| Hurricane & Flood Risk Reduction |
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Peer Review Plan Q & As
1. What is the purpose of the peer review plan?
The Peer Review Plan for the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) outlines the projects and activities that a panel of independent, third-party experts will review.
A list of 24 projects and activities across the HSDRRS were selected, representing a broad cross section of the work the Corps is doing to reduce the hurricane and storm damage risk to the greater New Orleans area. This review also includes the “design guidelines” that the Corps is using to design and construct the HSDRRS. The panels of experts will review these 24 projects and activities of the HSDRRS. The panels will ensure that the Corps of Engineers is focusing its efforts on the public welfare and that they are using good science and sound engineering to design and construct the HSDRRS for the greater New Orleans area.
Senior staff at the Corps of Engineers headquarters reviewed and approved the peer review plan in mid-September 2008. The Corps is now making this document public as required.
2. Who will be on the review panels?
The make up of the panels will vary with the subject of their reviews.
Members will come from the engineering and construction industry and will be independent experts in their respective disciplines. These disciplines will include civil, geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, and operation and maintenance engineering, to name a few. Panel members will have at least 15 years of experience in their area of expertise. They will also be completely independent of the HSDRRS work being conducted by the Corps of Engineers.
3. How are the panel members selected?
Battelle, an independent, non-profit research organization, will select the panel members using policy developed by the independent, non-profit National Academy of Science to ensure that the reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the projects they are reviewing.
4. How are you going to assure that the panel members are completely independent of the Corps of Engineers?
Battelle, (see answer to question 3) will make their selections independently of the Corps of Engineers. In addition, the Corps’ primary contact with Battelle will be through Baltimore District, a district which has no involvement with the HSDRRS.
The panel members will work directly for Battelle and their only contact with the Corps of Engineers will be when they meet for design and review conferences, visit construction sites or ask the Corps for information. All contact between the Corps designers working on the HSDRRS and the peer reviewers will be through Baltimore District/Battelle. There will be no direct contact outside of planned conferences/site visits. This maintans the 3rd party independence throughout the review of each project’s design and construction.
5. Who is in charge of the panel?
Battelle (see answer to question 3) will be in charge of the panel members.
6. How much influence will the Corps have on the panel?
None.
The Corps will conduct a conflict-of-interest review to ensure that there are no ties between the potential reviewers and the Corps’ work on the HSDRRS.
The panel members will work directly for Battelle (see answer to question 3), and their only contact with the Corps of Engineers will be when they meet for design review conferences and visit construction sites or ask the Corps for information.
7. Who directed you to conduct the peer review?
Congress directed the review in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
The act calls for the review of design and construction activities prior to the initiation of physical construction and periodically thereafter.
8. Who developed the peer review plan?
At the direction of Corps Headquarters, the Corps of Engineers developed the plan with input from the State of Louisiana, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – West, and the levee districts under the supervision of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authorities.
Working with these non-federal agencies gives all of us the opportunity to build on the existing state and federal partnership, as together we undertake the design and construction of the HSDRRS.
9. How long will the review last?
The panels will continue to review the Corps’ work until we complete construction of all features identified in the plan.
10. What will you do with the information the panel develops?
We’ll use the information developed by the panel to ensure that we are applying
the best science and engineering possible to reduce the hurricane and storm damage risk faced by the people of the greater New Orleans area.
The Corps of Engineers will make the written recommendations of the panels along with its responses available to the public at the conclusion of the review.
11. What things will the review panels consider?
Here are some examples of engineering and construction products the reviewers will look at:
- Survey and Investigation studies
- Design Documentation Reports,
- Engineering Documentation Reports
- Value Engineering Studies
- The Design for remediation of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
- Utility relocations
- Physical model studies
- Plans, specifications, and cost estimates of critical project features
- Engineering considerations and instructions for field personnel
- Critical construction placement
- Construction Foundation and Concrete Reports
- Project Operation and Maintenance Manuals
- Post Project Monitoring Plans
- Contractor Submittals of critical project features
- Contract Change Orders for critical project features
- Post Construction Reports such as Foundation Completion, Embankment Criteria and Performance Evaluations, and Concrete Materials Reports
- Construction Inspections
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