Levees

Engineering geophysical methods can assist in the certification of a levee. A levee design often incorporates geophysics when building a levee. Levees control the flow of water and assist with limiting flooding. A well designed and maintained levee will have a life expectancy much greater than the people who constructed the levee. A poor levee desi... gn or unmaintained levee can lead to levee breaks and levee failure. The effects of large storms like hurricane Katrina and hurricane Sandy can exceed the engineered design of a levee. Since the construction of a levee may include soils, rock, concrete, and other man made materials it is important to review the condition and effectiveness of the these materials throughout the life of a levee. Freeze-thaw, storms, and the flow of water are destructive forces that can erode and eventually compromise the integrity of a levee. The US Army Corps of Engineers Levee Safety Program provides information about levees in the U.S. The program states that The approximate 2,000 levee systems, comprising roughly 14,000 miles of levees currently in the USACE Levee Safety Program may only represent a small fraction of the estimated 100,000 miles of the nations levees. Over time, living behind a levee that is not up to current standards can lead to a false sense of security. Local levee owners or sponsors are responsible for obtaining levee certification and accreditation. These documents are utilized by the National Flood Insurance Program NFIP to assist with providing flood insurance. The US Army Corps of Engineers USACE methods and information may be used by the NIFP. The USACE Manual No. 1110-2-1913 30 April 2000 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF LEVEES provides a wealth of basic principals for levee design and levee construction. It points out that levees can be dictated primarily by flood protection requirements, which often results in construction on poor foundations, and the soils used to construct the levee or borrow is generally obtained from shallow pits or from channels ...Read More