SUPPORTING OUR PARTNERS

As it helped the nation respond to a pair of crises – the Sept. 11 terror attacks and Hurricane Katrina – ERDC offered extensive support to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

ERDC has continued to build on those partnerships in the ensuing years – executing $46.5 million of research and development for DHS during FY22.

It marks another chapter in a rich USACE legacy of conducting innovative research for other government agencies. Today, ERDC undertakes projects for many federal, state and local agencies, as well as private sector and international partners.

That includes supporting the National Science Foundation’s efforts at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station. When the facility’s aging runway needed to be replaced, ERDC designed and constructed the first-ever deep snow runway for wheeled aircraft. In November 2016, a C-17 Globemaster made the first landing on the newly completed Phoenix Airfield.

ERDC’s Sustainment Management System (SMS) is a web-based software that aids property management stakeholders in maintaining infrastructure. Using a knowledgebased approach, SMS begins with real-property data collection and detailed component inventory, along with field assessments. It uses predictive metrics to recommend and prioritize maintenance tasks, offering cost estimates up to a decade in advance.

ERDC modeling capabilities aided the federal government – particularly FEMA – in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by anticipating infection outbreaks, hospital needs, and pandemic protocols. ERDC tools analyzed infection spread, hospital utilization and evacuation support. These models saved lives, reduced decision fatigue and offered real-time analysis. Microexposure models assessed infection risk, while resource assessments guided decision makers.

Building on its extensive history of providing protection solutions, ERDC developed two portable barrier systems to improve our nation’s security. The Aggressor Vehicle Entry Readiness Technology (AVERT) is an easy barrier to configure and deploy that swiftly stops vehicles. AVERT aids military, security and law enforcement applications. The Deployable Expedient Traffic Entry Regulator (DETER) is a rapidaccess control solution that enhances security in combat zones and urban areas. Assembled without tools in 30 minutes or less, DETER can counter threats from large vehicles.

Beginning with an idea to use drones to track feral hogs, ERDC’s Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) program has grown to now operate more than 200 platforms. From its use in inspecting the health of our nation’s critical infrastructure to assisting FEMA and other first responders during natural disasters, the UAS program provides diverse support to an array of partners. ERDC employs drones for environmental, military and civil projects, including perimeter surveillance, infrastructure assessment and disaster response. Future goals include using drones for pre- and postdisaster assessments across agencies to expedite decision making and ensure safety in challenging environments.

Nutrient pollution and harmful algal blooms (HABs) cost the nation an estimated $3 billion annually. In 2018, the Water Resources Development Act authorized ERDC to implement a five-year technology research program to deliver scalable technologies to detect, prevent and manage HABs. During the program’s first three years, 32 projects were initiated, featuring collaboration between ERDC, federal, state and academic partners. Through its research and collaborative efforts, ERDC has established itself as an authoritative source in tackling one of the country’s most pressing civil works challenges.

In 2020, fires burned more than seven million acres in the Western United States. Wildfires also increase the potential for post-wildfire floods, erosion, reduced channel capacity and massive debris flows. In the past, a limited understanding of this phenomenon left firetorn communities vulnerable to flooding. In response, ERDC researchers developed modeling techniques that accurately predict areas at the highest risk for deadly debris flows, enabling emergency management officials to warn residents of the imminent danger.

ERDC engineers and scientists are developing new techniques and technologies that enable the assessment and cleanup of oil spills on bodies of water. One technology is an oil thickness sensor being tested in various wave conditions. The other is a fire-boom composed of specially designed floating barriers to slow the spread of oil, allowing cleanup crews time to burn spilled oil more efficiently. Both are being tested at CRREL, one of the few federal facilities with the licenses, equipment and personnel to perform in-situ burn and oil spill testing safely.