News Story

PIANC USA Annual Meeting Wrap-Up

PIANC USA held its Annual Meeting on 22 September in Boston, MA, in conjunction with the National Waterways Conference 50th Anniversary meeting. Over seventy people attended the one-day PIANC meeting which was comprised of seven technical sessions highlighting recently released PIANC working group reports and other topics of interest to the navigation community. The opportunity to partner with NWC proved to be very fruitful, with most attendees commenting that the joint networking reception that evening was particularly beneficial.

The PIANC program included remarks by the USACE's Major General Grisoli, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, and Colonel Feir, Commander and District Engineer for the New England District. The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, ASA(CW), gave a report on PIANC USA Activities over the past year. Presentations on the technical findings of PIANC reports from the Inland Navigation Commission (InCom) and the Environmental Commission (EnviCom) were given, including topics such as Innovations in Navigation Lock Design, Governance, Organization and Management of River Ports, and Sustainable Waterways within the Context of Navigation and Flood Management.

Several of the PIANC USA Commissioners also had a hand in organizing some of the day's sessions. Mr. Dominic Izzo, KBR, organized the "Ecological Engineering in Navigation - Fluvial Geomorphological Restoration on the Upper Mississippi" session which was moderated by Chuck Spitzack, USACE. The session had panel members from US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Corps, and private industry (KBR), with each giving its perspective and demonstrating how they all worked together to apply sound ecosystem restoration, adaptive management and ecological engineering. This session was a real hit with the audience since it explored a range of issues including river processes, fish and wildlife resources, authorities for restoration and engineering solutions.

John Headland, Moffatt & Nichol, organized the session on "Fluid Mud - Identifying the Bottom," which included experts from the US and The Netherlands. The session discussed the importance of navigable depth concepts and fluid mud science in navigation channels, as well as promoting new approaches to Dredged Material Management. Presentations by Han Winterwerp (Marine and Coastal Systems, The Netherlands), Steve Chatry (Weeks Construction), and Timothy Welp (USACE-ERDC) focused on recent developments in sedimentation/fluid mud modeling and fluid mud measurements/properties, as well as on water injection dredging technology.

Young professionals gathered for a "Meet & Greet" coffee in the morning, and the audience was treated to an interesting panel on "Educating the Next Generation of Navigation Professionals" organized by Dr. Thomas Wakeman, Center for Maritime Systems, Stevens Institute of Technology [please see the "Young Professionals Corner" article for a more details on that session]. The PIANC USA meeting closed with a panel on Emerging Navigation Issues, moderated by Jim McCarville from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission.

PIANC USA would like to again thank all of the speakers and volunteers who worked hard to make this meeting a success. The presentations are posted on the PIANC USA website.

revised 29 October 2010