National Geographic has published an article on the New Orleans levee system entitled "New Orleans Levees, Are They Safe?". The article indicates, as has been reported from other sources, that the levees are now back to where they were Pre-Katrina, but is that really good enough? A group funded by the NSF with members including UMR Professor J. David Rogers and Berkley professor Bob Bea has pointed out various shortcomings of the levee system. The Corps has responded with the view that the levee system is adequate, and that new flood gates will prevent a storm surge like Katrina’s from overtopping the existing levee system.
Project Related
Up to $331M of New Orleans Levee Reconstruction Work Awarded
In four separate contracts, up to $331 million in levee reconstruction projects were awarded last week by the USACE to rebuild levees in some of the hardest hit areas from Hurricane Katrina, including St. Bernard […]
Available Resources
Corps of Engineers Planning Additiional Sheet-Piling and Deep Soil Mixing along New Orleans Levees
Complete plans have not been released yet, but an environmental impact document outlines general plans for stabilization of the 17th Street Canal in New Orleans using Deep Soil Mixing techniques. Portions of the London Avenue […]
Geologic Hazards
Iowa county evacuates as Missouri River tops levee and sand boil forms a geyser
Residents of Iowa County were forced to evacuate as the swollen Missouri River caused a breach in one of its levees. What I found interesting was a description of a sand boil geyser: A Black […]