IPET

Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force

The Corps of Engineers commissioned the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET) to address questions on:

• the System (what was the status of the protection system on 29 August)
• the Storm (what exact forces did Katrina put on the system)
• the Performance (how did the system respond)
• the Consequences (understanding the flooding and the losses)
• the Risk (what is the risk and reliability of the system after 1 Jun)

IPET is comprised of 150 experts from various government agencies, academia, and industry, representing over 50 different organizations. Some of the nation’s leading experts are on the IPET.

Facts and Results – IPET will not speculate. We will only release our conclusions once facts have been analyzed, verified and validated. IPET will release preliminary results for public information and professional review. IPET report release dates are 10 Jan, 10 Mar, and the final report on 1 Jun.

IPET recommendations that may be useful to the on-going repairs of the damaged protection system are being immediately shared with Task Force Guardian, the Corps group managing repair work, to ensure the protection system is better and stronger than before.

Objectivity – Half of the IPET task leaders are experts from outside the Corps.  Throughout the process, all IPET findings and reports are being reviewed and validated by an independent panel from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The IPET and ASCE findings are in turn being reviewed and synthesized by an independent panel from the National Research Council.

IPET recommendations that may be useful to the on-going repairs of the damaged protection system are being immediately shared with Task Force Guardian.

Task Force Guardian has incorporated a number of IPET recommendations.  These include:

• Use of deeper sheet piles is being used at 24% of our projects. Some are now 57 feet deep (IHNC, New Orleans East and Orleans East bank) 

• Hardening on the backside of flood walls to protect against erosion if the wall is overtopped is being used at 44% of our projects (IHNC, New Orleans East, Orleans East bank, and Plaquemines)

• Strengthened transition zones where earthen levees tie into concrete structures like flood walls and gates is being done at 37% of the projects.  These areas are being strengthened and protected with rock to prevent erosion.

• Data collected and analyzed by the IPET team regarding the failure of the floodwalls were factored into the decision to provide interim closure structures at  17th Street, London Avenue, and Orleans Avenue Canals. 

• The newly identified failure mechanism for the I-Walls in the outfall canals will be used in evaluation of the remainder of the I-Walls as we develop new stability calculations and analysis.   

• The wave and surge analysis results have identified storm characteristics not previously utilized in determining hydrodynamic loading and wave loads.  This will require a reanalysis of earthen levee designs to accommodate greater design loads for wave run up, overtopping considerations, and scour erosion.

Public Release of Info - IPET is sharing all data as quickly as possible with the public and the engineering profession.  All publicly releasable data is available to everyone at https://ipet.wes.army.mil.

....................................................................................................................................................................................