BOZEMAN, Mont. - A promising new device for monitoring the destructive effects of wind, waves and tides on waterways will be tested in a joint research project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and D & A Instrument Company of Port Townsend, Wash. The device, developed by the D & A Instrument Company, accurately measures the amount of sediment in water, an important indicator of problems in stream flow, infrastructure stability, and ecosystem health.

Understanding how much sediment is in water is important for monitoring erosion, deposition and environmental conditions which affect fish and aquatic plantlife as well as infrastructure. Sediment deposited at the mouths of rivers or along beachfronts may also cause navigation hazards, just as eroded shorelines may threaten urban recreation and development. D & A Instrument's sediment measuring device will be tested at the Army's Waterways Experiment Station (WES) Large Scale Sediment Transport Facility, an advanced sensory laboratory with simulated waves, beach and currents. The multi-party agreement to test this new technology brings together scientists and engineers from D & A Instruments, the Army Corps of Engineers' Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, NC, and WES in Vicksburg, Miss.

Present methods for estimating the amount of longshore sediment suspended in water are believed to be only 30 to 50 percent accurate. The D & A instrument, which measures sediment in a fixed volume of water, improves accuracy through controlled measurements, and potentially increases scientists' ability to predict and prepare for natural and manmade effects on waterways and infrastructure such as bridges and piers.

The Army Corps of Engineers' FRF and WES facilities specialize in the study of sediment transport. Researchers at these facilities are striving to develop improved techniques and instrumentation for planning and maintaining waterways, while minimizing costs and adverse environmental impacts. The joint research project with D & A Instrument has the potential to significantly improve the accuracy of sediment measurements in waterways for better management of urban development and maintenance of infrastructure. 

This research agreement was facilitated by TechLink, a technology transfer organization located at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont. TechLink is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) to link companies in the Northwest with DoD centers for joint research and technology transfer. Its main focus is to contribute to the success of technology-based industries in the region.

CONTACT:

Dan Swanson
MSU TechLink
(406) 994-7736
dss@montana.edu

John Downey
D&A Instrument Company
(360) 385-0272

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