Jim Martell, P.G.

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Corps of Engineers Levee Safety Program

• Jim Martell, P.G.
• Geologist / Engineer
• Levee Safety Program Manager
• Tulsa District
• Corps of Engineers

Flood Gate In Halstead Kansas
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Levee Safety

• is the art and science of ensuring the integrity
  and viability of levees such that they do not
  present unacceptable risks to the public,
  property, and the environment

West Columbus, Ohio
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National Levee Safety Program

• Background
• USACE Flood Damage Reduction mission began with
  the 1917 Flood Control Act
• Significant Role in flood activities nationwide
  to include the protection of life and property
  behind federal levee systems.
• Hurricane Katrina and Rita devastation in 2005
  brought levee safety to the forefront of public
  awareness
• Findings of investigations into flood damage
  reduction systems performance in New Orleans
  prompted the need for a comprehensive and
  risk-informed approach to national levee safety,
  including periodic assessments.

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Graduated Levee Assessments
Robust Levee Safety Program
Routine Inspections Verifies OM, More Rigorous
Standards, Improved Communication, System-based,
Every Year
Continuous Feedback
Periodic Inspections Verifies OM, Evaluates
Structure Stability, Compares Constructed
Criteria to Current Criteria, Every 5 Years
Increasing Rigor, Effort
Periodic Assessments Periodic Inspection
Potential Failure Mode and Consequences Analysis,
Every 5 Years
Risk Assessments Data Intensive, Determine
Likelihood and Consequences of Failure, TBD -
Every 10 Years
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Levee Inspection Program

• Corps Regulations/Guidance
• 33 CFR 208.10
• ER 500-1-1 (RIP Program)
• DR 1130-2-530, Project Operations MAINTENANCE
  STANDARDS, PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES ON
  MODIFICATIONS TO PROJECTS
• Levee Owners Manual
• Levee District semi-annual inspection report
• Laptop Inspection Tool

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GPS keeps track of location
Pop up menus allow Inspector to enter inspection
notes
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(No Transcript)
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Levee Safety Tulsa District

• Total 231 Miles of Levees and 59 miles of
  Improved Channels
• Inspection of Completed Works (ICW) Program
• 17 Federally constructed/locally operated and
  maintained levee projects (207 mi.)
• 11 Federally constructed channel projects
  totaling 59 mi.
• Rehabilitation Inspection Program (RIP)
• 3 Non-Federal (privately constructed/operated and
  maintained) levee projects (7 mi.)
• Corps Owned Operated Levees
• 8 USACE owned/operated levee projects (17 mi.)
  Corps Operated and Maintained

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National Levee Safety Program - Current Activities

• Engineering Technical Letter (ETL) No. 1110-2-571
  Guidelines for Landscape Planting and Vegetation
  Management at Levees, Floodwalls, Embankment
  Dams, and Appurtenant Structures.
• This ETL does not establish new standards, but
  clarifies, and supersedes, those formerly
  presented in EM 1110-2-301 (Jan. 1, 2000).
• Key Points
• Fifteen feet is the minimally accepted vegetation
  free zone (VFZ) and is widely viewed as not
  sufficient for all projects. To date, no
  research exists to justify a reduction to
  existing standards.
• If an existing project easement (real estate
  interest) allows for less than 15 feet, the VFZ
  shall be the maximum attainable within the
  existing real estate interest.
• The ETL discusses a limited range of conditions
  under which a variance to vegetation standards
  may be granted. The variance request process is
  currently under revision and interim guidance is
  available through the HQUSACE Levee Safety
  Program Manager (LSPM). Public safety will not
  be compromised.
• The standards in the ETL are not new, and USACE
  has considered them critical to flood damage
  reduction project reliability for decades.
• The ETL is available at http//140.194.76.129/pub
  lications/eng-tech-ltrs/etl1110-2-571/toc.htm

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National Levee Safety Program - Current Activities
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National Levee Safety Program Current Activities

• AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009
  Periodic Inspections of Levees
• 90 Million nationwide
• Opportunity to leverage stimulating the economy
  through the use of the private sector contractors
  to accomplish Periodic Inspections with obtaining
  much needed information about the levee
  infrastructure throughout the nation.
• The activity will assist in aggressively
  advancing the Levee Safety Program toward
  achieving its goal of reducing flood risks and
  improving public safety.
• Complete execution of activities by September 30,
  2010.
• All levees in federal levee program including
  inactive levees

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National Levee Safety Program Current
Activities The Levee Screening Tool

• The Levee Screening Risk Assessment (LSRA) Tool
  (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet) provides a
  preliminary assessment of the general condition
  and associated risks of levee segments and
  systems in support of the USACE Levee Safety
  Program.
• Routine inspection data will be combined with a
  preliminary engineering assessment to indicate
  the ability of a levee system to perform as
  intended and the consequences of potential
  failure.
• The LSRA determines a preliminary relative risk
  index that will consider routine inspection
  results and ratings coupled with a review and
  evaluation of historical performance data,
  as-built drawings, economic and life loss
  consequences, historic and current hydraulic and
  hydrology data, and other data. This will help
  determine the potential for failure and the
  consequences of failure.

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National Levee Safety Program Current
ActivitiesNational Levee Database Surveys for
Tulsa District

• Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of
  Engineers (USACE) to develop a national levee
  inventory to locate and document the status of
  levees under Federal jurisdiction. A cornerstone
  of this effort is the National Levee Database
  (NLD).
• Contractor, PBSJ, will survey levees this
  summer, fall and winter in federal program to
  collect detailed survey information on the levee
  without any cost to the city/county. This survey
  information is being collected for the NLD and
  will be shared with you after it is finalized and
  quality assurance checks have been completed.

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National Levee Database Model Geographic Features