Our N-EWN partners across industry, governmental, academic and nonprofit sectors talk a lot about Engineering With Nature®, but it’s not always clear what that means or how to incorporate EWN principles within engineering projects. This team from an interdisciplinary crew of our partners is working to address that with a new series of practice guides for Engineering With Nature® projects!
“While a robust body of technical guidance exists for conventional infrastructure, resources for Natural Infrastructure (NI) components are currently limited in both content and organization,” the EWN® website reads in the series announcement. “The Engineering Practice Guides are intended to fill this gap by serving as a primary source of technical direction for NI.”
The first practice guide provides methods for investigation and design of floodplain benches, a natural infrastructure solution that addresses inland river flooding. Engineered floodplain benches build on the natural floodbanks of a river in order to provide more space for water to spread out, reducing flood risk and erosion while enhancing riverine habitat.
“Occasionally, a talking point arises that ‘We would use more nature-based solutions, if there were detailed design guidelines,” said S. Kyle McKay in a LinkedIn post announcing the series. McKay is a founding member of N-EWN and a longtime environmental engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers. “The Engineering With Nature Program® (EWN®) is tackling this challenge head-on!”
USACE isn’t the only N-EWN partner on this effort: the authorship team is made up of both researchers across USACE units and a team of researchers at Jacobs Engineering Group, a partner organization that joined N-EWN in 2023.
“This integrated approach will enhance more outcomes across numerous Civil Works missions while addressing multiple objectives and mitigating potential risks,” said the EWN® series announcement. Learn more here, and stay tuned for future guides on additional green infrastructure solutions, including oyster reefs, wood-based riverbank stabilizations and tidal flow reconnection for wetlands.
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