A LEVEE

Levees control the flow of water and assist with limiting flooding. A well designed and maintained levee will have a life expectancy much greater than the people who constructed the levee. A poor levee design or unmaintained levee can lead to levee breaks and levee failure. The effects of large storms like hurricane Katrina and hurricane Sandy can exceed the engineered design of a levee. Since the construction of a levee may include soils, rock, concrete, and other man made materials it is important to review the condition and effectiveness of the these materials throughout the life of a levee. Freeze-thaw, storms, and the flow of water are destructive forces that can erode and eventually compromise the integrity of a levee. The US Army Corps of Engineers Levee Safety Program provides information about levees in the U.S. The program states that "The approximate 2,000 levee systems, comprising roughly 14,000 miles of levees currently in the USACE Levee Safety Program may only represent..

Primary location: Mequon United States