The Benefits of Active Levee Sponsor Engagement in the Inspection Process

Levee inspections are integral to the identification of deficiencies that may pose a safety risk. The average age for levees throughout the nation is 58 years per the USACE National Levee Database. Oftentimes, the project documentation is inconsistent or incomplete, especially for older levees. Levee sponsors have deep knowledge that can help fill these data gaps prior to, and during, levee inspections. These inspections typically involve multiple parties, including USACE district staff, project stakeholders such as state and local water resources agencies, environmental agencies, and, ideally, local levee sponsors.
It is critical for the inspection team to understand the existing field conditions and the performance history of the levee system. To facilitate this transfer of information, levee sponsor participation in the inspection process is strongly encouraged and beneficial to all parties. Sponsors have intimate knowledge of the levee facilities, past performance, and maintenance practices and serve as an invaluable component to the inspection team. They can help identify causes for noted deficiencies, and thus appropriate corrective actions and risk mitigation measures. After inspections, involved sponsors will have a better understanding of the criticality of their levee within the greater flood control system.
This document highlights the need for active levee sponsor participation during the inspection process. Sponsor engagement is key to successfully informing the levee inspection team, documenting levee deficiencies, and developing a plan for remediation of these deficiencies.