GALVESTON, Texas (April 4, 2012) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, awarded a contract to Bioengineering Arcadis in the amount of $1,718,071.55 for periodic levee safety inspections of six federally-constructed flood control projects within the USACE Galveston District.
Work will include a comprehensive evaluation of federally-constructed levees in Alice, Freeport, Matagorda, Port Arthur, Texas City and Three Rivers, Texas, as part of Corps’ Levee Safety Program.
“USACE implements inspections of its levees on a continuous and periodic basis using state-of-the-art technology and consistent risk methodologies,” said USACE Galveston Levee Safety Program Manager Scott Leimer. “In addition to annual inspections, periodic inspections are conducted every five years by a multidisciplinary team led by a professional engineer.”
According to Leimer, periodic inspections include evaluating routine inspection items; verifying proper operation and maintenance; and evaluating operational adequacy, structural stability and the safety of the system.
“Inspections are an engineering assessment of the levee system that involves reviewing the original design documents and comparing them to our current design criteria,” said Leimer. “It is these methods of inspection that will identify areas where we can strengthen the levee system and help mitigate flood risk.”
According to Leimer, all final inspection results are provided to the local sponsor and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Local sponsors are able to participate as part of the inspection team.
“Re-evaluating the levee system based on current criteria helps us look for troubled areas that might not be performing as originally intended,” said Leimer. “It takes into account lessons learned and the further development of the science behind the analysis of soil structures and the interaction and stability of the floodwalls.”
Inspections are scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2012.
The USACE Levee Safety Program is an integral component of a broad, national flood risk management effort that employs a system-wide approach to flood risk management and embraces shared responsibility.
To learn more about the USACE Levee Safety Program, visit http://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/LeveeSafetyProgram.aspx
For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil. Find us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict or follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston.
Release no. 12-015