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  • February

    Construction on the new Louisville VA Medical Center clears a major milestone

    The construction site of the new Louisville VA Medical Center has seen a lot of changes since the first shovels of dirt were ceremonially dug during the groundbreaking ceremony Nov. 11, 2021. Contractors have been busy performing various earthwork activities as well as drilling on the site in preparation for the first blasting to break up the bedrock under the site which took place Feb. 21.
  • A contractor surveys the area before dredging operations start Feb. 17 in Ventura Harbor. Though parts of the beach adjacent to the project are available for recreation -- such as surfing visible in this photo -- large sections of the beach are strictly off-limits to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.

    Annual dredging of Ventura Harbor starts, with completion slated for mid-March

    Annual dredging commenced Feb. 14 in Ventura Harbor to deepen the federal navigation channel and sand traps to their authorized levels, with a scheduled completion timeframe of mid-March.
  • Flannagan Lake goes into deep drawdown

    Flannagan Lake goes into deep drawdown

    John W. Flannagan Lake is performing a deep drawdown in order to perform inspections and maintenance on the dam.
  • Research physicist Thad C. Pratt of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory was one of four team members who developed the ISSDOTv2 bedload transport methodology, which earned a U.S. patent in 2021.

    Meet the inventors: Bed-load transport measurement technique

    What did it take for the four-member research team who developed the “ISSDOTv2 bedload transport methodology” to create a U.S. patent-worthy invention? For this team, it was made possible by varied expertise, a combined 86 years of experience, a desire to solve river sediment challenges and helpful friendships.
  • Receiving a patent in July 2021 for “Bedload transport methodology and method of use,” a Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) team at the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) discuss their invention. It estimates sediment movement rates by measuring the bathymetric elevations in specific areas of a river multiple times. From left, CHL’s research hydraulic engineer David Abraha, research physicist Tate McAlpin and research physicist Thad Pratt invented these methods to answer river engineers’ challenges.

    Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory invention team receives patent for bed-load transport measurement technique

    Utilizing their combined decades of experience in river mechanics, a four-member team of research physicists and hydraulic engineers with the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) combined their expertise to invent the Integrated Section, Surface Difference Over Time, version 2 (ISSDOTv2) method, which accurately measures the sediment moving on the bed of large sand-bed rivers. The team from ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) received their patent, “Bedload transport methodology and method of use,” in July of 2021.