Purpose
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Levee Safety Program was created in 2006 to assess the integrity and viability of levees and to ensure that levee systems do not present unacceptable risks to the public and property.
Description
The basic objectives of the Levee Safety Program are to develop balanced and informed assessments of levees within the program; evaluate, prioritize, and justify levee safety decisions; and recommend improvements to public safety associated with levee systems. USACE created the National Levee Database, inventoried all levees in the program, and improved inspection procedures.
USACE is developing a method to manage its portfolio of levee systems and is reviewing and revising current levee-related policies and procedures.
The Levee Safety Program covers more than 14,000 miles of levees and includes systems operated and maintained by USACE; federally authorized systems locally operated and maintained and covered under the USACE Inspection of Completed Works program; and locally constructed, operated and maintained systems in the USACE Rehabilitation and Inspection Program in accordance with Public Law 84-99.
Status
USACE, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, continues to communicate ongoing activities and the benefits, risks, and flood risk management measures identified for the levee systems in the portfolio. USACE is completing screening-level assessments to understand the risks associated with each levee system, which will be utilized to inform the communication effort with local sponsors. Formal inspections of all federal levee systems are conducted on a five-year frequency to determine the ongoing eligibility of the systems and evaluate operation and maintenance practices.
For levee systems with complex issues, project sponsors can maintain eligibility through the USACE System-Wide Improvement Framework process while implementing improvements to the levee systems. Currently, no systems in the state of Wisconsin are engaged in that process.
Levee Systems in St. Paul District Portfolio
The locally operated and maintained federally authorized levee systems are as follows:
- Spring Valley, Wisconsin
- Portage, Wisconsin
- Boscobel, Wisconsin Channel Improvement
- La Crosse, Wisconsin Channel
The locally constructed, locally operated, and maintained (nonfederal) levee systems are as follows:
- Black River Falls, Wisconsin