A GS-15 hospital director was recruited to work in tandem with the GS-15 construction manager charged with leading the area office.

The projects at Lackland Air Force Base are part of the $200 million to $300 mil-lion in project work that has been pro-posed at San Antonio installations for each year from FY2012 through FY2015. While these figures don’t approach BRAC spending amounts, they stand to keep the military’s investment in San Antonio at substantial levels in the foreseeable future.

Brian Dwyer is Senior Public Affairs Spe-cialist, San Antonio Base Realignment and Closure Program; [email protected] .

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A casual look at a map of the Pacific region reveals the important strategic position of Guam in relation to the de-fense posture of the United States. As the westernmost territory of the U.S., Guam offers the advantage of time and position in response to any military threat or natu-ral disaster requiring humanitarian assis-tance in the western Pacific.

Military planners must consider threats of the future to be different from anything experienced in the history of the nation. Our Asian neighbors are becoming strong both economically as well as militarily, and shifts in leadership or ideology in the years ahead have the potential of causing great harm to our friends in the region and to ourselves.

To remain strategically engaged with our Pacific Rim neighbors, the U.S. must maintain a credible military presence and be prepared for any threat that might emerge. The United States has military bases in a number of Asian nations, and some military actions require the prior approval of the host nation. This require-ment, under certain circumstances, can be an unacceptable detriment. However, because the island has been a U.S. terri-tory since the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898, restrictions of this type do not exist in the case of Guam.

DEFENSE POLICY REVIEW INITIATIVE Military planners from the U.S. and Ja-

pan in 2005 launched the Defense Policy Review Initiative (DPRI), which eventu-ally led to a military buildup on Guam. A key element of the DPRI was the need to shut down or reduce the tempo of military activity at the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, located in Ginowan, the current principal city of Okinawa. Com-mercial activity has developed around the

perimeter of the base, and it has become over crowded. The plan calls for relocat-ing approximately 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents to Guam and for the relocation of the remaining Marines to Fort Schwab, located in a less populated area to the northeast.

The cost of relocating elements of the Marine Corps from Okinawa to Guam is estimated to be $10.2 billion, of which the Japanese government has agreed to fund about 59 percent. Funding for the reloca-tion of the remaining Marine Corps ele-ments to another location in Okinawa is to be borne fully by the Japanese govern-ment. The agreement was signed for the American side in May 2006 by Richard P. Lawless, Deputy Undersecretary of De-fense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, and ratified in February 2010 by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her Japanese counterpart.

In addition to relocating Marines from Okinawa, the Guam military build-up comprises other aspects including strengthening the capability of the U.S. Air

Force at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, expanding and improving shore facilities at U.S. Naval Base Guam, providing train-ing and other facilities for the Submarine Squadron, establishing a transient nuclear aircraft carrier berthing facility, replacing U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, and standing up an Army air defense capability, among others. The overall expenditure for the military buildup has thus grown to about $20 billion.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT The Guam military buildup has been

called the largest and most expensive military program ever. The prepara-tion of the Environmental Impact State-ment (EIS), which was carried out by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) and contractor personnel, re-quired approximately two years to com-plete. The draft EIS was issued in Novem-ber 2009 and the final EIS was issued in July 2010. The Record of Decision, signed by Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, Assistant Sec-retary of the Navy (Energy, Installations

Status Report: The Guam Military Buildup

BY JOHN M. ROBERTSON, P.E., M.SAME

The relocation of roughly 8,000 U.S. Marines and their dependents from the Japanese island of Okinawa has been called the largest and most expensive military program ever.

The construction of a Joint Region Marianas headquarters facility for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army is one of many projects included in the Guam buildup program that have already been completed.



& Environment), in September 2010, was intended to trigger the start of construc-tion on FY2010 and FY2011 projects. However, DPRI projects were not permit-ted to proceed until March 2011, when a Programmatic Agreement covering DPRI projects with the State Historic and Pres-ervation Office was signed. The starts of several other approved projects are being delayed pending reconfiguration to allow building within a smaller footprint.

ACQUISITION OF DESIGN-BUILD CONTRACT SERVICES

NAVFAC made an early decision that most projects included in the Guam re-location program would be constructed using the design-build method of deliv-ery. NAVFAC also decided for sake of ef-ficiency in the procurement process to use multiple-award construction contracts (MACC). Thus the term DB MACC has come into common usage by those in-volved in the Guam military buildup. A number of construction contractors with their design teams have become pre-qual-ified through competition as DB-MACC firms. The competition was based on usual parameters employed by NAVFAC and price for one or more “seed projects.”

The DB MACC firms will compete for individual task orders based on price alone, as technical competence has al-ready been established. MACCs that will be used to procure services for the Guam buildup include the following:

• HUBZone DB MACC, amounting to $400 million over five years. Nine firms selected.

• Small Business MACC, amounting to $500 million, with projects ranging from $1 million to $15 million. Six firms se-lected.

• 8(a) MACC, amounting to $100 mil-lion. Six firms selected.

• Unrestricted DB MACC, MACC con-tracts amounting to $4 billion over five years. Individual task orders will range from $15 million to $300 million. Eight firms selected.

A number of design-build contracts and design-bid-build contracts are ex-pected to be awarded to firms other than the DB MACC firms.

CHALLENGES TO THE PROGRAMA program of this magnitude can be

expected to encounter challenges. Some have already emerged. For instance, a vo-cal minority of Guam’s citizens is opposed to the military buildup. These well-inten-tioned individuals oppose the changes, and their “not in my back yard” attitude is the same as can be expected in any com-munity. The silent majority, those in the local community who favor the military buildup, see a great boost to the local economy as a direct result of the military buildup. The economic stimulus will place more tax revenue in the coffers of the gov-ernment of Guam and lead to a much im-proved social and cultural well being for all Guam residents.

In Japan, a large number of Okinawa’s citizens and officials of the local govern-ment oppose the relocation of Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to another location in the area and would prefer all Marines to leave the island. For-mer Secretary of Defense Robert Gates had stated that without a resolution to the Futenma issue, there could be no partial relocation of Marines to Guam. The Japa-nese Prime Minister and his government has agreed to follow the plan as originally conceived and convince the people of Okinawa to accept it as being in their na-tional interest.

Complicating matters in Japan, the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami gen-erated a disaster of enormous proportion in the country’s northeast section. The re-covery mission will require enormous re-sources and expense, and some American officials have feared that this tragic event would derail the Guam buildup program. Nevertheless, Japanese officials have thus far expressed their opinion that the mili-tary realignment will occur simultane-ously with the disaster recovery.

Lastly, the weakened American economy could possibly derail the Guam military buildup or curtail certain parts of it. There is a mood in Washington today to cut cost wherever possible, including military budgets. Senators of both political parties have spoken out in favor of altering the program for Guam as set forth in the final EIS as a means of reducing deficit spend-

ing. This will play out over the months ahead in the debate over the Armed Ser-vices Authorization Act for 2012.

THE WAY AHEADA number of buildup projects have

been completed over the past few years, including upgraded runways and new cli-mate-controlled hangars at Andersen Air Force base, a new Joint Region Marianas Headquarters facility, upgraded wharves at Apra Harbor and new family housing and bachelor-enlisted quarters at Naval Base Guam. Among the projects currently underway are a new substation and power distribution system and a ramp apron and taxiway at Andersen Air Force Base and additional family housing facilities at Na-val Base Guam.

Projects in the President’s Budget for FY 2012, subject to congressional approv-al, amount to $368 million. This is greatly reduced from original projections. The program as originally announced in 2006 anticipated relocation of Marine Corps elements to Guam starting in 2014. The pace of construction has, however, been slowed in recognition of the need to allow local Guam infrastructure to keep pace with or stay in front of military construc-tion.

John M, Robertson, P.E., M.SAME, is Princi-pal Engineer, AmOrient Engineering; 671-472-3301 or [email protected] .

The repair and upgrade of the north and south runways at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, is one of many projects included in the Guam buildup program that have already been completed.

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ENGINEERS IN ACTION



LETTER FROM . . .


ENGINEERS IN ACTION



LETTER FROM . . .


Flood Fight 2011As the annual spring snow melt combined with heavy rains resulted in extensive flooding

throughout the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys this spring, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers supported other federal, state and local agencies to protect property and critical infrastructure.

A. Engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) St. Paul District and the North Dakota Na-tional Guard fight a leaking Hesco basket in Valley City. The St. Paul District assisted the community’s efforts to stem the flooding from the Sheyenne River. B. Paul Johnson, a USACE St. Paul District engineer, surveys heights in Valley City, N.D., on April 13. C. USACE, its contractors, and city and county officials discuss where contingency levees are needed in Valley City on April 15. (USACE photos A-C by Shannon Bauer)D. Brent Watkins, a USACE Natural Resource Specialist, inspects levees between Jacksonport and New-port, Ark. Personnel from the USACE Greers Ferry Lake Project Office worked with area levee boards to monitor area levees around the clock from April 28 to May 7. (USACE photo by Laurie Driver)E. Maj. Gen. John Peabody, USA, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Commander, and Phil Tilly, the dis-trict’s Executive Officer, review the flood flight strategy on May 5 in a forward command and control vehicle deployed to Paducah, Ky. As a result of heavy rainfall during the month of April, new floods of record were established throughout the lower Ohio and mid-Mississippi River basins. (USACE photo by Jacqueline Y. Tate)


F. With the help of more than 250 volunteers from surrounding communities, the USACE St. Louis District flood fight team at Wappapello Lake, Mo., worked overnight April 27 to place sandbags along the dam’s emergency spillway. The sandbagging effort allowed the construction of a rock dike designed to keep the high lake level from going over the spillway and damaging Missouri Highway T and other infrastructure. (USACE photo)G. Soldiers with the Missouri National Guard work to fill sandbags using both traditional manpower and a USACE sandbagging machine. Experts deployed from the USACE Kansas City District to assist the Missouri National Guard with its operation and maintenance. By mid-May, the USACE Memphis District had issued nearly two million sandbags for communities within its area of operations to help with this year’s historic flood-fighting efforts. (USACE photo by Chris Gardner)H. Staff Sgt. Matthew Hebl and Staff Sgt. Luke Christians of the 815th Engineer Company, North Dakota Na-tional Guard, and Chris Denis of the Cass County Sheriff’s Department wade into floodwaters near Harwood, N.D., on April 9. The soldiers and deputy were assisting an elderly man evacuate his home. (North Dakota Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. David Lipp)


The 2011 Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo attracted more than 2,400 attendees, a record for the annual SAME national confer-ence. Thanks to the Fort Worth Post, which co-hosted the conference with SAME HQ, the SAME HQ staff and volunteers from both the Fort Worth and Dallas Posts. The various net-working events, Honors Luncheon, Society Ball and exhibit hall were all well attended, as were the six technical tracks. Please see pages 78-80 of this issue of The Military Engineer for photos of these events. A meeting of the SAME Board of Direction held Friday, May 27, following the conclusion of the conference resulted in several major actions that are detailed here.

New Strategic Plan. The SAME Board of Direction reviewed, modified and approved a new Strategic Plan at the meeting. The draft was prepared by a Board of Direction task force follow-ing a strategic planning meeting hosted in March by Rear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey, P.E., CEC, USN, the incoming SAME President. The previous strategic plan was prepared in 2006 and guided SAME through 2011. The new plan aims to preserve all that is still considered relevant to the future of SAME while estab-lishing new goals and objectives that will best provide direction to SAME in the coming years. The new plan is a four-year plan that will allow SAME to initiate a five-year cycle in 2015. (See pages 45-48 for the complete SAME 2011-2015 Strategic Plan.)

A major change in the plan was redefining the goals. The Rel-evance goal was replaced with a Leadership and Mentoring goal to reflect recent changes in the SAME mission statement and the emphasis SAME is placing on these topics. The Relationships and Recognition goals also were combined. Most of the objec-tives were retained, a few deleted and several objectives added, particularly to support the Leadership and Mentoring goal. The next step is to realign the Post Streamers in accordance with the new Strategic Plan. This will be accomplished by a board task force and presented to the board at its fall meeting in December, allowing new Streamer criteria to be effective in 2012.

Seabee Museum. The Seabee Historical Foundation, under the leadership of Rear Adm. Benjamin Montoya, USN (Ret.), suc-cessfully raised more than $12 million to design and construct a new Seabee Museum at Port Hueneme, Calif. The museum is scheduled to open in late July, but the Foundation has continued working to raise the more than $9 million needed to create dis-plays within the museum to properly celebrate Seabee history. As SAME Executive Director, I presented a proposal to the board to make a donation to the museum. The board approved a $25,000 donation that I will present at a dinner hosted by the Foundation at Port Hueneme in late July. The donation will allow SAME to be represented on the Donor Wall in the museum. The board was proud to have the opportunity to support one of the major components of the military engineer community.

Distinguished Post Criteria. As a result of the decline in the number of Distinguished Posts in 2010, I recommended to the board a change to the criteria. Currently, to be considered a Dis-tinguished Post, a Post must submit a financial report by March 1 and must have submitted a nomination for a member to become a Fellow or to receive an SAME national award in addition to winning the appropriate number of Stream-ers. It became apparent that many Posts did an outstanding job in winning Streamers, reflecting their contribution to the SAME mission, goals and objectives, yet did not achieve Distinguished Post status due to failure to submit the financial

report on time or to submit a nomination for Fellowship or na-tional award. The board approved the elimination of these sub-mittals from the criteria so becoming a Distinguished Post will be based solely on winning the appropriate number of Streamers.

Small Post Website Initiative. The Director of Communica-tions and Marketing presented to the board the prototype web-site for the Small Post website initiative, which will provide sup-port to SAME Small Posts in hosting and updating their website and will, in turn, enable SAME members to more easily learn about and participate in Post activities. Please visit the SAME Big Sky Post website at www.same.org/bigsky and take a look. The same site format will be used by any of the 38 SAME Small Posts that choose to participate in this initiative. While funding to initiate this project came from surpluses generated in 2009 and 2010, SAME HQ will budget the funds necessary to sustain this contract in 2011 and beyond. The only requirement is that Small Posts must provide the contractor with content on a monthly ba-sis so that the contractor can update the website.

SAME Staffing. As reported to the board during the May 27 meeting, SAME HQ will hire a part-time staff member to provide administrative support to the three SAME councils and seven SAME mission committees. This support is needed to help these volunteer organizations maintain updated websites and accom-plish their work plans. SAME HQ will also hire a K-12 outreach consultant to assist Posts with K-12 outreach programs, support formerly provided by a national-level K-12 outreach committee.

As I complete my ninth year as your Executive Director, I hope you will agree that we, the SAME HQ staff, Board of Direction and Posts, have made significant changes in SAME that have resulted in a more vibrant organization to support our military engineer community. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to my next three years as Executive Director. Please contact me with your feedback and suggestions at [email protected].

Robert D. Wolff, Ph.D., P.E., F.SAMESAME Executive Director

A NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Board of Direction Approves New Strategic Plan



LETTER FROM . . .


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NAVFAC CHANGES PPQ PROCESSThe SAME Senior Executive Group

(SEG) met on April 21 in Arlington, Va., providing an opportunity for the engi-neering service chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Public Health Service to meet with presidents and CEOs of SAME Sustaining Member Companies. The purpose is to discuss issues that can be best addressed through partnering be-tween the public and private sectors.

Past Performance Questionnaires. One of the issues discussed was the use of Past Performance Questionnaires (PPQ) by the Naval Facilities Engineering Com-mand (NAVFAC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to obtain past performance evaluations from clients of contractors bidding on government de-sign-build and construction contracts. At the meeting, NAVFAC announced a new, improved process that was applauded by the industry members. Following is a summary of the NAFVFAC past and fu-ture process.

Past Process: Industry stated that this process created an unnecessary burden on both the contractor and clients who were required to complete PPQs multiple times.• Contractors required to have clients

complete an RFP-specific PPQ in re-sponse to RFPs.

• Clients return PPQ directly to govern-ment.

• Standard PPQ form not used in all source selections.

• Prime contractor constantly asking cli-ent to complete questionnaires for dif-ferent proposal submittals on the same project.

Revised Process, effective April 20, 2011, for future RFPs:• NAVFAC will standardize PPQ for all RFPs.• Contractors still required to have clients

complete a PPQ, but will submit PPQ directly to NAVFAC with proposal.

• Contractor able to request client to complete PPQ form at the end of a project, retain the PPQ and use it for multiple proposal submissions.

SAME commends NAVFAC for re-sponding to industry concerns on this issue and hopes that USACE will adopt a similar process in the near future. The SEG also discussed the backlog of ACAS and

CCAS ratings—the construction agencies indicated they have put in place programs to focus on eliminating the large backlog.

Building a world-class ethics and com-pliance program. The SEG discussed how SAME Sustaining Member Compa-nies are addressing ethics training within their organizations to meet the continu-ing growth in government compliance requirements. Several best practices were presented by industry members.

Safety Performance. The SEG discussed how the government addresses safety in evaluating contractor proposals and the importance of safety programs in prime and subcontractors. Most members of the SEG agreed that safety is a good indicator of a contractor’s attention to quality.

Small Business. The SEG discussed the importance of small business in accom-plishing DOD programs but also noted that the metrics established by SBA do not reflect the substantial amount of subcon-tracting by industry to small business. Prepared by Robert D. Wolff, Ph.D., P.E., F.SAME, SEG Secretary. Information on the SEG and a list of SEG members can be found at www.same.org/SEG.

NOW ACCEPTING FELLOW NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 CLASS

The deadline to submit nominations and endorsements for the 2012 Class of Fellows is 5:00 p.m. (EST), Sept. 1, 2011.

Nominees to the SAME Academy of Fellows must meet specific standards of professionalism and have been an SAME member for a minimum of 10 years.

All nominations must be submitted electronically, using the form located at www.same.org/fellows. Nominations must include:1) Five endorsements from SAME mem-

bers including one from their Post President and one from the respective Regional Vice President. Two of the endorsements must come from cur-rent SAME Fellows.

2) Narrative that describes specific lead-ership, professionalism and achieve-ments demonstrating dedicated and outstanding service to SAME and the profession that make the nominee suitable for nomination to the Acad-emy of Fellows.

3) Citation that summarizes the nomi-nee’s achievements, for publication in the Investiture Ceremony brochure.

For additional assistance contact Blair Davis, SAME Executive Assistant, at [email protected] or 703-549-3800 ext. 112.

CHANGE TO DISTINGUISHED POST CRITERIA

As approved by the Board of Direction at its May 2011 meeting, the Distinguished Post Criteria has now been changed. Posts are no longer required to submit one nomination for a Fellow or national award or submit a financial report by March 1 to be a Distinguished Post.

Also, for Distinguished Region crite-ria, SAME is eliminating the criteria that states at least 66 percent or two-thirds of the Posts within the Region must have submitted their financial reports for the year by March 1. Additionally, the dead-line to provide financial reports to SAME HQ has been extended to April 1. Al-though this is not tied to Streamers, the submittal of Post financial reports is still a requirement for Posts to receive their dues payments.

Finally, the Relations and Recognition Streamer criteria has been changed: 3B is now “Nominate an individual or organi-zation for a National Award or an indi-vidual for Fellow.”

For more information on the changes to Streamer criteria visit the Post Operations page of the SAME website at www.same.org/postops.

CORPORATE PROFILES AND COMPANY LISTINGS DUE SEPT. 30

Friday, Sept. 30 is the deadline to up-date or create your Corporate Profile or Company Listing by SAME Post to be included in the SAME 2012 Directory of Member Companies & Organizations. The Directory is conveniently available in print and online as both a searchable database and an electronic PDF.

To update your company’s information, go to www.same.org/Directory and click on “Create/Update Corporate Profile.” There is no fee for Sustaining Member Companies to submit a profile; however, a small fee is charged to place a logo with your profile.



LETTER FROM . . .


SOCIETY NEWS

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mailto:[email protected]?SUBJECT=Fellows%20Nomination%20Form

Conference & Expo


A record number 2,400 people attended the 2011 SAME Joint Engineer Training Conference & Expo, held May 24-27, 2011, at the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. The SAME annual conference included a six-track technical program, exhibit hall, awards presentations, networking events and the annual SAME Society Ball. To view presentations from the Technical tracks or photos from the event go to www.same.org/jetc.

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS



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Requirement Type

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Civil Towanda-Wysox Sec 219 Waterline Extension (Construction)

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Civil Cell 6 Dike Raising 3rd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 8(a) Competitive Civil Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration

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FOCUS ON THE USACE BALTIMORE DISTRICT (NAB) FY11 FORECAST OF CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES

Each USACE District publishes on their website contracting opportunities and information when available. Most are fore-casts of contracting opportunities (FCO) from which small busi-nesses can begin planning. The FCO is a snapshot of planned acquisitions and is for planning purposes. It does not represent a pre-solicitation synopsis, does not constitute an invitation for bid or request for proposal, and is not a commitment by to purchase the desired products and/or services. The requirements listed may or may not be executed and are contingent upon funding, real estate, permits and other factors that affect the requirements.

The USACE Baltimore District (NAB) provides an example of the FCO information that may be found on its website, updated as of April 2011 for fiscal year 2011. According to the site, all acquisition strategies are subject to change based on market re-search and as the requirements are further definitized. The pro-jected quarters provided in the FCO are the estimated quarters NAB anticipates advertising requirements within the Federal Business Opportunities System (FedBizOpps) at www.fbo.gov (for all open market procurements greater than $25,000).

The FCO presented this Small Business News section may be accessed electronically at www.nab.usace.army.mil/Business/Small%20Business/FY11_FCO.pdf.

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ENGINEERS IN ACTIONSOCIETY NEWS HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE FY2012 SERVICESRequirement Type



Civil Maintenance Dredging - Wicomico River 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSA Civil Maintenance Dredging - Ocean City 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSA Civil Maintenance Dredging - Baltimore Harbor 4th $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 UNR Civil Sediment Testing 4th $500,000 - $1,000,000 SBSA Civil Siding (Supply) 2nd < $25,000 SBSA Civil Wildlife Plantings (Service) 3rd $25,000 - $100,000 SBSACivil Hazard Tree Removal (Service) 3rd $25,000 - $100,000 SBSACivil Seal and Chip (Construction) 3rd $25,000 - $100,000 SBSACivil Debris Removal 3rd < $25,000 SBSACivil Ground Hog Removal 3rd < $25,000 SBSAWashington Aqueduct (WA)

Dalecarlia Pumps/Motors Service Contract 3rd $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 SBSA

WA Low Lift PS Renovation 2nd $100,000 - $250,000 SBSAWA Little Falls Road Upgrade 4th $500,000 - $1,000,000 TBDWA Sample Line Improvements 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSARSFO North Substation site package 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSARSFO North Substation TBD $100,000,000 - $250,000,000 UNRRSFO Task Order Construction Contract

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RSFO Single-Award Task Order Construction Contract (MILCON-SATOCC)

3rd $100,000,000 - $250,000,000 UNR (as a result of market research)

RSFO R&E Chiller (MILCON) 4th $25,000,000 - $100,000,000 UNRMaster Planning

A/E multiple award IDIQ 2nd $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 UNR/SBSA

Master Planning

Fort Detrick Master Planning A/E IDIQ 3rd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSA

Master Planning

Aberdeen Proving Ground Master Planning A/E IDIQ

3rd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSA

Ft. Detrick Water Treatment Plant Repair (DBB - Repair) 3rd $10,000,000 - $25,000,000 TBDFt. Detrick Supplemental Water Storage (DB - New

Construction)2nd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 8(a)

Ft. Detrick NIBC Security Fencing/Equipment (DB - New Construction)

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BRAC DBB - FBNA Reforestation (NGA) 2nd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 8(a) BRAC Project management for IT and security

(NGA)2nd or 3rd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 8(a)

Ft. Belvoir Security Fence 2nd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir Corridor 8/MEF 3rd $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir Screening Access Lane 4th $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir A/E Drive Access Control Point (ACP) 4th 1,000,000 - $5,000,000 TBD

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Ft. Belvoir Memorial Drive ACP 4th 1,000,000 - $5,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir Mall Vehicle ACP 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir River Vehicle ACP 4th $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 TBDFt. Belvoir Heating & Refrigeration Plant Fencing -

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Ft. Belvoir Replace Fire Station Main Post Ft Belvoir 2nd $5,000,000 - $10,000,000 SBSAFt. Belvoir DAAF Fire Station Expansion 3rd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 SBSAFt. Belvoir North Post Access Control Point 3rd $10,000,000 - $25,000,000 TBDLetterkenny Army Depot

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BALT Multiple Task Order Construction Contract (TOCC) to Perform Small Construction Projects (MILCON)

2nd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 8(a)

Value Engineering

A/E - Multiple IDIQs 2nd $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 Multiple Awards (UNR & SBSA)

Environmental Hazardous Toxic and Radioactive Waste (HTRW) & Military Munitions (MM) A/E Contracts

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DOING BUSINESS WITH THE AIR FORCEThe U.S. Air Force small business

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Search Opportunities and Locate an Air Force Small Business Specialist. Using the Air Force Long Range Acquisi-tion Estimate (LRAE) on the website you can search opportunities by a variety of variables, including type of procurement, contract value, purchasing organization and solicitation type. Additionally, the Locate a Small Business Specialist tool al-lows you to find contact information for small business specialists and contracting officers at Air Force Bases nationwide.

In addition, the site offers small busi-ness users the capability to connect with the Air Force through these tools:• Register Your Small Business – you can

register for an account and provide in-formation about your capabilities and other company data.

• Ask a Question – you can ask a question that will be automatically forwarded to the appropriate subject matter expert.

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• Request a Meeting – you can register for an account and request a meeting with a small business representative. The site also features information on

the Mentor-Protégé Program, which as-sists eligible Small Disadvantaged Busi-nesses (protégés) to successfully com-pete for prime contract and subcontract awards by partnering with major defense contractors (mentors) under individual, project-based agreements that help meet the Air Force mission.

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SMALL BUSINESS NEWS



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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE



LETTER FROM . . .


Excerpted from:The Military Engineer Vol. 57, No. 378—July-August 1965

The proper planning, construction, and maintenance of flood control and navigation improvements on rivers are greatly aided by hydrographic surveys to produce detailed contour maps and profiles of the river bed. In many cases, resurveys are necessary at frequent in-tervals to keep current data available, especially for maintenance and construc-tion planning and for potamology studies.

The engineers engaged in this data collection program have constantly sought new equipment and methods to increase production and accuracy in surveys, mapping, and stream flow measurements at decreased costs.

Development of the sonic depth finder, and especially its miniaturization, was the first important breakthrough in hy-drographic survey work. This tool re-placed the lead lines and hand-cranked sounding reels used to measure depth, thus accelerating the work and pro-viding considerable greater accuracy. Smaller, faster, and more maneuverable boats have been adapted to the work, and walkie-talkie radios have become common equipment.

Although many improvements were made in some of the instruments and techniques for hydrographic surveys, the horizontal position of soundings continued to be located by the old method of using position “fixes” obtained by the intersection of an azimuth from a known control point with a range line crossing the river. Survey accuracy with this method is erratic and, to a large extent, depends upon the ability of a bank flagman to direct the boat along the range alignment. When the boat is upstream or downstream of the range alignment, its plotted position is in er-ror because it has been plotted from two azimuths, one of which is in error.

With the object of further reducing hydrographic survey costs, investiga-tions into new developments in elec-tronic measurement of distance were begun in 1963. A commercial instru-ment of this kind was found to be suf-ficiently portable and relatively simple to operate with a fast read-out that fur-nished results within allowable toler-ances. A new technique was developed for these hydrographic surveys by using

Editor’s Note: The following text is ex-cerpted from “Hydrographic Surveys with Electronics,” written by Omega H. Shamblin and first published in the July-August 1965 issue of The Mili-tary Engineer. Although the methods for charting river depths and widths presented here may seem archaic, a quick comparison with the modern techniques described in the article on page 61 of this issue of TME reveal that while today’s tools are more so-phisticated, the basic process of map-ping the features of inland waterways is strikingly similar nearly 40 years later. For the purpose of this historical piece, the excerpted text is reprinted as published in its original form.

BY OMEGA H. SHAMBLIN


Hydrographic Surveys with Electronics: 1965


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The 10,000-foot-long, 26-foot-high surge barrier is the largest

design-build project ever awarded by the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers.

Photo courtesy of USACE by Paul Floro

EI_MilitaryEngineer_JulyAug_2011_rev1-3.indd 1 6/3/2011 10:51:53 AM

the instrument to measure the distance instantaneously.

Much of the river survey work con-sists of periodically re-sounding a system of ranges crossing the river at intervals of approximately 1,000 feet. The improved method does not require that these ranges be established on the ground. This eliminates the need for expensive base-line traverse, range set-ting, and bank flagging.

The improved method consists of location the moving sounding boat by accurate measurements of azimuth and distance from a known position on the riverbank. As the sounding boat pro-ceeds along the range being profiled, its position is determined at time inter-vals of approximately 15 to 20 seconds. These positions are plotted immediately upon the pre-determined range layout to furnish a quick check for the boat op-erator in steering along the remainder of the range being profiled.

This method requires an electronic means for the continuous measurement of distances from a known point on the riverbank to the moving sounding boat. Other survey equipment includes a su-personic depth recorder, radio trans-ceivers, transit, drafting machine, line rods, tape, and other items normally used in surveys.

HORIZONTAL CONTROLMapping control can be carried with

the survey by traversing between the transit points as the survey progresses along the river. Distances along this tra-verse are obtained with the electronic equipment. The length of traverse tan-gents are limited only by the distances which can be seen with the transit, because the electronic instrument can measure distances up to 10 miles within a normal accuracy of 1.5 meters. An-tennas may be elevated to obtain line of sight, and even longer distances can be measured. To obtain distances along the traverse, the point ahead is set, the sounding boat is moved to a position on a line between the two traverse points and near the forward point, the long distance is read by the electronic instru-

ment, and the remaining distance from the boat to the forward point on the riverbank is taped. The traverse angle is then turned with the transit.

PROFILING RANGESTo start the survey, the transit is set

up and oriented on a known control point. The remote electronic station is placed adjacent to the transit. The mas-ter electronic station is installed on the sounding boat. The survey party has field sheets upon which the known con-trol and range layout are shown. This sheet is fastened to the plotting table on the survey boat and overlaid with a sheet of stable-base, matte-finish film and keyed to range layout.

The sounding boat proceeds to a point on one side of the river channel near the approximate location of the first range to be profiled. By plotting quick trial shots of azimuth and distance from the transit location, the sounding boat is maneuvered onto the proper range line. While the boat holds at this point, the boat operator, using the transit loca-tion as a backsight, turns off the angle of that range with a sextant and selects some pointacross the river on the ap-proximate range alignment to use as a steering guide. This gives the boat oper-ator an indication of the location of the range and helps him to evaluate and fol-low the steering instructions furnished by the draftsmen.

The boat is then maneuvered along this approximate range alignment while the electronic master station operation stands ready to give an instantaneous read-out of the correct distance between the sounding boat and the transit point, and the transitman is continually track-ing the boat with his instrument. As the boat travels along the range across the river, holding the rate of speed as steady as possible, the depth recorder operator estimates the distance between points of positioned soundings. He issues in-structions controlling the timing for the operation by radio. When a profile point is to be taken, the depth recorder operator gives the signal by radio as he makes a “fix” mark on the depth chart,

and both the electronic master station operator and the transitman stop tracking.

By radio, the trasitman then trans-mits the azimuth of that position “fix” to the draftsmen on the sounding boat and resumes tracking the boat. The draftsman sets this azimuth in the draft-ing machine and asks for the distance. The electronic master station operator reads out the distance and resumes his tracking of distance. The draftsman uses this distance to overlay the range layout. An experienced party can complete this sequence of operation for each posi-tion “fix” in approximately 15 seconds. A visual comparison of each “fix” point with the pre-determined range layout enables the draftsman to give the boat operator instructions for correcting his steering course.

Additional advantages in this type of survey are found in the ease of location navigation lights, buoys, sand bars, and other features in and near the channel.

Mapping by this method is more rapid and economical than previous procedures because it is necessary to add only the elevations from the depth recorder chart to the plotted “fix” posi-tions on the overlay, draw contours, and trace these data on a master transparency showing the topography of the area ad-jacent to the channel to complete the final mapping.

RESULTS

This method, when compared to the former practice, has produced more accurate results. It has cut costs and speeded up production by reducing field and office work approximately 65 and 40 percent, respectively; reduced manpower requirements because of the time saved in surveying and mapping a given reach of river; furnished more timely information by reducing the elapsed time between the completion of surveys and mapping; and permit-ted the work to continue at higher river stages. Surveys can be made at any river stand as long as there are at least small isolated spots of land on the riverbank to serve as transit points.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE



LETTER FROM . . .



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IHNC SURGE BARRIER PROJECTACHIEVES MAJOR MILESTONE

PROGRAM/PROJECT MANAGEMENTCONSTRUCTIONDESIGN/BUILDEMERGENCY RESPONSE & RECOVERYCOASTAL RESTORATION & PROTECTIONMISSION SUPPORT

08M102010D

ENVIRONMENTAL & INFRASTRUCTURE • POWERENERGY & CHEMICALS • FABRICATION & MANUFACTURING

www.shawgrp.com

Two years after the fi rst construction pile was driven, Shaw’s Inner Harbor

Navigation Canal Surge Barrier project has achieved its milestone of

100-year-level storm protection—prior to the 2011 hurricane season.

The 10,000-foot-long, 26-foot-high surge barrier is the largest

design-build project ever awarded by the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers.

Photo courtesy of USACE by Paul Floro

EI_MilitaryEngineer_JulyAug_2011_rev1-3.indd 1 6/3/2011 10:51:53 AM

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the military engineer - july/august 2011

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