US Army Corpsof Engineers ®

Enogineer UpdateVol. 23 * No. 7 * July 1999

Kevin Weber stands beside the wreckage of his govemrnment vehicle. (Photo courtesy of Tulsa District)

Tulsa District civil engineersurvives Oklahoma tornado

By Judy MarsicanoFort Worth District

Kevin Weber made a last-minute decision thatsaved his life recently when he faced the killer tor-nado that tore through Oklahoma City.

Weber is a civil engineer in Tulsa District's Engi-neering and Construction Division. On May 3, hedeparted Tulsa, Okla., in a government vehicle forLawton, Okla., to attend a scope-of-work meetingon a containerization project at Fort Sill, Okla.

"It was about 7 p.m. when I reached OklahomaCity, and it started clouding up and looking reallynasty, so I turned on the radio and heard the tor-nado warnings," Weber said. "I saw this big blackcloud but, since the sky looked clear to the south, Istayed on the road and angled southwest towardChickasha."

As Weber drove, he saw a massive black cloudmoving toward him, so he pulled over at an over-pass behind two other parked cars.

"I must have sat in the car for a good four or fiveminutes, just watching to see what the storm wasgoing to do," Weber said. "There was a calmnessand it wasn't raining very much. Then, the strang-est thing happened. As the tornado moved in mydirection, stuff just started defying gravity, slowlylevitating up from the ground in front of it, and Ithought to myself, 'Boy, this isn't right!"'

With the tornado heading directly for him, We-ber felt the car shake, so he turned off the ignition,got out, and stuck the keys in his pocket. Hequickly sought shelter under the overpass wherefour or five others were already bracing themselvesto ride out the storm.

"I made my way up the concrete backslope as faras I could, looking for something heavy to hold onto," Weber said. "I closed my eyes and held my headdown to try to protect my face."

Holding on to an I-beam with his right elbowwedged against the flange of the beam and the restof his body dangling free, he compared what hap-pened next to a violent roller coaster ride while be-ing pelted with flying debris.

"No sooner had I gotten my grip than someoneyelled, 'It's right on top of us!'," Weber said. "A lotgoes through your mind. I thought of my family; Isaid a prayer, and had thoughts about the afterlife.I was trying to think about what was going to hap-pen next and I remember thinking this could be itfor me. My last meal had been a quarter-pounderand french fries. Then I heard a boy ask his mother,'Are we going to die?' I heard her answer, 'No, we'renot going to die.'

"I felt something hard hit me in the head," Webersaid. "I raised my head to try to see what was hap-pening and saw this piece of lumber suspended inthe air right in front of me. Mud and debris wereeverywhere. At one point, I don't know why, but Ilooked down at my watch to see what time it was. Ihad to wipe the mud from the face. My whole armwas covered with mud and I couldn't even see theconcrete in front of me, so I closed my eyes and putmy head back down when something hit my leg,hard. I don't know what it was, but it gashed myleg and I knew by the pain that my leg was bro-ken."

At that point, Weber almost lost his grip. Forabout 30 or 40 seconds, the wind battered him with

Continued on page two

System linksexpertise tounits in field

By Marnah WokenEurope District

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is provid-ing engineering support to NATO operations inthe Balkans through TeleEngineering. Devel-oped by the Engineering Research and Devel-opment Center at the Waterways ExperimentStation (WES), TeleEngineering provides effi-cient real-time engineering support from tech-nical experts anywhere in the U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers.

Through a network of secure high-frequencysatellite communications systems, TeleEn-gineering allows engineers to collect data in theBalkans and participate in real-time video con-sultations which tap into the Corps' broad rangeof expertise.

Erich Schuette, an information managementspecialist in Europe District, deployed in Aprilto assist with the initial setup ofTeleEngineering equipment at the Task ForceOperations Center in Albania.

Portable door to Corps. "TeleEn-gineering is a portable door to the Corps," saidSchuette. "Once everything is hooked up, it'sas easy as making a phone call. For example,we were asked to take a look at a building inAlbania to see if it was structurally sound.We videotaped the building and transmittedthe video back to Eu-rope District's Emer-gency Operations Cen-ter through our securesatellite communica-tions link. At thatpoint, Corps struc-tural engineers in Eu- EnAancerope District waiting todeploy to Albania Capabilftiesviewed the video.Through video telecon-ferencing, they made their calculations andrecommendations."

"We were also asked to make recommenda-tions on improving a guard tower in Albania,"said Schuette. "They took video of the struc-ture and sent it to us via our satellite link. Atthat point, Force Protection Specialist EdConrath from Omaha District used his previ-ous experience in Bosnia to make recommen-dations to improve the structure."

Lt. Col. Larry McCallister, commander ofEurope District's Contract Construction AgentTeam 1, is forward deployed to Albania andworks with TeleEngineering regularly.

"The biggest benefit to TeleEngineeringis the

Continued on page seven

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2 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Chaplain's Column

Faith is a powerful'force mulBy Lt. Col. (Chaplain) Tim Carlson

Headquarters

It always amazes me how one can find spirituallessons in military language. About 10 years ago, Iwent through the Combined Arms Study Staff Schooland Command and General Staff College. Since thatwas the Cold War era, we discussed the Fulda Gap,the region of Germany where the then-Soviet armywould probably strike if World War III ever started.

One constant was the ratio of soldiers -- three So-viet soldiers against each American. Force multipli-ers were critical if we were to halt an attack and win.We gave numerical weights to the technological ele-ments of our arsenal, ranking our tanks against theirs,our aircraft against theirs, and so on.

But even after this detailed statistical drill, therewas still a question about our winning. I believe thatwe always had that doubt because our calculationsfailed to take one critical element into account.

Multiplying our force remains a genuine concern ofleadership in the U.S. Army, including the Corps ofEngineers. Without a doubt, computers and scien-tific advances have moved our abilities forward inquantum leaps. We continue to do more and morewith fewer and fewer people. But there still can beone critical factor missing. The need for force multi-pliers, and that missing factor, is as old as warfare.

Centuries ago, a giant named Goliath, backed bythe army of Philistia, threatened the army of Israel.By the standards of any age, Goliath was a formi-dable foe. He stood about 10 feet tall, fully armored

from head to foot, and armed with a giant-sized spearand sword. Each day for 40 days, Goliath stood on ahill across from the Israelite army, challenging themto send someone to meet him in single combat.

No one dared until a young man named David, ashepherd hardly of soldierly age, came to visit his olderbrothers who were serving in the army. David heardGoliath shouting taunts, and was shocked that no onein the army of Israel had the courage to meet thegiant's challenge. So David asked King Saul for per-mission to fight this formidable threat.

Risk assessment would give Goliath a hundred-to-one odds of winning, maybe more. Why would Davidoffer himself up to certain death? Was it because hehad a force multiplier - his slingshot?

The ancient sling was nothing more than two leathercords about the length of the slinger's arm, connectedto a leather pocket. The slinger placed a rock in thepocket, whirled it around his head by the cords, thenreleased one cord to send the stone flying. It couldthrow a rock with lethal force.

David knew the power of his sling. With it, he hadalready killed predators that had attacked his sheep.But David had another force multiplier, the criticalmissing factor that I mentioned earlier. He hadfaith...a firm, unshakeable belief that God makes thesupreme difference in the affairs of mankind.

Faith isn't easy for pragmatic thinkers to accept.It was tough for Saul, and viewed as absolute folly byDavid's older brothers. But you probably rememberhow the story goes. Young David went out to duel thebehemoth armed with only his sling and five smooth

stones. (Another force multiplier, for David knew thata smooth stone flies straighter and faster than a roughone.) After exchanging words (some cursing by Goliathand some expressions of faith by David), they movedin for combat. The young shepherd unleashed a stone,striking the huge man on his forehead and knockinghim out. David took the giant's sword and slew him.This act of bravery and faith gave new courage to theIsraelite army. They attacked the army of Philistiaand routed them.

Is all this merely outdated religious bunk or a wasteof my time? These may well be reasoned responses tothe idea of faith as a force multiplier. But I suggestthat the greatest force multiplier ever known to theworld is faith. We must have faith that the Corps'leaders know what they are doing, and faith that theywill act with the best motives.

Without faith, we would never have the courage tomake any progress. Just like the Israelite army, wecould not make the first move because of our fears ofthe "Philistines" and their contemporary "Goliaths."

Before we jettison faith as a vestige of yesteryear, Isuggest we employ it. I propose we open our mindsand hearts to this great gift. David tried faith and itworked. I challenge us to try it as well!

TornadoContinued from page one

incredible force, pulling his legs upand pounding him against the beam.After what seemed like minutes later,Weber said the wind began to slow andhe watched the black cloud as itmoved away, just like in the movies.

"Then, I heard a lady say, 'It's com-ing back,"' Weber said. "But it didn't."

Reeling from the incredible experi-ence, each person slowly descended thesteep slope. Someone used a piece oflumber and a branch to make Weber amakeshift splint. A news crew chas-ing the tornado pulled over to help thesurvivors. All were covered with mudand the grass that once surrounded theoverpass was stripped from the ground.Dazed, Weber looked for his vehicle, butit wasn't where he left it.

"Then that little boy came up behindme and I heard him ask, 'Where is mymom?'," Weber said. He learned fromthe newspaper the next day that the

woman had given her life when sherushed her 11-year-old son to shelterunder the overpass. She had told himto close his eyes and she had held hishand as she covered his body with hersso he wouldn't blow away. Then thetornado got her instead, snatching heraway from her son's hand.

The doctor in the hospital emer-

gency room told Weber that his backlooked as though it had been sand-blasted and had someone take aweedwhacker to it.

"While I was lying there, the doc-tor grabbed a pair of scissors and cameover to look at my leg," Weber said. "Ihad cowboy boots on and he asked meif he could cut my boots off. I thought

The same tornado that injured Kevin Weber also devastated the OklahomaCity area. (Photo courtesy of Tulsa District)

to myself, 'Where but Oklahomawould they ask permission to cut yourboots offl"'

Days after the tornado, emergencyworkers found Weber's governmentcar a mile away, a twisted mass ofmetal. A minister found his govern-ment ID card, plans and specifications,the scope of work, and some CEFMSpaperwork in Newcastle, Okla., fourmiles away.

Currently recuperating at homewith a broken leg and severe bruisingon his legs and lower back, a shakenWeber is refocusing on his life and hisfamily.

"After what I've been through andfrom what I've seen on television, Ican't imagine why more peopleweren't killed," he said. "It goes toshow you how much the human bodycan stand. I've lived through it andI've accepted it, but the reality of itall is how quickly a life can be taken."

ENGINEER UPDATE is an unofficial publication under the provisions of AR 360-81. It is publishedmonthly by offset for the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Editorial views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Corps of Engineers or the De-

partment of the Army. Letters to the editor are encouraged.

Deadline for submitting articles is the 15th of the month preceding publication. Subscriptions are avail-

able free of charge but must be requested in writing. Circulation: 35,000.

Address mail to: EDITOR, ENGINEER UPDATE, CEPA-C, Washington, D.C. 20314-1000. Telephone(202) 761-1808. Photographs are U.S. Army photos unless otherwise credited. Available on theInternet at http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/cepa.htm.

Commander, USACE.............................................................................................Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard

Chief, Public Affairs.....................................................................Col. Robert N. M irelson

Chief, Command Information.....................................................George E. HalfordEditor........................... ....................................... Bernard W .Tate

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 3

Commentary

Support needed to make tough callBy Becki Dobyns

Headquarters

Supervisors in the Corps are scared. They're afraidof lawsuits and grievances. They're afraid of doingthings differently and, mostly, they're afraid of tak-ingtough actions. The fear, sustained over time, trans-lates into inertia and dysfunction.

All too often, supervisors don't do the right thing;they do the safe thing and later convince themselvesit was the right thing. Look at just two examples -firing and giving awards.

Sayyou've been goofing off on thejob. Want to keepgoofing off yet avoid getting fired? You know what todo - just file a grievance! That'll get 'em runningscared and then you can relax. Play a little solitaire.Surf the 'net.

Frequently, that's how it works. The slackers sub-merge into apathy and the workhorses shoulder aheavier load. A lopsided work situation limps alongeven more visibly. Teamwork falters. Stress, resent-ment and cynicism mount.

The grievance system itself is not to blame. Most ofthe time, it works as intended. But supervisors' fearof retribution hobbles and eventually cripples the or-ganization, harming most those who contribute most.

Then there's the award system. The term "incen-tive award" is a joke. Incentives? In most cases,awards have become entitlements, merely yearly bo-nuses, expected and demanded despite the level ofper-formance that supposedly generated them.

Some supervisors seem to have forgotten the pur-pose of awards - to recognize (set apart, make spe-cial) outstanding work, thereby perpetuating con-tinued strong performances. Because supervisorsare afraid of grievances, everyone in an office or ateam gets the same award. Equal recognition forunequal work. Then they rationalize their actionsin the name of fairness and maintaining workplaceequilibrium. But giving everyone the same award

is neither fair nor harmonious.Those who contribute least see that their level of work

doesn't matter. They're still getting an award, so whywork harder? Those who contribute most see the futil-ity in excelling since their work isn't seen as any morespecial than the laziest or least competent co-worker.That's not a reward! And it certainly isn't an incen-tive. It's a disincentive.

Sorry, but sometimes be-ing fair means treatingpeople differently. A guestspeaker at the Senior Lead- "What is c,ers Conference severalyearsago said, "If you want to lead organizatiosheep, be a shepherd! Butdon't managepeoplebecause supervisors nthey're not all alike." decisions ju,

Our pay scale systemcouldn't work like that. GS- Supports14s get paid more than GS-7s because their level of comrnwork is different and they(allegedly) offer greater valueto the organization. So theydon't get paid the same; they get paid more becausetheir work has higher value. What would happen ifyou tried paying everyone the same salary? Chaos -not harmony. Would you be regarded as fair? Hardly!

I got to thinking about supervisory fear while listen-ing to a retirement speech by Col. Robert Fernandez,former Chief of the Commander's Planning Group inHeadquarters. He urged those continuing with theirCorps careers to do the right thing simply because it'sthe right thing to do. My hope is like his - that ourethics are stronger than convenience or comfort.

One of the seven Army values is personal courage.We don't see it much in practice. That's because whatis called for is more than courage.

What is called for is an organization that supportssupervisors making the tough decisions just as much

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Sas it supports those filing complaints.

I have heard Lt. Gen. Joe Ballard, Chief of Engi-neers, and Maj. Gen. Albert Genetti, retired DeputyChief of Engineers, both rail against award abuses.They're right. But we must take a step back and lookat the big picture. It's easy to lecture people sternlyand tell them to run a tighter ship. It's also easy tolimit the funds available for awards. But award abuse

is the symptom, not theailment. If our leadersreally want to fix the prob-

lied for is an lem, they've got to sup-port courageous decisions

that supports with more than rhetoric.Yes, it is right and

3king the tough proper to hold ourselves,

as much as it and others, to high stan-dards. It is right and

hose filing proper to do the rightthing simply because it's

rain ts." the right thing to do. Ul-timately, we have to livewith the decisions we

make and thus we mustlive our lives accordingly.

Living ethically, living the Army values, won't be easy.But support from the top would mean we weren't mak-ing the tough calls alone.

Support for courage would invest in people on manyfronts. It would mean better hiring as well as firing.It would improve our business processes by encourag-ing innovation and risk taking. We wouldn't be thesame stodgy, overly-conservative, do-it-the-same-way-we-did-it-last-time organization. The U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers would be a progressive, stimulating, andtruly rewarding place to work.

(If you're interested in ethics, check outwww.charactercounts.org, the web site of the Joseph-son Institute of Ethics, a non-profit organization dedi-cated to advancing ethics in business.)

Commentary

CMR-Plus implementation underwaBy Cheryl Chrisman

Louisville District

What you see is what you get.This is a basic principle I have experienced time

and again. I step up to the golf tee. Using my pastperformance indicators, I am so confident that I'llhit the ball into the lake that I reach into my bagand pull out a special ball - my water ball. Ishouldn't be surprised when, just as I'd subcon-sciously planned, my balllands in the lake.

Fortunately for us all,our organizational leaders "The Perfornunderstand this principleand have set forth a stra- ment Focustegic vision (a conscious identified a ccorporate picture) of a suc-cessful future. We are measures thquite deliberately plan-ning and moving toward critical missinnot just surviving butthriving in the next mil- corporatelennium.

Now, consider our per-formance measurementsystem using the same principle. We travel in thedirection of our strategic vision daily, but each quar-

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to,atgd

ter we look in the rearview mirror to see how far wehave traveled and count and analyze the bumps inthe road.

This need not be the destiny of our organization.Through the evolution of our strategic planning pro-cess, our corporate leaders have realized that, be-sides measuring and accounting for what has al-ready happened, we need to measure our capabili-ties across all functions to travel the road ahead.Twenty years ahead, in fact.

Did I say evolution?Maybe I should say revo-

lution! A culturalnce Measure- change, really.

What type of perfor-eam recently mance measures are we

zen strategic talking about? Thehealth of our mission, the

focus on the well-being of our client/customer relationships,

dimensions of capabilities and innova-r ction. tion (human and techno-

ireconlogical), and businesspractice developments

and improvements.That's the framework -

four critical dimensions of our business.The Performance Measurement Focus Team re-

ycently identified a dozen strategic measures thatfocus on the critical missing dimensions of corpo-rate direction not addressed by the traditional Com-mand Management Review (CMR). Operationalmeasures will still be collected and analyzed by pro-gram managers, and assimilated for the Chief ofEngineers. But they will be discussed at the execu-tive level only when the operational performancesignals a larger impact on corporate performance.

The strategic corporate measures will facilitateand focus senior executive discussions on our cor-porate performance targets, not just yesterday andtomorrow, but to our 2020 vision and beyond.

Where are we in implementing the CMR Plus(CMR+)? Last month, the strategic measures wererefined by focus teams and other Headquartersstaff. The major subordinate commands will be in-vited to give their input, and our ultimate goal is topresent the third quarter information/data in thenew CMR+ format next month.

More information about CMR+ can be found athttp://www.usace.army.mil/sbsp/cmr.

We must never let our past performance defineour future capabilities. Instead, we can use the pastas a baseline to transform our future and measurehow far we've come. Be sure to keep your attentionfocused down the road and what you'll see is whatyou'll get.

4 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Corps volunteerssalvage memories

Lori Thomas searches through debris after the tornado in Oklahoma, hopingto find and salvage personal items and return them to the storm victims.(Photo courtesy of Oklahoma District)

By Judy MarsicanoFort Worth District

Lori Thomas stooped to pick up aphoto album, torn and covered withmud, and a high school diploma. PenniWalker found a child's soiled teddy bearand a catcher's mitt. Papers wereblown against a fence as far as the eyecould see, and remnants of blanketsand clothing dangled in the trees. Allwere reminders of the powerful torna-does that swept through OklahomaMay 3-4.

Thomas and Walker, both from TulsaDistrict, were among 92 Corps volun-teers from across the country who weresent to help victims of the killer torna-does start new lives. Assigned the grimtask of removing and disposing of de-bris from damaged homes and busi-nesses, they came face-to-face with thereality of what the tornado victims lost.

Residents fortunate enough to haveescaped with their lives are agonizingabout the loss of everything they owned,most of all about the things they can-not replace, like family heirlooms, pho-tos and other keepsakes. But Corpsemployees offered some help by keep-ing a sharp eye for items that residentsmight want returned, before the items

ended up in a landfill."Our first order of business was to

clear the debris so people could get inand out of their streets," Walker said."But when we saw this kind of stuffending up at the processing site, wethought there was something more wecould do, so we jumped in to retrieveas many mementos as we could."

Ott Boswell, from Fort Worth Dis-trict, worked alongside contractors inwhat was left of neighborhoods in Okla-homa City. He collected two bags fullof items, including a watch (still tick-ing), children's drawings, a Bible, andframed photographs.

"I can't help but think that someonewould want these back," Boswell said."This might just help someone a littlein recovering from this ordeal."

The most interesting thing foundwas a stack of historical documentsdating from 1889 to 1928, varying fromthe minutes of an oil company's boardof directors meeting in 1920 to corre-spondence dated 1919 about paymentof interest due for 1899 Liberty bonds.The found items were turned over toseveral volunteer agencies thatscanned photos onto the Internet andworked to return other personal effectsto their owners.

Engineer is one of top 10 in governmentBy David LongmireVicksburg District

If there's one thing George Sills likes more than aproblem, it's finding the answer. "My driving forceis having a problem to solve," said Sills, a 28-yearveteran of Vicksburg District. That drive led to himbeing named one of America's top 10 federal engi-neers.

Headquarters selected Sills as the Corps' nomineefor the National Society of Professional Engineers'(NSPE) Federal Engineer of the Year Program. Sillsis among the NSPE's 10 finalists from a field of 33representing agencies like the Air Force, the Sur-geon General's Office, and NASA.

Sills is a geotechnical specialist, a branch of civilengineering dealing with foundations or soils"whether it's flow of water through it, building on itor using it as a building material," Sills said.

On the job, the geotechnical engineer found manyopportunities to demonstrate his talent. Sills workedon a variety of projects and published a number ofpapers. Among his accomplishments, Sills developeda method of slide stabilization using stone-filledtrenches, and applied a new technique called soilnailing. It was first used on the Natchez Bluff, Miss.,Stabilization Project, reducing costs by about 30 per-cent, saving about $9 million.

On the Red River Waterway in Louisiana, Sillshas design experience on six major locks and dams.As the independent project manager, Sills establishednavigation on schedule and averted a costly delay atLocks and Dams 4 and 5 on the Red River by havingthe cofferdams excavated early and the material usedas backfill. In another Red River project on Lockand Dam No. 2, Sills developed a new method of pile

load testing that saved the contractor about $1 mil-lion.

According to Sills' wife, Huel, he is also a man ofkindness and conviction. "He's a caring person,"she said. "He always says he doesn't have much ofa warm, fuzzy side, but he does." A 1993 assign-ment in the flooded Midwest was particularly emo-tional. "I think that got him right in the gut. Homeswere washed away with just one swish of the water.They couldn't save them all, and that really both-ered him."

For his efforts, the area invited Sills back as grandmarshal of Floodfest '96. Other honors include theCommanders Award for Civilian Service in 1995 andthe Commanders Award for Community Service in1997.

Despite his big-time success, Sills is grounded inhis small-town roots. "Really and truthfully, I'm justan old country boy," he said. "I really am. I neverlost that side of me."

Sills is currently a doctoral candidate at Louisi-ana State University and is almost ready to embarkon a new career. "I decided I could retire after 30years and move to a university and teach geotechnicalengineering from a practical side," he said. "It's re-ally hard to learn everything that you ought to knowabout this in a classroom. It's valuable to the profes-sion to pass down 20-plus years of experience."

Until then, Sills mentors young engineers. For10 years, he has participated in Engineer Week ac-tivities in Warren County schools. Through the So-ciety of American Military Engineers he helps fu-ture engineers as the student post coordinator andscholarship chairman. The organization awards$2,000 in scholarships each year to local studentsgoing into a scientific field.

George Sills, a geotechnical specialist witnVicksburg District, was one of the top 10 finalistsin the Federal Engineer of the Year Program. Hehas been with the district 28 years. (Photo courtesyof Vicksburg District)

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE

Baltimore Districtcontinues helping

DC schoolsBy Ted Henry

Baltimore District

It's been a full year since Baltimore Districtsigned a memorandum of agreement with theDistrict of Columbia Public Schools System toexecute its multi-million dollar capital improve-ment program. Emergency repairs were com-pleted before the beginning of the school year in1998, and significant strides have been madeunder this year's tasks.

Looking toward the future, prioritizing is wellunder way and Baltimore District and the Dis-trict of Columbia are well positioned to continuewith the badly needed renovations.

A year ago

Last April, nearly every district organizationfocused on meeting emergency needs for the be-ginning of the summer STARS program andschool opening on Sept. 1. Before summerended, the Corps had replaced 33 roofs, installedfour modular chillers and cooling systems, re-paired 1,000 windows at one high school, andcompleted a variety of other minor repairs.

After the school year began, project person-nel focused on replacing windows at three schoolsand 16 boiler systems.

"We're about 75 percent finished with theprojects slated for the school year that ended inJune," said Dave Morrow, project manager forthe D.C. Schools project. "While contractingissues have slowed some of our specific projects,we're still working on those remaining tasksconsidered the highest priority. I expect theexisting hurdles will be resolved soon so we cancomplete all our projects and focus on the nextschool year."

Projects slated for 1999 include window re-placements at 11 additional schools and five moreroofs. The district is removing about 200 un-derground heating oil storage tanks from 180sites. Once the tanks are removed, the schoolswill be converted to natural gas.

About $76 million was set aside for the 1998projects, and an additional $54 million for 1999.About three-fourths of the 1999 budget will gotoward repairs for the upcoming year, while theremaining funds will support planning and de-sign for renovating or replacing eight elemen-tary schools and one junior high school.

The future

"After a year of laborious but fruitful work toaddress emergency renovations, the project ismoving into a more organized and efficientphase," said Morrow. Baltimore District hascompleted a needs assessment for 138 facilitiesand will send a draft long-range facilities mas-ter plan to the District of Columbia this fall.

"The plan will build on the approved 1999 capi-tal improvement plan, laying out a tentative 10-year master plan for renovating eight to nineschools a year," said Morrow.

"A very positive note is that the mayor andthe city council provided enough money in fu-ture budgets to conduct most of the renovationsthat will be outlined in the master plan," saidMorrow. Thus far, about $600 million duringthe next six years has been earmarked for theD.C. Schools capital improvement program.

Corps helps PuertoRico rebuild highway

By Christina PlunkettJacksonville District

Many residents of Puerto Rico breathed a collec-tive sigh of relief since the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers oversaw the rebuilding of a one-mile stretch ofHighway 187.

Thanks to the Pinones (Highway 187) CAP Sec-tion 103 Beach Erosion Project, 600 families inTerraplain, Puerto Rico, will no longer live in con-stant fear of their homes being flooded. And resi-dents and visitors to Puerto Rico, traveling from theeastern part of the island to San Juan, will no longerbe periodically cut off from Highway 187, a mainthoroughfare connecting San Juan to Loiza. It isalso a hurricane evacuation road for the Pinones area.

For decades, the Terraplain residents and otherPuerto Ricans have borne the hardships of flooding.During the high-tide season from September toMarch, cold fronts from the U.S. bring waves up to15 feet high to pound the island. Where protectivedunes and road elevations are low, the high wavesand tidal surges push water over the highway andinto low-lying areas, washing away sections of thebeach, embankments, and even the roads themselves.

Because this area has a soft sand base, the wavesfrom a strong northern storm would wash awayroads, virtually cutting a new inlet across the Pino-nes sand spit. This happens to portions of Highway187, which is surrounded by beach on one side andwetlands and communities on the other. That is whythis shore protection project is so important.

Several times a year, when high waves hit thenorthern coast in the Pinones area, the congestedtraffic area is inundated, isolating neighborhoods,preventing school attendance, and causing furthercongestion with traffic re-routing.

Redondo Construction Company began the Pinonesbeach erosion project in August 1997, and it was com-pleted last month. The project involved not only cre-

Adair Martin, project engineer, stands on a portionof the newly widened and armored Highway 187in Puerto Rico (Photo courtesy of JacksonvilleDistrict)

ating a new and wider road, but also elevating theroad up to 11 feet higher than the old highway. Thecontractors also built an armored stone revetment,changed the slope and angle of the road's curve aboutmid-way, and updated all utility lines in the area.

The project was built in three segments. SegmentB placed a 240-foot offshore breakwater at PuntaMaldonado. Segment C created almost a mile stretchof new road, eight feet wider, along the beach andTerraplain community. In this section, contractorselevated the road 11 feet, built a new access road forthe Terraplain residents, and installed a water lineunder the road.

To elevate the new road and provide shore protec-tion in Segment C, contractors also built an armoredrevetment. The revetment, which goes as deep asfive feet below sea level and as high as 11 feet abovesea level, consists of three layers - geotextile fabric,1.5 feet of bedding stones, and 4.5 feet of armoredstones on top.

Segment A, awarded as an optional bid item be-cause it was not part of the base bid, included theelevation, widening, and armoring of 477 more feetof Highway 187 west of Punta Maldonado. The con-tractors decreased, opened, raised, and widened aparticularly treacherous curve. The contractors alsobuilt a new bike path beside the highway, funded bythe Puerto Rico Highway Authority.

The high waves and storm surge of HurricaneGeorges tested the new eastern reach of Highway187 in September 1998 while it was still under con-struction. The road faced another high wave eventlast February. The road performed beautifully, ac-cording to Adair Martin, project engineer. "Duringthese events, no damage occurred to the highway orarmoring, and no flooding occurred, allowing the roadto remain open," Martin said.

All of the new Highway 187 is open now and traf-fic is increasing daily. Corps attorney Jordan Sotouses the highway traveling from Carolina to SanJuan. Soto says he used to avoid it because when itrained the road would often flood. "Now, I can usethe highway and feel at ease, knowing I won't haveto worry about being stranded by a sudden fiercestorm," Soto said.

As the project's work ended, the Puerto Rico High-way and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) re-quested that the Corps oversee an additional contractto reforest the area starting last month. The PuertoRico Planning Board Regulation requires mitigationnot only for lost wetlands but also for all lost trees.Because of the Corps' quick response in planning anddesigning the Pinones project, the PRHTA requestedthe Corps to oversee this additional contract.

Biologist Barbara Cintron is the environmentaltechnical project manager for the Pinones project.She will work closely with the Puerto Rico Depart-ment of Natural and Environmental Resources(DNER) and Forester Doreen Pares to oversee re-planting both the upland and mangrove areas nearthe end of Puerto Rico's rainy season, around Octo-ber or November.

"This project not only helps prevent beach erosionand flooding to the Pinones area, but it is also allow-ing safer access from the eastern part of the islandto the metro area by both car and bike," said RobertNewman, project manager. "I like to think thisproject is helping to give back some peace-of-mind toits residents. I know it's already saved our sponsorupwards of a million dollars in road repairs that lastyear's storms would have caused."

6 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Mosquitoes lose war at Eagle IslandBy Penelope SchmittWilmington District

Even mosquitoes have to live someplace. For awhile,it looked like they had all settled on Eagle Island, a930-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge dis-posal site along the Cape Fear River in North Caro-lina. Before 1995, it was an infamous mosquito breed-ing ground. The swarms were so dense, they could bepicked up on radar.

But Ken Sholar, New Hanover County's MosquitoControl Officer, is proud to report that times havechanged. New Hanover County, Brunswick County,and the Corps teamed up to control mosquito infesta-tion on Eagle Island before it spread to other areas.

"We all had a piece of the puzzle but, until we put ittogether, we weren't getting anywhere," Sholar said.

Rick Hickman, Mosquito Control Officer forBrunswick County, agreed with Sholar. "We were toldby experts from Florida that 50 percent control of anarea like Eagle Island was the best we could expect.Now we control 800 acres."

The intergovernmental group's success results frominformation and resource sharing among the threeagencies. The Corps supplied contracts and the moneyto support them, plus some mechanical assistance.The counties supplied the vector control expertise andexecuted the program.

Since 1995, the group has successfully implementedan Integrated Pest Management program that drovemosquito populations down so they don't reach "mi-gratory brood" levels.

"When the mosquito population gets dense enough,the females instinctively migrate to find new terri-tory," Sholar said. "That could lead the mosquitoes tobreak out of Eagle Island, and we'd be spraying pesti-cides up and down the streets of Wilmington and inBrunswick County communities."

"That's why we fight the battle on Eagle Island, sowe can avoid large populations of mosquitoes gettingto where people live," Hickman said.

Partnership among the two counties and the Corpsis critical in winning the mosquito war. Their threeprimary weapons are surveillance, sharing informa-tion and resources, and the timing of effort.

"It's a dynamic program," said Jeff Brown, a medi-cal entomologist with the North Carolina Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources. "When theseguys hit a seasonal peak of mosquito population, theyhave four to five days to treat Eagle Island, Brunswickand New Hanover counties, and the IntracoastalWaterway. It's critical that their information be ac-curate for them to get the job done.

"We've put our heads together with Howard Varnam,the Corps' project manager for Eagle Island," Browncontinued. "By mapping populations and carefullytracking Corps work, we can treat 130 acres insteadof 800 acres, use more environmentally friendly meth-ods, and kill more mosquitoes."

Surveillance techniques range from primitive (Howmany mosquitoes land on your body in two minutes?)to counting the mosquitoes caught in light traps,monitoring rain gauges, and dipping water samplesto see if they contain larvae. All this data is compiledon a computerized database and tracked weekly. Itenables the mosquito control team to respond at theright stage of the life cycle to suppress populationsbefore they explode into migratory broods.

Control methods are not only carefully timed, theyare carefully chosen and targeted to maximize insectsuppression, while minimizing environmental dam-age. "Up to 1995, before these three entities got to-gether, the process was reactive," said Brown. "Therewas much more widespread spraying with insecticides.Now, the group has put together a truly proactive In-tegrated Pest Management program that uses me-chanical and biological means to control populations,and turns to chemicals only at critical moments."

The array of biological control methods includes three

A dipper full of larvae once meant clouds of mosquitoes later. But now an Integrated Pest ManagementPlan heads off insect population explosions. (Photo courtesy of Wilmington District)

major weapons. Bti, a bacterium, destroys the stom-ach lining of mosquito larvae. Methoprene, a secondbiological, prevents the larvae from maturing intoadults by overloading them with hormones that keepthem in a juvenile stage. Finally, flooded areas canbe stocked with mosquito fish that feed on larvae. "Welike the mosquito fish and dragonflies best," Hickmansaid. "But Eagle Island is a constantly shifting envi-ronment. We can't keep areas flooded all the time."

That's where the Corps comes in. We're a majorplayer in underwriting the program, and a direct agentin the mechanical control of populations.

First, the Corps makes a vital difference to the lo-cal governments' ability to work on the targeted mos-quito breeding grounds.

"We don't have expert vector control people workingfor us in Wilmington District," said Varnam. "Butwe do have a great contracting office. We've written,solicited, and paid for contracts that provide NewHanover and Brunswick counties with the labor,equipment, and materials to do the job. They haveexpert vector control people who execute the contracts."

Varnam noted that two other counties, Onslow andPender, also have Corps-funded contracts for vector(disease carrier) control on Corps-managed waterways.

Besides making a major contribution to funding andcontracting, the Corps played a vital part in improv-ing program effectiveness by coordinating their workschedule with the mosquito control officers.

"We know where the Corps is going, and what they'llbe doing," Sholar said. "Mosquitoes are easy to con-trol when land is flooded, and they're easy to controlwhen it's dry. Whenever the land is transitioningfrom wet to dry or back again, that's when mosquitopopulations can explode. Since the Corps keeps usup-to-date on the times and places for work, we canmonitor and control the situation."

"The Corps didn't know that what they did andwhen and where they did it could make a difference,"Hickman said. "They thought every inch of salt marshwas prime breeding ground. Now that the Corpsknows we can target vulnerable areas, they keep usinformed, and even time their work so that it helps usto control mosquitoes better."

Best of all, the Corps actually buried a major broodof mosquitoes. By pumping dredged material onto

Labor-intensive monitoring by Brunswick CountyVector Control staff helps keep mosquitoes incheck. (Photo courtesy of Wilmington District)

known breeding sites in August, the Corps accom-plished its mission, and also virtually wiped out thefall brood ofAedes sollicitans.

"I have nothing but respect for the help the Corpshas given us," Sholar said. "As a result of our coop-erative effort, we are able to keep the situation on EagleIsland well under control. I know I have more time towork with the rest of New Hanover County than ever."

What about this year on Eagle Island? The threeagencies will use every resource in their arsenals, frommosquito fish to contracts, to ensure another safe year.

"They call it 'breaking the back of the hatch,"' Brownsaid. "The game is, you track each brood through thesurveillance system. You adjust to the Corps' workschedule on the island, and coordinate with them torespond to potential changes and trouble spots. Thenyou can anticipate what kind of populations to con-trol, at what stage, and hit hard."

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 7

ndcpiize on opportunies for msson growM rkze i and capi dize on opportinmites for mission growdh.

TeleEngineeringContinued from page one

ability to conduct secure communica-tions with several people at one time,"McCallister said.

Teleconference. "I've been do-ing video teleconferences with Head-quarters and North Atlantic Divisionon the proposed future of the base herein Albania. During the teleconference,we had the charts on the wall so every-one could look at them at the same time,and we were able to zoom in and con-centrate on a specific area if there werequestions. It's so much easier than try-ing to explain everything over the tele-phone," McCallister added.

"We can also do a lot of preliminaryanalysis of the area without deployinga lot of people," said McCallister. "Ex-perts from the Corps view the videotapes we send them from where theyare, do the analysis, and send the infor-mation back to us here in Albania."

"TeleEngineering is a great way totransfer a large amount of dataquickly," said Rusty Mizelle, an envi-ronmental engineer from Europe Dis-trict.

He is deployed to Albania to conductenvironmental surveys and develop ahazardous waste safety plan for U.S.Army, Europe.

"U.S. Army, Europe needed a recordof existing environmental conditions,so I conducted an EnvironmentalBaseline Survey when I arrived. OnceI completed the survey, I had a lot ofdata to transfer, more than 100 pagesof information with digital photos.Because of TeleEngineering, I could

send that data back to Europe Districtquickly and it worked well. In the past,we hand-carried the information whichtook a lot of valuable time.

"We're also working on a safety planfor disposing of hazardous wastes thataffect our soldiers downrange," Mizelleadded. "With TeleEngineering, we canclose the gap with the guys on theground and our safety office at EuropeDistrict.

"As we develop the plan, we're hav-ing meetings via video teleconferencewhich has a lot of benefits. It's just liketalking to someone face-to-face as op-posed to a phone call or e-mail, and withall of the players involved at the sametime," he said.

Growing. Currently, communica-tion via TeleEngineering is only avail-able from point-to-point, but it's grow-ing, according to electrical engineersBryan Register and Jeff Powell fromWES. Both Register and Powell workedon the initial equipment setup.

"Soon we'll have a multi-point bridgecapability so we can connect up to eightsites at one time," said Register. "We'llbe able to hold video teleconferences si-multaneously from Albania, to EuropeDistrict, to North Atlantic Division, tothe Office of the Deputy Chief of StaffEngineer in Heidelberg. We're alsolooking at making the equipment inthe field more portable and compact.It's growing and changing daily."

Powell added that live feeds from Al-bania are currently available on videoteleconference which allows for evenmore flexibility. "Right now we can dolive feeds with a cable hookup to the

Contract specialist Dwight Dukes (left), and environmental engineer RustyMizelle review some paperwork at the Task Force Operations Center inAlbania. (Photo courtesy of Europe District)

camcorder," he said. "In the near fu-ture, we'll be able to conduct live feedswith audio, without any type of cablehookup. That allows the experts backat the Corps to actually tell the personrunning the camera to move in closeron a particular area."

Access to expertise. TheCorps has worked on TeleEngineeringfor more than a year, says LeonardHuskey, a physical scientist at the En-gineering Research and DevelopmentCenter. He played a big role in thedevelopment of TeleEngineering.

"We've been working with theTeleEngineering concept for about ayear, putting together a communica-tions system that provides the entirespectrum of Corps expertise to de-ployed military and civilian engineersdownrange," Huskey said. "TeleEngi-neering gives the deployed engineeraccess to that expertise - whether it'sin North Atlantic Division, the PacificOcean Division, the Southwest Divi-sion, or the South Atlantic Division.With TeleEngineering, the Corps canoffer a greater number of people towork the engineering challenge."

Corps peoplemove forward

to supportpeace efforts

in AlbaniaWithin 48 hours of the Kosovo agreement, Corps employees deployed to support NATO, helping build two basecamps in Kosovo, conducting site surveys and environmental evaluations, and giving structural engineeringsupport. Europe and Baltimore Districts are preparing another 30 people to deploy. Above left, surveyor JohnMiller, Europe District, is assisted on a site evaluation near Traina by two young Albanians. At right, Lt. Col.Larry McCallister, commander of Contract Construction Team 1 (left), and Col. Mike Barry, Europe Districtcommander, take a break at the Task Force Operations Center in Albania. (Photos courtesy of Europe District)

ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

The new hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, is the first U.S. building equipped with sensors for self-monitoring. (Photos courtesy of CERL)

Hospital knows how it's feelingBy Dana Finney

Construction Engineering ResearchLaboratory

If "smart structures" that self-diagnose damageI seem years away, welcome to the future! A new

hospital at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska willbe the first U.S. building equipped with an array ofsensors for low-cost, reliable condition monitoring. Thesensors will provide unprecedented data on thestructure's response to dynamic loads, and its healthin general.

Engineers have long imagined smart structures -buildings that can be queried for critical informationabout their performance.The ability for a structure towarn its users of an impend-ing failure is especially de-sirable. Ideally, if structurescould be monitored through-out their life, small damagescould be repaired before a fail-ure, greatly reducing repair EnA &n cecosts. .

"Smart structural sys- capa b.I-2tiestems offer the potential todrastically cut maintenanceand repair costs for both civil and military facilities,"said Dr. Robert Quattrone, a researcher at the Con-struction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).Besides avoiding damage, structures that self-diag-nose could offer more affordable repair options, sincebuilding owners could continuously monitor the ma-terials.

The Elmendorf Composite Medical Facility in An-chorage, completed in 1998, is a 433,900-square-

foot center with 110 beds serving some 45,000 cus-tomers a year. It is built to state-of-the-art seismicresistance brcause the local seismic classification isZone 4, the potential for the strongest earthquakes.

"We get 4.5 [Richter scale] or higher shakers sev-eral times a year, and smaller ones come more often,"said Peter Lam, Chief of the Structures Section inAlaska District.

The district is project manager for CERL's work atElmendorf. The medical facility will be fitted withvarious types of sensors, including innovative, low-cost new devices. Placed at strategic locations through-out the building, the sensors will collect data on dif-ferent building behaviors and report them to remotemonitoring sites via the Internet.

T he exact locations to install sensors come fromsophisticated computer modeling. Using infor-

mation such as the building's structural plans andrecorded ground movements, a three-dimensional nu-

merical model shows the critical points in the struc-ture. Depending on what parameter will be measured,the locations will have passive or active sensors.

"We'll collect three types of measurements," saidBruce Westermo, engineering vice president of StrainMonitor Systems (SMS) in San Diego. "The passivesensors will measure peak deflections at movement-resisting joints. Active sensors will give 'real-time'readings on strain and deflection. And accelerometerswill record the building's movements at whatever pointthey are placed."

SMS, working with CERL under the Small Busi-ness Innovation Research (SBIR) program, is develop-ing new wireless systems for passive and active real-time measurements. The passive devices use twoapproaches. One makes use of TRIP (transformation-induced plasticity) steels. This type of steel alloy isnon-magnetic in its unstressed state. With stress ap-plied, the material's atomic structure irreversiblychanges, becoming magnetic. The degree of magne-tism tells what a joint's peak deflection has been.

The other type of sensor employs conductive poly-mers that experience irreversible electrical resistancechange in proportion to the applied peak displacement.

Al sensors in the building will send data to smartjunctions that use wireless communication

technology to transmit information to a master unitand from there to the internet. Special software de-veloped by SMS interprets the data into an easily di-gested format. Persons with access rights to thewebsite can log in and read the sensor data. Further,if certain measurements exceed limits programmedinto the software, a priority e-mail message is auto-matically sent to persons responsible for the building'supkeep.

Lam's office would be notified in such an event. "Ifwe receive a report of damage in the building, thedistrict would call the Air Force customer and we wouldput together a team to investigate," Lam said.

A major advantage of passive sensors is the abilityto show peak deflections, information critical to de-velop an appropriate repair plan. By knowing exactlyhow much damage a joint sustained, engineers canreturn it to design standards.

Once a peak sensor has deformed with the building stress, it must be replaced or manually

reset. "If the sensor shows damage at a level thatrepairs are needed, you're going to be working on thearea anyway, and replacing or resetting the sensorcan be part of that," Westermo said. The low cost ofthe sensors ($400) makes them expendable, especiallygiven the value of information gleaned from them.

The Elmendorf project is a major step in an ambi-tious research effort led by CERL and involving a di-verse team from the Corps, other government agen-

cies, academia, and industry. Their mission is to pro-vide inexpensive, reliable technology that gives theDepartment of Defense smart structural capability."Using smart materials, we can reduce the cost ofoperations and maintenance, and extend a structure'slife by 10 to 30 years," said Quattrone. "The Armyhas more than 140,000 structures with essentially nostructural health monitoring. Smart materials tech-nology can reduce life-cycle costs by 20 percent.

ifferent types of sensors have been around foryears and used with varying degrees of suc-

cess. Most are cumbersome to maintain and sufferfrom poor accuracy. SMS' breakthrough was theiruse of wireless, remote communications, low-cost ma-terials, and the sensors' low energy draw. Most canbe powered by batteries or photovoltaic cells. For re-mote operations, the junction boxes can be queried bycellular phones. The sensors' accuracy has been vali-dated in the laboratory and at seven field sites.

SMS's innovative devices won the Construction In-novation Forum's NOVA Award in 1998 and the CivilEngineering Research Foundation's Pankow Awardfor Technology Innovation in 1997.

B esides flagging damage to the Elmendorf facility, the sensor array will reveal how a building

responds under different seismic conditions. Withoutreliable data describing this behavior, structures havetraditionally been designed conservatively to help themsurvive earthquakes. Similarly, building codes pre-scribe measures for seismic protection that representbest engineering guesses.

"The information from the sensors will be impor-tant in checking our assumptions for seismic design,"Lam said. "Usually we'll design a building by assum-ing a certain kind of earthquake ground motion, butwe've never had anything to verify that. By knowinghow much a building really deflects, we'll be able torefine our design criteria."

Doing so could mean less conservative and less ex-pensive construction. Moreover, the sensors can pro-vide information that allows use of lighter, cheapermaterials such as polymer composites by defining theirconfidence limits. Composite materials with smarttags would allow life-cycle monitoring for safety.

The Elmendorf facility should be fully outfitted withthe sensors by next summer, with work starting thisfall. SMS, Alaska District, and CERL will have re-mote access to the data.

Quattrone noted that researchers have little con-cern that the facility will fail in an earthquake. "Thisis an incredibly strong building design," he said. "Butif any damage does occur, we'll be able to address itquickly to ensure the occupants' safety. At the sametime, we have the opportunity to provide exciting in-formation to the structural engineering community."

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 9

'Cyberclipboards' make job easierIntegrated systemstechnology surveysstructure damage

By Randy Piersol and Ed VoigtPhiladelphia District

Some tasks are so routine and repetitive that theyinevitably raise the question, "Isn't there a betterway?"

One such task is structure inventory, the first stepin assessing potential damage from storms or othernatural disasters. It involves categorizing physicalstructures (houses, apartments, hotels, restaurants,other places of business) in a study area. For U.S.Army Corps of Engineers shore protection projects,that area is usually defined by the first two to fourblocks behind the beachfront. The study team usesthis inventory to determine the estimated depreciatedreplacement cost for structures within the area.

Better way

And yes, there is a better way, and it is called inte-grated systems technology. Just ask the Philadel-phia District feasibility study team for Barnegat Inletto Little Egg Inlet. They were the first in the Corpsto apply this technology along New Jersey's Long BeachIsland back in 1997. Soon after came similar appli-cations for two other New Jersey studies, ManasquanInlet to Barnegat Inlet and Great Egg Harbor toTownsends Inlet.

Traditionally, the field in-ventory crew would carryclipboards with data sheets,aerial photography blue-prints identifying structuresto be inventoried, and 35mmcameras. For studies wherethe total number of struc- EnIa ncetures is just in the hundreds,that system works well Capabilhtiesenough.

But along Long Beach Is-land that number was more than 2,000. To recordthat much information on paper forms, return it tothe office, circulate it for review, store it in file cabi-nets, and manually type it into a computer would beextremely time-consuming.

In view of this challenge, three study team mem-bers began brainstorming for ways to automate theprocess.

"I can't stand the thought of unnecessary work,"said study manager Randy Piersol. "With laptops andbar-coding technology, we knew there had to be a wayto make this task simpler, faster, and less costly with-out sacrificing quality."

Team economist Dan Abecassis and coastal engi-neer Murphy Flynn reviewed the data required andthe methods needed to obtain that data.

Hardware

"Basically this meant walking up and down streetsfilling in columns with structure data, quality andcondition, taking a first floor elevation, and taking aphotograph for reference," said Abecassis.

The study team decided to use an integrated sys-tems approach. To record the inventory they usedtwo Fujitsu Stylistic 1000 handheld personal comput-ers (PCs), each equipped with a pen stylus for dataentry. They used Dycam Model 10-C digital camerasto photograph each structure and later download theimages to the computer.

The result was a paperless structure inventory, com-plete with both statistical and visual data.

Time saver

Eliminating redundant steps was the greatest timesaver. The database software in the handhelds storesdata in DBF format for import into almost any otherdatabase or spreadsheet program, so no one has toretype the data into a PC. And using digital camerasbypasses the steps of processing photographs and writ-ing the addresses on the back of each print.

For comparison, the field crew did part of the in-ventory with pen and clipboard. Once they switchedto the handheld PCs, they found they were workingalmost as quickly as with the old method. Most im-portant, integration of systems allowed instant down-loading of the data into the Marshall & Swift Resi-dential and Commercial Estimator Programs backin the office, saving weeks of data entry for economicanalysis.

Upgrades and advantages

Structure inventories for Manasquan to Barnegat(about 2,800 structures) later in 1997, and Great Eggto Townsends in 1998, followed this pioneering effort.Along the way those study teams streamlined the dataentry form and upgraded to more powerful FujitsuStylistic 1200 handhelds and Sony digital cameras.

Above are the tools ofthe trade, a Sonydigital camera (left)and a Fujitsu Sylistic1200 handheld PC.Left, study teammember Nathan Dayanphotographs aresidence with a digitalcamera while studymanager Randy Piersoland study teammember FrancisMcPhail recordstructure Inventory dataon a handheldcomputer. (Photoscourtesy ofPhiladelphia District)

The study teams have found these advantages tousing integrated systems technology:

* Eliminating repetitive tasks and reducing thelabor-intensive photography process.

* Lower costs associated with structure inventory.* Data input via a user-friendly graphic interface,

with user-defined pick lists, pick boxes and-date entryfields.

* Interface to other peripherals through screen icons,which access modules such as the digital camera in-terface.

* Image capture and processing built into the soft-ware, eliminating multiple programs.

* Images that can be instantly downloaded into thedatabase and automatically linked to each data record,minimizing loss or mismatching of files.

* Information that is instantly available in a digi-tal format.

Having proven this technology three times in thefield, the district is looking at enhancements. Forinstance, through integration with Global Position-ing Systems and other software, a field crew coulddetermine coordinates for a structure, call up an aerialphoto on the PC, click on that structure and go rightto its data entry screen. Potential applications extendbeyond planning to include regulatory permit andenforcement actions and bridge and dam inspections.

"This system is easy to use, easy to handle, andvery effective for what we need," says Piersol. "Wewon't be going back to clipboards anytime soon."

10 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Project inform ationavailable on Internet

By Rob HollandSouth Atlantic Division

The Programs and Project Management Deliv-ery System (PPDS) is coming to a web browser nearyou. PPDS is a web-based portal into the world ofU.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects - military,civil, environmental, and support for others. It iscurrently under development, located on a serverin Mobile District at http://samdev.sam.usace.army.mil/ppds.htm

OK, enough techno-babble. What does PPMS do?Drawing its data from the Corps' database struc-ture (the Corps of Engineers Financial ManagementSystem, the Project Man-agement Information Sys-tem, and soon the Require-ment Management Sys-tem), the new systemserves multiple functions.It is an executive informa-tion source, a project man- nagement tool, and a col- al e

laborative environment for Cyp esteaming up internally, andwith customers and part-ners.

"A district engineer can check up on the progressof a levee project," said Bill Stein, a South AtlanticDivision (SAD) project manager who led develop-ment of the system. "A director of engineering andhousing at an installation can see the latest infor-mation on projects he's monitoring, and the projectmanager can track schedule and budget, partici-pate in online discussions with customers, and re-

port to his boss, all at the same time."PPDS development evolved for several years as

the Corps worked to create more efficient ways todo business in a downsizing environment.

"It evolved out of the business process review in S1SAD," Stein said. This later became part of theTest Division Initiative. "Once we analyzed our pro-cesses and began to move toward corporate stan-dards, we needed a Corps-wide collaborative envi-ronment that was easy to use and universally ac-cessible."

The road has not always been straight, however."The technology and information management sys-tems the Corps uses have changed rapidly over thelast several years," Stein said. "When we first con-ceived of this 'virtual workplace,' the state-of-the-art was proprietary groupware. So our first choicewas Lotus Notes. We thought we were going tohave to install Notes on everyone's desktop to usethe system."

Since then, the World Wide Web has become thevehicle for online collaboration and information dis-tribution. PPDS, while still using Notes for part ofits structure, has moved to the web.

Although SAD developed the first PPDS proto-type, it has been adopted for implementationthroughout the Corps. Working against a deadline(end of fiscal year 1999), Corps divisions and dis-tricts are coming online on a sequential schedule.

"The success of the system will depend on the in-tegrity of the data," Stein said. "Those districtswho have already entered their projects intoPROMIS are finding this system to be beneficial."

The system can already pull budget and expendi-ture information from CEFMS, and will get con-

;trict

KrrMobile District

Wilmington District

struction progress data from RMS when it is fullyfielded.

"It's very important to the success of the systemthat additional data entry be avoided," said Stein."Project managers have reported that they spendabout 50 percent of their time answering questionsabout their projects. The system should help themrecover some of that time, but they don't need tospend it re-entering data."

Stein said the new system has been well-received."Everyone we've shown it to has been enthusiasticabout its possibilities. At the same time, there'ssome concern about the vulnerability involved inhaving all your information hanging out there forthe world to see. Ultimately, though, total open-ness will lead to better project management, andbetter relations with our customers."

Following the initial effort to get all projects intothe system, the development team plans to subjectit to review by customers. "The most important useof this system may be collaboration with custom-ers," Stein said. "We need to get their input into itsfurther development so that it meets their needs aswell as ours."

Vicksburg is major computing centerBy Jennifer King

Engineer Research andDevelopment Center

The quiet southern town ofVicksburg, Miss. is deceptive. Withnumerous pre-Civil War homes and theMississippi River, Vicksburg has a fa-cade of old world charm and grace. Butbehind that fagade are technologicalcapabilities that place Vicksburg oninternational lists of supercomputinggiants.

At the Engineer Research and De-velopment Center (ERDC), the Depart-ment of Defense's (DoD) Major SharedResource Center (MSRC) operates oneof the 10 most powerful high perfor-mance computing sites in the world.This supercomputing center is part ofthe DoD High Performance Comput-ing Modernization Program, whichserves engineers and scientiststhroughout DoD.

"The MSRC's mission is to supportthe warfighter," said Bradley Comes,MRSC director. "This means usingsupercomputing in advanced researchand development projects. By usingDoD resources, scientists and engineersare able to significantly reduce defensesystem costs by shortening the designcycle and reducing reliance on expen-sive and destructive experiments and

Upgrade work reveals the inner workings of a Cray supercomputer. (Photocourtesy of Engineer Research and Development Center)

prototype demonstrations."Comes pointed out that the capabili-

ties impact the entire spectrum of mili-tary programs.

"The MSRC is a DoD facility thatsupports the Army, Navy, Air Force,and other DoD agencies," he said.

The tremendous computer power atthe MSRC can help soldiers in the field.

For example, the MSRC modeled wavemotions from the dangerous Ponce In-let off the Florida coast. This inlet isnotorious for patches of rough water,which have capsized boats entering orleaving the inlet. Calculation times ofwater activity like this might take sixmonths, but the MSRC employed ad-vanced programming techniques to

perform the calculations in only 72hours.

But how does this help the soldier inthe field?

"The military wants to locate dan-gerous areas of water so they won'tmoor a ship there, for example, or senda team of Navy SEALS or Army Rang-ers through that area," said Dr. HenryGabb, who leads the MSRC Computa-tional Migration Group. Amphibiousoperations remain very dangerous, andthese capabilities help protect soldiersfrom perilous waters.

To perform that kind of application,the MSRC used a computer programdeveloped by Dr. Zeki Demirbilek ofERDC's Coastal and Hydraulics Labo-ratory. This program used wave pat-terns to predict harbor conditions whiletaking into account the harbor shapeand man-made structures such aspiers, jetties, breakwaters, and islands.

The program can perform two func-tions - nowcasting and forecasting.Nowcasting allows scientists to modelwhat is happening in a harbor at anygiven moment. Forecasting allows sci-entists to predict what will happenunder a certain set of circumstances.

"This was truly a super team effortwith the MSRC taking the lead role in

Continued on next page

srlctCKSOnylllDistrict

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 11

Storm adds realism to 249th trainingArticle and Photo

By Jim PogueMemphis District

They thought they had a simple as-signment. The soldiers of the 2 4 9 th

Engineer Battalion (Prime Power)would deploy to Cape Girardeau, Mo.,on the Mississippi River to assess thetown's emergency power needs shoulda disaster strike. They would also trainMemphis District's Emergency PowerPlanning and Response Team (PRT) onhow to respond to a power supply mis-sion from the Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency (FEMA).

But nature had a surprise waiting.On their first night in town, a vio-

lent storm swept through, knocking outelectricity and natural gas service. Theexercise took on unexpected realism, butthe men and women of the 249th's BravoCompany from Fort Bragg, N.C., sim-ply rolled up their sleeves and completedthe mission.

Civil engineer Steve Williamson isthe Emergency Power PRT's action of-ficer for Memphis District. "When thePrime Power team visited Memphis in1997, they did their power needs assess-ment in an urban area," Williamsonsaid. "They visited more than 150 loca-tions and determined the best ways toprovide emergency power to each. Thisyear we wanted them to do the samekind of work in a more rural setting."

The Prime Power/Memphis Districtteam, led by 1st Lt. Toni Grimes, BravoCo. executive officer, arrived May 17.Williamson gave Prime Power leadersa database listing critical facilities inthe Cape Girardeau area.

The soldiers visited each site, decidedwhat size generator was needed foremergency power, determined theequipment and materials needed to in-

(Left to right) Staff Sgt. Robert Bums, Daphlyn Koester, and Staff Sgt. LeeMcClellan inspect an emergency generator in Jackson, Mo. (Photo courtesyof Memphis District)

stall the generator, and identified wherethe generator should be placed.

They entered their results in the da-tabase each day, and transmitted theupdated information from CapeGirardeau to Memphis District daily.

The original plan called for two pla-toon command posts and nine two-per-son teams covering the assessment area.But when the storm swept through, thesoldiers quickly went to Plan B.

With no electricity for computers andother equipment in the EarthquakeCenter at the Southeast Missouri StateUniversity campus, Chief Warrant Of-ficer Brian Gore, commander of firstplatoon, set up operations in the hotelwhere the soldiers were billeted. Later

that day, they moved the command postto a building at the university equippedwith an emergency generator.

Ironically, the storm seemed to workin their favor. "After the storm hit, thelocal residents were much more recep-tive to our soldiers and their efforts,"Gore said. "The storm seemed to opentheir eyes, and they saw just how im-portant the work we were doing was.They realized they really needed us."

On the local level, Mark Winkler isthe Missouri State Emergency Manage-ment Agency's area coordinator forsoutheastern Missouri, including CapeGirardeau County. Memphis Districtand Prime Power leaders worked closelywith him to coordinate the combined

ComputersContinued from previous pageassisting me, a practicing engineer,"Demirbilek said. "Our joint effort hasallowed me to more effectively use thecomputational resources available viaMSRC mainframe machines."

The MSRC also uses modeling andsimulation applications such as virtualproving grounds.

"Supercomputers allow...scientistsand engineers to tackle scientific prob-lems in a 'virtual proving ground'where we can simulate the perfor-mance of off-road military vehicles veryaccurately," said Comes. "For land-mine clearing, computermodeling...helps scientists and engi-neers evaluate different plow designsto determine the forces acting on theblade and it's optimum shape, speed,and depth of the plow."

In military activities, breaching ve-hicle blades move in front of the sol-diers and are used to clear mines, wireobstacles, anti-mine ditches, andrubble. In a current study of a breach-ing vehicle blade, the supercomputersare being used to simulate the blade'sinteraction with more than 10 million

soil particles. This type of modelinghelps determine how different groundconditions exert different pressures onthe plow blade and tines.

Understanding the pressures on theblade is vital to mission success. Ifthe breaching vehicle does not plowbelow the mine burial depth, it maymiss mines. If plows too deeply, thevehicle may stall.

The MSRC recently awarded a newcontract for improvements. With theupgrades, the MSRC will have a peakcomputational performance rating of1.4 trillion operations per second.

"This contract reinforces the MSRCas a unique and world-class supercom-puting facility due to its ability to sup-port a multitude of high performancecomputing architectures using leading-edge technology," said Comes.

The improvements included upgrad-ing a Cray T3E supercomputer fromthe existing 336-processor system to a544-processor system. The larger sys-tem allows users to use up to 520 pro-cessors on a single computer program,a significant increase in capabilities foraddressing large research and devel-

opment challenges. During the firstday of use, the new system handled thelargest single computer program everexecuted at the MSRC.

The contract also provided for instal-lation of the latest IBM supercomputer,the IBM SMP The new supercomputeris scheduled for delivery and installa-tion this fall. This upgrade will en-able users to solve larger problems,produce finer resolution of problems,enable the MSRC to service a largernumber of users, and prepare the re-search and development communityfor future supercomputing technology.Users will be able to see details in prob-lems that before remained hidden, andthey will be able to run faster compu-tations, thanks to the increase in com-putational power.

The High Performance ComputingModernization Program is designed toprovide advanced hardware, comput-ing tools and training to researchersto support the warfighter.

By using the latest technologies, re-searchers in Vicksburg can help themilitary maintain its technological su-premacy both on and off the battlefield.

assessment and exercise."We asked the Corps to do this work

for two reasons," Winkler said. "First,FEMA has designated Cape Girardeauas Missouri's Project Impact Commu-nity. There's currently a big push inemergency management toward miti-gation, to take as many actions as pos-sible before a disaster to lessen its se-verity. The Project Impact Communi-ties, one in each of the 50 states, aredeveloping these mitigation procedures.In this case, we were identifying criti-cal facilities and taking steps to makethem more useful by arranging foremergency power.

"Second, Cape Girardeau is a progres-sive emergency management commu-nity," Winkler said. "City and countyleaders have always been willing to takeon any project that will help the com-munity. They know how importantemergency management is, and haveproven their community is an excellenttest bed for new ideas."

Winkler was pleased with how thecombined assessment and exercise went."I have nothing but positive things tosay," he said. "The soldiers were all pro-fessional and courteous, and everyonewas pleased with their work."

Winkler believes the soldiers' week-long presence in the community waspositive. "The kids in the area got areal kick out of seeing soldiers at theirschool," he said. "The storm that wentthrough the area also raised thecommunity's awareness of just howimportant this work is. A local com-pany donated cellular telephones to helpthe Prime Power team with their com-munication needs, and their hotel didn'tcharge them to use the conference roomas a temporary command post."

Working in concert with the PrimePower soldiers, Memphis District'sReadiness Branch activated their Emer-gency Power PRT. Led by Williamson,team members simulated their responseto an actual disaster situation. Theyspent one day onsite in Cape Girardeauobserving the Prime Power team, andthe rest of the week practicing theiremergency duties from Memphis.

Williamson was also pleased with thecombined exercise and assessment. Hesaid the information gathered will beused in a variety of ways. The com-pleted database will be available dnMemphis District's internet site forother organizations and agencies to use.Printouts will be given to CapeGirardeau and Missouri emergencymanagement leaders.

"We'll also be comparing our list ofavailable generators to the needs thathave been identified by this assessment,and work on locating additional genera-tors," Williamson said.

The work will also help ReadinessBranch personnel refine their proce-dures for reporting and assessing emer-gency power needs in future disasters.

"Memphis District is number two onthe response list this hurricane season,"Williamson said. "The lessons we'relearning here will help us do a betterjob restoring emergency power if we goon a hurricane recovery mission."

12 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Omaha is fuelexpertise center

By Thomas O'HaraOmaha District

Omaha District has a long traditionof delivering quality military designwork. The district was recently desig-nated the Center of Expertise (CX) forPetroleum, Oil and Lubricants (POL)Systems designs in the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers.

"We've anticipated this for quite sometime now," said Jimmy Brasch, projectmanager. "It just recently became of-ficial."

The POL CX is the fifth center ofexpertise in Omaha District. The oth-ers are the Hazardous, Toxic and Ra-dioactive Waste Mandatory CX (MCX),Protective Design MCX, Transporta-tion MCX, and Interior Design andSpace Planning CX.

Brasch has long touted the successof the district's design team. In Janu-ary he spoke at the Worldwide EnergyFuels Conference in Washington, D.C.,on the "Type III Hydrant Fueling Sys-tem and the People Behind it."

The Type III system is a standarddesign, updated in Omaha, which de-livers fuel to aircraft and aircraft fuel-ing trucks through a looped under-ground piping system. It improved onthe Type II system by designing thesystem to be based on "closed loops"(which prevent dead-end surge prob-lems), redundancies, and controllingsupervision that practically assures

uninterrupted fueling and de-fueling."Reliability, redundancies, and flexibil-ity are the main requirements of thissystem," said Brasch.

The system also improves fuel qual-ity through state-of-the-art storage fa-cilities, oil/water separators, and fil-ters.

After several years of design andoperation experience, the Departmentof Defense (DoD) approved the updatedstandard Type III Hydrant FuelingSystem as a site-specific design guide.

Even before the CX designation,Omaha District received numerousinquiries on its fueling systems designprogram. "We're getting calls from allover the country," said Brasch. "Peopleare interested in tapping into the ex-perience and knowledge in our fuelsteam."

A significant part of the Corps' fuelssystem design experience exists in ateam of Omaha District designers. Thedistrict kept the fuels design team ba-sically intact. Some members havebeen there as long as two decades.

"When a team works together longenough, they tend to 'read each other'sminds' and know what the other per-son needs to get the job done," saidBrasch. "We're fortunate that we don'thave to backtrack on the learningcurve for fuels systems. We've beenable to keep moving forward."

This consistency in ability is recog-nized by the end users of the fuels sys-

The Air Force is a major beneficiary(Photo courtesy of Omaha District)

tems. "You cannot rely on past engi-neering firms maintaining fuels exper-tise," said John Droppelmann, Air Mo-bility Command Defense Fuels Pro-gram Manager. "The only stability wecan depend on is the Corps of Engineersin Omaha."

Despite a shrinking DoD budget, theneed to maintain quality fuels deliv-ery systems is key to getting DoD'saircraft off the ground. According toBud Doll, Fuels Engineer with the AirMobility Command, hydrant fuelingsystems are one of the most importantmilitary construction programs thatsupport the flying mission.

To provide outstanding customercare, while practicing the One Door tothe Corps philosophy, the Omaha Dis-

of Omaha District's fuel expertise.

trict design team worked with severalother districts and federal agenciesthrough the years.

"We're currently working with Se-attle District in a virtual teaming pro-cess for a project they're involved with,"said Brasch. "They handle the con-tract award, soils work, surveying, andconstruction. We accomplish the de-sign work, shop drawing review, andtechnical support."

Points of contact for the POL-CX areJimmy Brasch at (402) 221-4916, Ken-neth Andersen at (402) 221-4658 andJoseph Pesek at (402) 221-3061. Infor-mation about the POL-CX and otherOmaha District CXs can be found onthe district homepage (http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil).

Superfund site sees improvementBy Dan Sirkis

Philadelphia District

Since 1982, Philadelphia District has worked forthe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to helpclean up the Lipari Superfund Site in GloucesterCounty, N.J.

Lipari, formerly an uncontrolled toxic waste land-fill, was once the nation's number one Superfund site.The National Institutes of Health linked exposure tochemicals leaching from the landfill to low birth weightand premature babies in the vicinity.

The district installed one of the first Superfund soil/bentonite cutoff walls at Lipari in 1983. This under-ground wall and a high-density polyethylene landfillcap helped stem the flow of contamination from thissite into an adjacent stream and Alcyon Lake.

Sixteen years later, the site has dramatically im-proved. Alcyon Lake, which had been contaminatedwith chemicals and sewerage, was dredged, reopened,and stocked with fish. A multimillion dollar recre-ation area covers the decontaminated marsh sedi-ments. New trees are growing in the formerly con-taminated marsh beside this toxic dump.

Yet for all the successes, the landfill itself remainscontaminated. Some of the contaminants have provendifficult to remove by flushing the landfill with water.Only the more water-soluble chemicals have been sig-nificantly cleaned up.

The Corps has operated a groundwater treatment

plant at the site since 1992, with annual removal ratesof contamination increasing to a high of about 30,000pounds in 1997.

EPA tasked theCorps with im-proving the rateof decontamina-tion. ResidentEngineer SteveCreighton askedGeotech-nicalSectionfor help,and they devel-oped a novel ap-proach to speedremediation.

They came upwith the idea touse two existinghorizontal gas col-lection pipes. Thepipes and their The thermal oxidation unitassociated vents extracts 15 Ibs. of contaminateswere installed in per hour. (Photo courtesy of1983. The hori- Philadelphia District)zontal wells weredesigned to allow landfill gases (passively filteredthrough carbon) to vent from the landfill. The hori-zontal pipes are more than 800 feet long and situatedunder the cap in the most contaminated area of the

landfill. They are built of slotted PVC in a one-foot-wide gravel trench. Geotech realized these two wellswere well-suited for Soil Vapor Extraction (SVE).

The theory behind SVE is that by drawing a vacuumin the horizontal wells, large volumes of air can bemoved through the contaminated soil. Most of thecontamination is volatile organic compounds (VOC)including benzene and xylene, which easily vaporizeand can be removed as gas.

Dan Sirkis, Creighton, and project manager SharonFang presented the idea to the EPA remedial projectmanager. EPA decided to try this approach and hadits contractor, CDM, design a system to collect anddestroy gasses from the wells.

A thermal oxidation unit (TOU) was leased fromVapor Extraction Technology, Inc., and shipped to thesite. The unit is designed to destroy 99.999 percent ofthe VOCs in the gas stream.

Because one by-product of thermal destruction ofchlorine and sulfur compounds is acids, a scrubberwas also leased to remove acids from the effluent gas.

Since going online in February, SVE has lived up toits billing. An initial test of the system removed morethan 200 pounds of contamination from the landfill injust two days, and it now extracts 15 pounds of con-taminates per hour (compared to three pounds fromthe groundwater treatment plant). The successfulremoval of VOCs accounts for most of the difference.

The leased TOU is part of a pilot test that will likelyresult in installation of a larger system in late 1999.

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 13

Ft. Leonard Wood gets major facilitiesBy Ida Burford c

Kansas City District .... ....

The Army's military police and chemical soldiershave new state-of-the-art training facilities in theirnew home, thanks to Kansas City District.

In June 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure(BRAC) Commission recommended moving the U.S.Army's Chemical School and Military Police Schoolfrom Fort McClellan, Ala., to Fort Leonard Wood,Mo. To support this move, the two schools requirednew facilities. Kansas City District (KCD) managedconstruction.

Applied Instruction Facilities

The Applied Instruction Facilities (AIF) project wasdesigned by the Gossen-Livingston ArchitecturalEngineering firm of Wichita, Kansas, and providesabout 190,000 square feet of new facilities. HenselPhelps Construction Company completed this $30million project in March, more than two monthsahead of schedule.

The AIF project is really three projects on threesites to accommodate the training and storage neededby the Chemical and Military Police schools. Theproject includes an MP Village, Chemical DefenseTraining Facility (CDTF), and an addition to the postmuseum.

"Our biggest challenge with the AIF was that theconstruction varied so much in materials and in thesize of the buildings," said Randy Barr, Hensel Phelps'project manager. "Each building is unique and therewere more subcontractors involved, so coordinatingthe subcontractors was also a big challenge."

Building materials ranged from masonry construc-tion with brick veneer, structural steel, and metalsiding to wood frame with metal siding and compos-ite shingle roofing on many smaller structures. Eachof the areas had separate foundation crews so theycould start independently, as if they were three sepa-rate construction projects.

MP Village

The MP Village resembles a small town completewith houses, 21 storefronts, and eight roads. Mili-tary police, confinement facility personnel, and spe-cial reaction team personnel will use the "village" forrealistic training.

This state-of-the art complex contains 16 separatefacilities. Nine buildings make up the east side.They include an MP administration facility, an in-terview facility, a mock MP station, a confinementfacility complete with guard tower/shack with fivedetention cells, an administration/unarmed self-de-

The MP Village will be used to train soldiers at the Military Police School in all aspects of police work.(U.S. Army Photo)

fense building, two buildings dedicated to firearmsimulators and night fighting squad tactics, and afamily advocacy training facility.

The remaining seven buildings of the lower vil-lage are for advanced law enforcement training andinclude a two-story, 48,000-square-foot instructionalfacility and a complex of six mock buildings for prac-ticing nearly every conceivable scenario that couldwarrant police action.

The 1 4 th Military Police Brigade will train in thisnew facility, with an estimated 12,500 students totrain this year.

Chemical Defense Training Facility

KCD gave the CDTF to the Chemical School onFeb. 1. After three-and-a-half years of environmen-tal and safety planning, facility design, and construc-tion, this is the first building ready for operation.

Designed by the Benham Group of St. Louis, thenew facility incorporates a host of safety featuresincluding emergency generators, negative pressuresystem, continuous air monitoring, redundant airfilter systems, waste water containment and neu-tralization, and it's earthquake- and tornado-proof.

"This system greatly increases the staffs' safety

Chemical troops will train in the state-of-the-art Chemical Defense Training Facility. (U.S. Army Photo)

and operational monitoring capability," said Maj.George Heib, Director of the CDTF.

This highly technical and complex facility is theonly one of its kind in the Department of Defense. Itwill be used to train personnel on the detection anddecontamination of live toxic agents. More than 4,000personnel from all services will train there annu-ally. Training is scheduled to begin in October.

The 69,000-square-foot building cost $28 millionand covers about 13 acres. Barr said the CDTF con-struction was very complex. "Each of the differentmonitoring systems was unique for this project -mechanical, electrical, and controls," Barr said. "Thisbuilding was the smallest in size of the four BRACprojects, but the most complex in construction witha price of more than $400 per square foot.

The facility has two main structures - the train-ing building, which is the largest, and the adminis-trative/classroom building. Besides these two mainstructures, the site work was extensive with manyassociated support structures including a guard-house. The foundation is spread footings with gradebeams. Load-bearing construction predominates withexterior brick facing. The predominant roofing typeis standing seam metal roof on both the training andadministration buildings.

The training facility includes controlled decontami-nation exercise areas, a medical clinic, laboratory,classrooms, and associated support facilities. It alsoincludes negative-air pressure training bays, a tech-nical support section to clean, service and certifyprotective equipment, a laboratory for storing andmixing toxic agents, mechanical air filtration sys-tem with charcoal filters, and an autoclave.

Museum

KCD is expanding the existing museum to curateartifacts from the Chemical Museum and MP Mu-seum. The new two-level 42,380-square-foot museumwarehouse is temperature and humidity controlled,contains an automatic fire sprinkler, areas for large-sized artifacts, and a workshop area.

The facilities built for the AIF will give the Mili-tary Police and Chemical Corps world-class trainingfacilities. The schools' move from Fort McClellan toFort Leonard Wood will be completed by September,with training scheduled to start in the new facilitiesthis month.

14 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

Diversenjoyexciting

All Corps divers have a support team

who double-checks their gear beforeeach dive. (Photo courtesy of RockIsland District)

Part-time frogmen performvital service to navigation

By Bernard TateHeadquarters

"If one of our navigation structuresfails, that's an emergency for me," saidCol. James Mudd, Rock Island DistrictEngineer. "Someone has to dive downthere and fix it to keep the pool up andkeep navigation going. I don't have timeto hire contractors."

That's why 14 U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers districts, plus the WaterwaysExperiment Station, have their owndivers.

"We have about 175 divers through-out the Corps," said Frank Trent, whooversees the diving program in theSafety and Occupational Health Officeat Headquarters. "They're all part-timedivers. They're welders, machinists, orlockmen, with diving as an additionalduty.

"Our divers are limited to light-dutyunderwater work - inspections, under-water photography, marine life surveys,and light mechanical repairs," Trentadded. "The overwhelming majority ofour dives are surface-supplied air. Nomixed-gas diving. On rare occasions,we'll dive tethered scuba with commu-nications. Basically, we limit them tono-decompression dives. If the job isoutside those limits, or if we've got along-term heavy project, we'll go withcontract divers."

However, Corps divers still haveplenty of work, and it's not boring.

"In a normal year we'll make about30 dives," said John Wayne, a craneoperator supervisor and acting dive co-ordinator for Rock Island District, whichhas 12 divers. "We dive exclusivelysurface-supplied air because the condi-tions of the Mississippi River (swift cur-rents and murky visibility) precludesscuba diving."

The Rock Island divers' work includesunderwater inspections of hydraulicstructures, light underwater salvage,inspection dives on towboats and othervessels, and underwater cutting andwelding like cutting damaged steel andwelding patches on barge and boat hulls.

In reservoirs, the divers inspect flood-

control gates, discharge tunnels, andstilling basins.

Having in-house divers offers severaladvantages to the district.

"The primary advantage is timelyresponse," said Ed Gawarecki, a me-chanical engineer and dive coordinatorfor Buffalo District, which has fivedivers. "Ifyou have an immediate needfor divers, you've got them on-site. An-other advantage is familiarity. Thesame people dive the site over and over.If there's reduced visibility, they're fa-miliar enough with it to still work ef-fectively. They're also familiar with allthe local equipment. If something goeswrong with a piece of equipment un-derwater, they know what it is, how itwas installed, and how it works. Andthey already know the Corps' divingpolicies and safety regulations."

Using in-house divers also saves thedistrict money.

"We did an audit a few years ago andfound we were saving money by usingour own divers," Gawarecki said.

Buffalo District divers also like sur-face-supplied air. "It gives us constantvoice contact with the diver, which issafer," said Gawarecki. "And scuba hasa limited air supply, while surface airallows the diver to work as long asneeded, which is safer and lets him ac-complish more."

While the dive teams work for theirlocal commanders, the Corps' SafetyOffice is responsible for setting policyand providing training.

"The Corps has had divers ever sincethe technology was perfected, but in 1976we formalized and unified the program,"Trent said.

The average Corps diver is a man inhis forties. The Corps requires full an-nual physicals for divers, and a mini-mum of 12 dives a year to stay current.The Corps also has strict manning lev-els for its dive teams.

Corps divers must take a four-weekBasic Diving Course, and refreshertraining every four years. Commercialdiving contractors teach both courses.

"You have to be a certified diver toattend the basic course, which covers

No Corps diver ever dives alone. Above, a dive team member holds a diver'ssafety line as he enters a lake. (Photo courtesy of Rock Island District)

A Corps dive team sorts mineral samples brought up during a dive. (Photocourtesy of Rock Island District)

both scuba and surface-supplied air,"Trent said. "The eight-day refreshercourse updates our divers with state-of-the-art techniques. If any of our diversneed specialized training, like underwa-ter welding, their district sends themto top-quality local schools."

The local district pays for all of theirdivers' equipment.

"We're not cheap in buying equip-ment," Trent said. "We insist that theteams select state-of-the-art gear fromthe Navy's list of approved equipment."

"We use the Superlight 17 helmet,and the 27 on occasion," said Kenn Shoe-

maker, Rock Island District's AssistantChief of Operations and Diving Coordi-nator. "We provide air with an eight-cylinder cascade system and use theAmeron communication and air moni-toring system. We have both wet anddry suits because we sometimes dive inice conditions. Our tools include every-thing from hand-tools to underwaterwelding gear and chainsaws."

"We have two missions," Trent con-cluded. "To ensure that field command-ers have well-trained, experienced diverswhen they need them, and to ensurethat they operate safely."

Ice control modelBuffalo District and the Cold Regions Research

Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) recently joinedthe towns of Eastlake, Seneca, and Vermilion in NewYork to find a solution to ice jam flooding on Cazenovia

Creek in WestSeneca.

EdwardGustek, Jr. acivil engineerin BuffaloDistrict'sPlanningBranch; andLawrenceSherman, ahydraulic engi-neer in theHydraulic andHydrologic En-gineering Sec-tion; tookmembers fromthe New York

The Cazenovia Creek model can State Depart-simulate any water conditions. ment of Envi-(Photo courtesy of Buffalo ronmentalDistrict) Conservation

(NYSDEC),West Seneca, Vermilion, and Eastlake to CRREL toview a model of a low-cost ice control structure thatmay be installed on Cazenovia Creek.

A refrigerated building held a scaled-down modelof Cazenovia Creek. A series of piers would let thecreek flow through, but stop the ice from movingdownstream and jamming.

"The piers will do the same job as a conventionaldam, but without the impacts," said Gustek. In-stalling the piers would cost around $1 million, com-

round the Corlpared to $3.1 million for a dam.

This will mark the first time that the Corps hasever installed piers in a creek to ease flooding.

"If this works for Cazenovia Creek, imagine whatwe could do for other waterways that have ice jamflooding," Gustek said.

If the model is successful, plans and specificationsfor Cazenovia Creek could be ready in a year.NYSDEC would acquire the lands and easements forthe project.

CorrectionThe photograph of Harrison Young and Maj. Gen.

Albert Genetti, Jr. on page 16 of the June EngineerUpdate was taken by ET. Eyre.

Baseball fieldDuring ENFORCE XXI, the Corps dedicated a base-

ball complex to the memory of Col. Robert Morris,former Kansas City District Engineer.

More than 200 people were present as Lt. Gen. JoeBallard, Chief of Engineers, and Morris' widow,Linda, unveiled a bronze plaque bearing Morris' like-ness.

Morris served the Corps and the Army for 24 years.He retired from active duty in January 1998, anddied of cancer in May 1998.

"It has always seemed to me that the truest recog-nition comes from the hearts of friends and col-leagues," said Ballard. "By dedicating this baseballcomplex to Bob Morris, we are recognizing his spiritof competition, his zest for life, and his service to thenation."

Construction ManagementExcellence Award

Tom O'Bryan, Chief of Construction for the Grand

nitiative preserves historic U.S. riversBy Kathy Rea

Huntington District

Some American rivers are more than just a lot ofwater flowing downhill. They are part of the nation'shistory. To help preserve these historic rivers,President Clinton announced the American Heri-tage Rivers Initiative during his State of the Unionaddress in February 1997.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers people are involvedin this initiative. For example, the New River Com-munity Partners (NRCP) have selected Ben Bordaof Planning Division in Huntington District as theRiver Navigator for the New River.

As River Navigator, Borda serves as a liaison be-tween the community and the appropriate federalprograms to help the community get the assistanceof state and local governments and the private sec-tor. He provides information services, technicaladvice, and performs other duties at thecommunity's request.

"I see my role as being more than just streamlin-ing access to federal funding." Borda said. "I alsoenvision working with groups to brainstorm cre-ative ways to accomplish their goals and developstrategies which use a variety of public and privateresources." He says this is a learning experiencefor both sides and sees himself as a partner work-ing hand-in-hand with groups helping their plansbecome a reality.

AHR designation means that organizations andcommunities in the New River watershed will re-ceive streamlined access to federal resources to carryout economic revitalization, natural resource and

water quality protection, historic and cultural pres-ervation, and education and training. While orga-nizations and communities still need to apply forexisting funds through existing federal programs,New River's AHR designation will help these pro-posals take priority.

An interagency committee assigns federal agen-cies to provide River Navigators for each of the 14rivers selected as AHRs. The Corps will designatenavigators for two AHR, the Upper Mississippi andthe New River. Two other AHR lie within GreatLakes and Ohio River Division, the Detroit Riverand the Cuyahoga River, but their River Naviga-tors will be selected from other federal agencies.

"I'm proud to represent the New River Commu-nity Partners and the Huntington District," saidBorda. The other Corps River Navigator for theUpper Mississippi River is Owen Dutt of St. LouisDistrict.

The NRCP was organized to develop and overseethe planning process for the New River watershed,which is divided into three regions (the headwaters,the Middle New River, and the Lower New River)for planning purposes. The watershed plan, whencomplete, will include local, regional, and water-shed-level projects.

Borda's selection stems largely from his interestin natural resources and environmental planning,plus his involvement with the NRCP "I've enjoyedworking with those in the New River watershed in-volved with the New River Community Partners."

Borda has been temporarily reassigned to this newpost for one to five years, but he will continue tooperate from the Huntington District office.

Mike Borda of Huntington District is the RiverNavigator for New River under the AmericanHeritage Rivers Initiative. Navigators helpcommunities access local and state governmentprograms to develop and preserve their rivers.(Photo courtesy of Huntington District)

July 1999 ENGINEER UPDATE 15

Haven Area Office (GHAO) in Detroit District, hasreceived the Corps' Construction Management Ex-cellence Award for his work with contractors on theEastern Shore of Lake Michigan.

Last year, the GHAO Construction Section executedabout $13 million of construction involving 10 con-tracts at 13 different harbors along 300 miles of shore-line. O'Bryan managed these projects with five con-struction personnel, three survey personnel, and onemaintenance technician. All major projects were for-mally partnered and executed with no litigation.

PatentsSeveral employees of the Engineer Research and

Development Center have been granted patents fortheir work.

Dr. James Leech, a supervisory research hydrau-lic engineer in the Coastal and Hydraulics Labora-tory, received a patent for Interlocking Blocks forStream Erosion Control. The concrete blocks areused to stabilize stream-banks, coastlines, roadbedembankments, and boat ramps. Connections be-tween adjacent blocks are made by radial projectingmembers and recesses on the outer edge of each block.

Dr. Phil Malone, a research geologist, and Joe Tom,a civil engineer, both in the Structures Laboratory,received a patent for Shock Absorbing Block. Theblock is built from scrap rubber tires placed in a cel-lular concrete matrix. They form a shock absorbingblock for use as bullet traps on firing ranges andtraffic control situations shock absorbers.

Jeff Melby and George Turk, engineers in theCoastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, received severalforeign patents for Core-Loc, an innovative coastalprotection armor unit. Core-Locs are huge concrete"jackrocks" placed along coastlines to protect beachesfrom erosion. The engineers now hold patents forCore-Loc in Japan, Taiwan, Madagascar, Australia,New Zealand, Mexico, and Canada.

16 ENGINEER UPDATE July 1999

'Snake Lady' introduces kids, reptilesBy Leslie Criss

Her naturalist grandfather, support-ive parents, and an alligator namedSam formed the framework of DenaDickerson's future as a biologist andherpetologist with the Waterways Ex-periment Station (WES).

On Valentine's Day when she was 4,Dickerson's grandfather gave her a gi-ant, heart-shaped box. The candy wasmissing, but inside was a baby alliga-tor that became a part of the family anda fixture inside and outside the homeuntil Dickerson was a fifth-grader andSam was nearly four feet long.

By then Dickerson had a brother, andher parents weren't convinced a crawl-ing baby and an alligator could co-existpeacefully. "We donated Sam to a wild-life refuge in Arkansas," said Dickerson.

Life with Sam contributed toDickerson's growing curiosity about theenvironment. Today she speaks withknowledgeable ease of the value of kudzu("The nutritional value is so high, weprobably should be eating the stuff."),the life span of box turtles ("They canlive for at least 100 years. I've run outin front of many a truck to save them.")and fatal snakebite statistics ("There aretwo to five deaths in the entire nationannually due to snake bites, and they'reusually a result of the method of treat-ment.")

The biologist/herpetologist has beenon board at WES since 1982. Labelsaside, Dickerson is content being sim-ply "the Snake Lady."

Some of her work involves travelingabroad when problems or protection is-sues arise with endangered species ofreptiles and amphibians. She's workedwith sea turtles, manatees, whales,crocodiles and, of course, snakes.

She recently returned from a monthin Guam in the South Pacific, wherethe brown tree snake, "a non-descript,skinny, mildly poisonous, brown snakehas been wreaking environmentalhavoc."

The snakes, originally from Austra-lia and New Guinea, made their way toGuam at the end of World War II viamilitary cargo. "They've eaten thebirds, lizards, and bats of the island, sothere's been a population explosion ofspiders and insects," Dickerson said."Biological scientists have been work-ing with engineers to construct barri-ers to keep snakes from moving to otherislands by cargo ships or airplanes.They're quite devastating to primitive,pristine islands."

Others are attempting to control thesnakes in small areas of Guam so birdsand lizards can reestablish their habi-tats. "Because there are so many, kill-ing the snakes has not been extremelysuccessful," she said.

Dickerson is a graduate of MississippiCollege with bachelor's and master'sdegrees in biology, and in May 2000 sheshould finish her doctorate in conser-vation biology from the University ofSouthern Mississippi. She taught biol-ogy at Clinton High School for four yearsand confesses that teaching is her firstlove.

Dena Dickerson inspects a brown tree snake on Guam. (Photo courtesy of TheVicksburg Post.)

Thanks to the public outreach pro-grams at WES, the self-professed na-ture-nut continues to visit classroomsfrom kindergarten to college to talkabout snakes. She speaks to utility com-pany workers whose jobs take them intothe weeds. She's even worked withgroups of people who have true snakephobias. And she gets calls from allkinds of people who want her to retrieveand relocate snakes that are in theirtrees, gardens, yards, and houses.

Some calls border on the comical."I had a call from a man who had

moved into a house in an exclusiveneighborhood in North Jackson,"Dickerson said, smiling. "He was fran-tic to get rid of a snake that was in therafters of his attic. He met me in hisdriveway with a gun. He'd been pull-ing down his attic door and shooting intohis attic, never hitting the snake. He'ddone thousands of dollars of damage tohis roof for a completely harmlesschicken snake."

Dickerson calmly retrieved thesnake, which she happily relocated in

her barn."Whether spurred by fascination or

fear, the general public has an inher-ent interest in snakes," Dickerson said."But people have been brought up witha lot of misconceptions about snakes."

It's her pleasure to educate the pub-lic on the real truth about the creatures.

"Snakes are the garbage disposals ofthe environment," she said. "If we de-crease our snake population, we'll haveother major problems with rats andmice, among other definite problems."

She knows of no documented case offatality from a snakebite in Mississippiand blames antiquated ways of treat-ing a snakebite with most of the healthproblems.

"People seem to think the correct wayto deal with a bite is to cut the woundand suck out the venom," Dickersonsaid. "Don't! That's only introducingmore bacteria. The best bet is to treatthe bite like a bad cut, perhaps accom-panied by some antibiotics."

A frantic and fearful father, whose 5-year-old was bitten on the ankle by a

snake, used his pocketknife to cut herankle and get out the venom, Dickersonsaid. The girl ended up with infectionand tissue damage from the bite of anon-poisonous chicken snake. "The fa-ther did more damage than any of oursnakes would have done."

Most times, "up to 90 percent," snakesbite only when someone is trying to killthem, Dickerson said. "Like anything,when threatened, they will attempt toprotect themselves."

Glenn Rhett, a biologist at WES whoworks with wetlands, is a firm believerin Dickerson's snake savvy. "I still re-member the first time someone told methat Dena Dickerson would be the oneto ask about a snake identification," hesaid. "My first thought was, 'That's abit unusual, for a lady to be an author-ity on snakes.' But she is."

Rhett said Dickerson has, on manyoccasions, come to the rescue when he'sfound snakes around his house. "I askedmy 9-year-old once what he thought ofthe Snake Lady, and his response wassimple - 'She's brave.'"

Rhett said he would encourage any-one to take advantage of Dickerson'ssnake class. "It's interesting and infor-mative," he said. "But more than any-thing else, she dispels the notion thatall snakes are poisonous and should bekilled on sight. And she's great withkids. The real highlight at the end ofone class with kids was when she letthem come up and hold a 10-foot con-strictor around their neck for photo-graphs."

Sharing the office with Dickerson areBongo, a Columbian boa constrictor, andZorro and Ariel, two iguanas. On thehome front, a farm shared with herhusband, Jan Hoover, a fish biologistat WES, there are more pets, both do-mestic and exotic.

The two have created a scientific ha-ven for neighborhood children - threehorses, six dogs, two cats, an assort-ment of snakes, lizards and Tarzan andZilla, two orphaned iguanas. There'seven a pond.

"Our place is like a magnet for kids,"Dickerson said. There's an entire roomdevoted to children's science books, andthe kitchen "is frequently turned into agiant lab. I bought some microscopesto have at the house. The kids use dipnets to get stuff from the pond. We'velooked at all kinds of things - lizardeggs, spider eyes, you name it."

Giving other young people the samegift her parents gave her, the freedomto explore natural curiosities, Dickersonhopes to change perceptions aboutsnakes and maybe train up a biologistor two.

"Many school-age children are grow-ing up to know snakes are not bad, thatthey are a positive aspect of our envi-ronment," Dickerson said. "I do what Ido now because I learned that early onand, in part, my parents' allowing meto have unusual pets developed into acareer as a professional biologist."

(Leslie Criss is a reporter for "TheVicksburg Post" in Vicksburg, Miss.This article appeared in "TheVicksburg Post" on May 2.)