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November 28, 2005 Vol. 77, no. 13F
CEE professor urges independent oversight of New Orleans levee repair at Senate hearings on Nov. 2
As the flood protection system is now being repaired and rebuilt, it would appear advantageous to plan crest heights in a systematic and deliberate way, so that if and when overtopping does occur, it occurs preferentially at the desired locations along any given section of levee/floodwall frontage. Similarly, the transitions between disparate levee/floodwall sections should be more robustly designed and constructed so that these transitions do not represent locations of potential weakness in otherwise contiguous perimeter flood protection system. Areas in which piping erosion occurred, including reported instances of piping along the Mississippi River-Gulf outlet frontage, suggest that there are areas of foundation that were weakened to a state worse than "pre-Katrina" conditions. Similarly, there may be additional sections like the west bank across from the North breach on the east side of the London Avenue Canal that were distressed (but did not fully breach) and are in need of remedial work. It is important to remember to check, and to repair as necessary, levee sections that may have been damaged but that did not fail as part of the current repair operations. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) like other public agencies, commonly uses Independent Boards of Consultants to review the adequacy of the design and construction (and remediation) of major dams. The levee system in New Orleans actually protects more life and property than almost any major dam in the United States. We recommend that the Corps should retain an independent board of consultants to review the adequacy of the interim and permanent levee repairs being carried out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The USACE is stretched very thin right now, trying to respond and affect emergency and interim repairs in the wake of this catastrophe. It must be the job of the federal government and oversight committees, such as this one, to ensure that they have the resources and technical capabilities to get their job done safely and well. The Corps have responsibility for many potentially high hazard dams and levee systems, and we must be able to have high confidence in their ability to perform these vital tasks.
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