Levee Monitoring with Distributed Strain Sensing, Black Hawk, LA | W81EWF 20 SOI 0029

Opportunity Information: Apply for W81EWF 20 SOI 0029

The Levee Monitoring with Distributed Strain Sensing, Black Hawk, LA opportunity is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers research and development cooperative agreement focused on improving how levees are monitored for early signs of failure. The central goal is to test whether distributed fiber optic sensing can reliably detect and track seepage and sand boil formation, two common and dangerous mechanisms that can develop during high water and flood events. Instead of relying only on point sensors at a few locations, the concept uses fiber optic cable as a long, continuous sensor so that large stretches of a levee can be monitored at once, with spatial detail on the order of meters and cable lengths that can extend for many kilometers.

Technically, the project considers two fiber optic methods: distributed strain sensing (DSS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). While both are recognized approaches in infrastructure and geophysics monitoring, the emphasis here is clearly on DSS. DSS works by connecting a specialized instrument (an interrogator) to the fiber optic cable. The interrogator sends laser pulses down the fiber and measures the light that is scattered back from microscopic imperfections in the glass. Using Brillouin scattering, the frequency shift in the returned light can be related to strain along the fiber, allowing the system to estimate how strain changes at many points along the cable rather than at a single gauge location. In practical terms, the fiber becomes a continuous strain sensor that can reveal subtle deformation patterns that may correspond to developing seepage pathways or uplift pressures.

The field implementation will be a test bed installed at the Black Hawk, Louisiana site. A key design feature described in the opportunity is the use of vertical fiber sections that pass through the upper clay blanket and extend into the underlying sand layer. This vertical configuration is intended to capture vertical strain. The underlying hypothesis is that during a flood, seepage can raise pore pressure in the sand substratum, which then exerts upward force on the clay blanket. That uplift or deformation should induce measurable strain in the vertically oriented fiber segments. By tracking these strain changes over time, the team aims to determine whether DSS can provide a meaningful early warning signal for seepage-related issues before they become visible at the surface or escalate into more serious instability.

The opportunity calls for collaboration in two main areas. First, partners can contribute to the design of the fiber optic test bed, helping ensure the layout, installation approach, and sensor configuration are suited to capturing the right deformation signals in the levee foundation and blanket. Second, and equally important, partners are needed to help analyze and interpret the DSS data produced by the interrogator over the life of the project. That includes creating practical algorithms and workflows to record the data continuously, process it for operational monitoring, and present results in a way that supports decision-making. Because strain signals can be influenced by many factors (hydraulic loading, temperature effects, installation conditions, and normal background changes), the project anticipates using corroborating instrumentation such as piezometers and resistivity probes to help validate interpretations and connect measured strain patterns to real seepage or boil-related events. A major expected contribution is algorithm development that can distinguish meaningful event signatures from noise, track changes over time, and display those changes in an accessible monitoring format.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, under Funding Opportunity Number W81EWF 20 SOI 0029 and CFDA 12.630. The instrument type is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies active involvement and coordination with the government team rather than a hands-off grant. The listed award ceiling is $90,000, and the original closing date was 2020-08-14. Eligibility is restricted: applicants must be non-federal partners of the Californian Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU), meaning only organizations within that CESU framework can apply.

• The Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Levee Monitoring with Distributed Strain Sensing, Black Hawk, LA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-06-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-08-14. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $90,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for W81EWF 20 SOI 0029

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