Louisiana Levees and Hurricane Protection System

• Levees/Outfall Canals
  
  We are working constantly to repair the damaged portions of the New Orleans area levees to their authorized design heights in time for the arrival of the next hurricane season on 1 Jun. This work includes temporary pumps and interim closures at the mouths of the city’s three outfall canals.
  
  We are incorporating the information that is generated through data collection and through the analysis being performed under the Interagency Performance Evaluation Team into the design and construction of the repairs.
  
  Current Congressional authorization allows the Corps to build hurricane protection systems in Louisiana that provide protection from a number of factors, including storm surge resulting from a hurricane with maximum wind speeds of between 90 and 115 miles per hour, which would be substantially smaller than Hurricane Katrina. These factors do not precisely match up with any one Saffir-Simpson Scale storm category, which was developed around 1970 after many of the systems were authorized.
  
  The Corps of Engineers will by 1 Jun repair areas of southeast Louisiana’s hurricane protection system that sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina. An estimated 41 miles of the system sustained major damage, and another 123 sustained minor damage. When completed, the repairs will provide area residents with the same – or in some cases better – protection than they did prior to Katrina. This is true because the Corps is placing interim closures and temporary pumps at the mouths of the 17th Street, London Avenue and Orleans Avenue outfall canals.
  
  The gates will remain open unless a storm surge in Lake Pontchartrain threatens the canals. Had the gates been in place over the past 40 years, it is estimated that they would have been closed for only six events, one being Katrina. Each interim gate will cost between 20 and 35 million dollars. The temporary pumps will cost approximately $6 million for each canal.
  
  If we have another storm like Katrina, the temporary pumps will not be able to keep up with the city’s need to remove storm water, and there will be some rainfall-induced flooding.
  
  By Sep 07, the Corps will have completed all Congressionally-authorized improvements as well as Hurricane Katrina-related repairs to the southeast Louisiana hurricane protection system. The system will provide protection from storm-induced flood waters resulting from a hurricane with maximum wind speeds of between 90 and 115 miles per hour, which would be substantially smaller than Katrina. These protection levels are the highest the Corps has been authorized to provide by Congress.
  
  The Administration is working with Congress to obtain additional authorization and funds that will allow the Corps to make the region’s hurricane protection systems stronger and better than currently authorized. This package would include permanent closures and pumps at the mouths of the 17th Street, London Avenue and Orleans Avenue outfall canals, the incorporation of non-federal levees, providing armor protection for federal levees and funding for wetlands restoration. The projects could be completed in 3-5 years.

• Outfall Canal Real Estate Acquisition
  
  At the Corps of Engineers’ request, the Mayor of New Orleans temporarily commandeered privately-owned property to provide needed space for completing emergency repairs at 17th Street and London Avenue breach sites.
  
  Construction of new T-wall sections along those breaches now requires the permanent acquisition of approximately 21 structures plus additional right-of-way land. The London Avenue Canal repairs will require the acquisition of houses and land whereas the 17th Street Canal will only require additional land acquisition.
  
  Property owners will be compensated for acquisitions in accordance with federal law. The Corps has not determined the need for land and property acquisitions outside of the breach repair sites.
  
  The Corps will also require additional land to construct interim closure structures and temporary pump stations along the 17th Street Canal near the lakefront. On the canal’s west side, the Corps will need to permanently acquire boat slips and on the east, it will temporarily acquire a tennis court to use as a staging area. No additional acquisitions will be needed at the London Avenue interim closure structure and pump station sites.

  Timeline –
  One month - Commandeering process
  4-18 months - Negotiations with property owners

  Estimated Real Estate Costs –
  17th Street - $1,400,000
  London–Mirabeau - $1,650,000
  London–Robert E. Lee - $3,400,000
  

• Mississippi River – Gulf Outlet Levee Rebuild Material
  
  The Corps of Engineers is using extreme measures to obtain and test the quality of materials being used in constructing the hurricane protection system.
  
  The Corps of Engineers is working to ensure that the best soil possible is used to rebuild the levees along the MRGO. Suitable clay materials are being brought in from as far away as Mississippi to mix with local soils to ensure that the levees are better and stronger.
  
  The Corps, its contractors, and external quality control laboratories are testing soil samples taken from selected borrow pits to determine suitability.
  
  Testing of materials continues throughout the entire construction process to ensure the proper content, processing and placement of selected material.
  
  The Corps is performing extensive on-site inspections and frequent lab work to ensure quality materials are being utilized in the reconstruction of all repair projects.
  
  The Corps uses the industry standard for classifying soils for engineering purposes when considering the suitability of materials for levee construction.
  That standard is American Society of Testing and Materials 2487D of the Unified Soil Classification System.
  
  To ensure that only suitable materials are used the Corps tests borrow and placed materials for classification, moisture content, Atterberg limits, and density.

  Testing of in-place levee material is being conducted more often than required by the specifications. These tests indicate that both the main levee section and stability berms are being constructed with high quality material that meets standards.
  
  The Corps accepts only non-organic lean and fat clays and silts that meet specific classification criteria.
  
  The Corps is incorporating lessons-learned from the impact of Hurricane Katrina to make the levees less susceptible to erosion and the effects of overtopping.
  
  The contractors constructing the levees are highly competent, they are using equipment which either meets or exceeds expectations, and they take pride in ensuring the levees are better and stronger.
  
  The Corps has quality assurance representatives present on a daily basis making sure that only proper material is being used and that poor material is being cast aside.
  
  This can be seen at many construction sites where poor material has been stockpiled adjacent to the borrow pits.
  
  The Corps is unaware of any tests, independent or internal, that have shown the use of inadequate material.

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