Flood Barrier USA

Levee Repair on Schedule

Author: Flood Expert Donna Conneely

March 1st is the normal start date of the “run-off” season in Missouri and other states affected by the great Missouri and Mississippi rivers. This year that date was anxiously anticipated by many who worried that the vital levees — levees that provide flood protection to these areas — would not be repaired in time.

Last year, the catastrophic floods that captured the world’s attention swept away many critically important levees. The work needed to repair and renovate the levees was substantial, and many wondered if the work would be, or could be, concluded in time for this year’s flood season, which is forecast to be another very active flood year.

The floods of 2011 set records. The Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) has been keeping stats for 114 years, and last year’s floods beat those records for high-water marks, strength, and duration of the floods.

Missouri River Basin Oahe Project. Please click to view the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Master Manual for this project; the PDF document will load in a floating window.

Many communities will again be protected by earthen levees, but major cities like Omaha will have concrete flood barriers. The ACE estimates that it is on target with completion dates across the affected areas, and will be in good shape to withstand another pounding. These repairs have been expensive — and Congress allocated $530 million for the work. Cash-strapped local communities have also been required to help with funding for these vital repairs.

The expected flooding in 2012 will be above normal, say experts, but will fall short of the record-smashing deluges of 2011. Meanwhile, work on the flood barriers continues at breakneck pace in the race to beat the run-off.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 26th, 2012 at 11:24 am and is filed under Flood Protection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.