Related Links: Corps Develops Strategies for Expected Climate Adaptation New Climate Cycle Marked by Storms, Floods & Drought Sandy-Flooded Sewage Plants Seek Ways to Keep Pumps Running the Next Time Twice a year, Miami experiences extreme high tides, known as "king tides," brought on by gravitational forces. Without any help from rainfall, they can leave streets, yards and driveways under nearly a foot of water. These days, the phenomenon is becoming more of a rule than an exception in the Sunshine State. Experts say it is due to climate change, which is likely to force even higher tides that will
Photo courtesy of USACE The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting several studies on the effects of climate change, including one in the Rio Grande River Basin shown here. Related Links: Cover Story: Water Sector Takes Brunt of Changing Weather According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, its entire portfolio of existing and proposed civil-works water-resources infrastructure projects and programs could be affected by climate change.As a result, Jo Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, released a policy statement in June 2011 that called for integrating climate change and adaptation into all the projects
Related Links: EPA Releases Framework to Give Cities More Flexibility in Managing Wastewater EPA Press Release on the Agreement Seattle and King County, Wash., will invest in multiyear sewage and combined stormwater collection upgrades, including piping and treatment, under agreements that were reached on April 16 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Dept. of Ecology.The agreements will substantially reduce the amount of sewage and contaminated stormwater entering Puget Sound and pave the way for greater use of green infrastructure projects.Under its agreement, Seattle will develop and implement a long-term control plan—at an estimated cost of $500
Related Links: Wayne E. Jones Named ENR 2013 Award of Excellence Winner New Corps of Engineers Commander Taking Stock Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was in New York City on April 18 to attend ENR's annual Award of Excellence dinner. Before he spoke at the event, Bostick talked with Associate Editor Pam Hunter. Excerpts from the interview appear below. ENR: Like most federal entities, the Corps of Engineers is dealing with a budget crunch. How is the Corps managing its backlog? Bostick: The Corps has a backlog of $60 billion of
File photo courtesy U.S. Bureau of Reclamation New document covers more agencies than previous version. BuRec programs still covered. Related Links: New Principles and Guidelines (Via White House) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1983 Principles and Guidelines After years of discussion and drafting, the White House has issued revised standards for evaluating federally funded water projects. Announced by the Council on Environmental Quality on March 22, the new Principles and Guidelines, or P&G, are the first rewrite of this key planning document in 30 years.The new P&G give more prominence to environmental factors than did the 1983 version and add
Photo Courtesy of SMBMS A new dam and bridge will preserve an island encompassing a historic abbey off the coast of France. Photo Courtesy of SMBMS Related Links: Mont St. Michel Official Site Perched on a rock off France's northern coast and resembling a castle out of a fairy tale, the Benedictine abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is receiving modern-day engineering reinforcements against encroaching salt marshes. The $270-million project, including a new river dam and an unobtrusive steelwork bridge to replace a nineteenth-century causeway, aims to mitigate environmental harm rendered by decades of siltation.Located on a UNESCO World Heritage site, the
Photo Courtesy of Culligan International Related Links: International Desalination Association website Israeli Firm Awarded Contract at Record Size Desal Plant in California Desalination of seawater and brackish water is gaining a foothold in Africa as the continent seeks to increase freshwater not only to meet the demand from a surging population but also to replenish the diminishing supply caused by climate change. Several countries in Africa, especially in the northern and southern regions, have embarked on new desalination projects in recent years.Various international providers of water-desalination solutions are turning to the African market for investment opportunities, including the construction of
Courtesy Britt Crow The entrances to the tunnels under the Yellow River, near Zhengzhou, were completed in December 2011. Related Links: Megaprojects: South-to-North Water Transfer Project Feature: World Water Day 2012 Chinas South-North Water Transfer Project: A Means to a Political End The Chinese government says its contractors are on schedule to complete this month the first phase of the $62-billion South-North Water Diversion Project. Originally proposed by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1952, the SNWDP is a large-scale water-transfer project that will convey water from the Yangtze River and its tributaries in southern China to the Yellow and Hai rivers
Related Links: Muddy River Restoration website After more than a decade of planning and vigorous public debate, the $76-million Muddy River Flood Damage Reduction and Environmental Restoration project is now under way in metropolitan Boston’s historic Emerald Necklace parks and waterways.The project broke ground in October 2012 and is scheduled for completion by 2015, says Mike Keegan, project manager for the New England Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps will manage the project with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the city of Boston, and the town of Brookline serving as non-federal sponsors.The project is a response to
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