US Army Corps of Engineers BUILDING STRONG®

Presentation to Lake Erie Allegany Partnership 18 March 2015 USACE Green Breakwaters / Engineering With Nature Pilot Projects on Lake Erie

Paul Bijhouwer, PE, PMP Navigation Structure Repair Program Manager

Buffalo District

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Outline

Engineering With Nature GLRI Green Breakwaters Projects

►Cleveland Harbor Pilot Project ►Ashtabula Harbor Pilot Project

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Engineering With Nature… …the intentional alignment of natural and engineering

processes to efficiently and sustainably deliver economic, environmental and social benefits through collaborative processes.

Key Elements: Science and engineering that

produces operational efficiencies Using natural process to maximum

benefit Broaden and extend the benefits

provided by projects Science-based collaborative

processes to organize and focus interests, stakeholders, and partners

www.engineeringwithnature.org

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GLRI Green Breakwaters EPA funded pilot projects demonstrating the potential to

economically incorporate aquatic habitat features into the O&M repairs of Federal Navigation Structures, and to provide nesting habitat for targeted bird species on top of existing breakwater structures.

EPA funding covered the differential cost of including the habitat features into the existing O&M repair projects

Cleveland Harbor – Aquatic habitat only Ashtabula harbor – Aquatic habitat, common tern nesting

area, low growing vegetation habitat

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BUILDING STRONG®

Lake Superior

MI

MI NY

PA IL

WI

IN

CANADA

OH

Commercial Recreational

Ogdensburg

Morristown

Cape Vincent

Sackets Harbor

Port Ontario

Oswego

Monroe

Rouge River

Clinton River Belle River

Pine River

Lake St. Clair

St. Clair River Black River (Port Huron)

Lexington

Port Austin

Harbor Beach

Port Sanilac Saginaw River

Point Lookout

Tawas Bay Au Sable Harbor

Harrisville

Alpena

Hammond Bay

Cheboygan Inland Route

Mackinaw City Mackinac Island

St. James

Petoskey

Charlevoix

Channels in Straits of Mackinac

Grays Reef

Leland

Greilickville Frankfort

Arcadia

Portage Lake

Manistee

Ludington

Pentwater

White Lake

Muskegon

Saugatuck

Grand River

Holland

Grand Haven

South Haven

St. Joseph

New Buffalo Michigan City

Burns Small Boat Harbor Burns Waterway Harbor Calumet Harbor

Indiana Harbor

Chicago River Chicago Harbor

Waukegan

Kenosha

Milwaukee

Port Washington

Sheboygan

Manitowoc

Washington Island (2 harbors)

Green Bay

Big Suamico Algoma

Sturgeon Bay

Two Rivers

Pensaukee Oconto

Menominee Cedar River

Little Bay de Noc (Gladstone)

Manistique Detour Les Cheneaux Island

Soo Locks (part of St. Mary’s River project) St. Marys River

Whitefish Point Harbor

Little Lake Grand Marais

Presque Isle

Marquette

Big Bay

Grand Traverse Bay

Lac La Belle Eagle Harbor

Keweenaw Waterway

Ontonagon Black River

Saxon Ashland

Chippewa Harbor

Grand Marais

Two Harbors

Knife River

Duluth-Superior Bayfield

La Pointe Cornucopia

Port Wing

60 Commercial Projects, including 51 Commercial Harbors (45 with structures)

79 Recreational Projects, including 71 Recreational Harbors (61 with structures)

Great Lakes Navigation System (GLNS)

Fed. Harbor Fed. Project

Niagara River

Detroit River

Bolles Harbor

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Kewaunee

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Deteriorating Breakwater

Short Repair Section w/ Block

8’ x 4’ x 4’ Repair Toe Block

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Are there ways to improve biological value of blocks?

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Control Grooved

Dimpled Grooved Shelf

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Texture Scale

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Cleveland Harbor

Study Site

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Study Site

East Arrowhead Breakwater

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Cleveland Project Schedule

• April/May 2012 – 13 toe blocks installed • October 2012 – sampling • April/May 2013 – 3 of the 2012 blocks reset –

Hurricane Sandy repairs – no new toe blocks • June 2013 – sampling • October 2013 – sampling • April/May 2014 – remaining 21 blocks set • 2014/15 - data analysis & reporting

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Toe Block Layout

S – Shelf (5) D – Dimple (2) C – Control (3) G – Groove (3)

C C D D S S S G G S S C G

• A total of 34 blocks were set • 2013 work was delayed due to necessary Hurricane Sandy repairs

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Sampling Grid

Sample Collector

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Sampling Grid

Top row was not submerged

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Sample Collection Post-sampled Area

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Control Grooved

Dimpled Grooved Shelf

Representative Samples

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Preliminary Results – Abundance – October 2012

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

16.0

Control

Dimpled

Grooved

Shelf

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Preliminary Conclusions Initial colonization greater for most groups

on grooved blocks ►Invertebrate Secondary Production Increase

Potential to provide juvenile fish refuge

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AshtabulaHarbor

Study Site

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Study Site

East Breakwater

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Ashtabula Project Schedule • Phase I Construction (2013)

• Aquatic habitat block installation • 250 sq ft of tern nesting habitat

• Phase II Construction (2014) • Aquatic and low growth vegetation habitat block installation • Additional 250 sq ft of tern nesting habitat

• Phase III Construction (2015 Planned) • Complete installation of habitat blocks

• Monitoring • Planned monitoring period 2014-2017 • No terns yet • Aquatic and low growth vegetation monitoring starting in 2015

• O&M of Tern Habitat • By The Nature Conservancy once USACE study is completed

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Tern Nesting Habitat New York Power Authority – Buffalo, NY

NYPA Tern Nesting Habitat

See http://niagara.nypa.gov/EcologicalStandingCommittee/EcoStanddefault.htm

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Ashtabula, OH Tern Nesting Blocks

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Phase I Tern Habitat

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Solar powered call box

Grooved texture on slope blocks

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Phase II Tern Habitat

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Nesting blocks turned to provide greater width

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Phase I

Phase II

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The USACE Team

•Tom Fredette (ERDC-EL) •Tony Friona (ERDC-EL) •Paul Bijhouwer (LRB) •Burton Suedel (ERDC-EL) •Rich Ruby (LRB) •Cynthia Banks (ERDC-EL) •Joan Clarke (ERDC-EL) •Cheryl Pollock (ERDC-CHL)

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Questions?