by Rob Vining (NAPSA)—More than 100,000 milesofflood levees crisscross the length and breadth of the U.S., protecting cities from disaster. They range from sophisticated systems of concrete floodwalls to simplepiles of dirt. But until Hurricane Katrina struck, they tended to receivelittle attention. As a result, manyof these Z vital flood-control walls are in a state of disrepair. Indeed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reported that 13,000 milesof levees in 27 Vining states had unacceptable maintenance ratings. Rather than dedicating the resources to bring our levees up to par, however, a new draft executive order submitted to the White House could result in their further erosion. That could lead to increasedflooding, plummeting property values and the virtual freezing of economic development. The draft order was written with good intentions, butits focus on increasingfederal flood protection standards from 100-year to 500-year levels of protection— with the goal of returning to a natural state of floodplains—will significantly increase the flood risk to millions of Americans and cause a realignment of the economic engineofthis country. It calls for levees to meet new 500-yearlevels of protection to be considered “sufficient” under USACE and FEMA standards. The current standard calls for 100-year levels of protection, which would protect against a storm expected to hit only once every 100 years. If cities and states cannot bring their levees up to the 500-year standard within two years, FEMA would redraw floodplain lines on the assumption that these levees “do not exist.” That means homes and businesses not considered to lie in floodplains today could be considered flood risks tomorrow. This poses major insurability concerns for businesses and residents and threatens to drastically reduce the value of millions of acres of property. It also would pull the plug on further improvementsin the affected areas. Improving standardsofsafety and protection is a move in the right direction. But today, only a handful of levees meet 500-year levels. With no funding in sight, how can weincrease requirements on communities already strugglingto reach 100-year levels? The answeris not simply to throw money at building bigger, strongerlevees, though. We must take a balanced, systematic approach to flood protection that uses all the means at our disposal. That includes restoration offloodplains as well as shoring up levees with better safeguards and promising new technologies. Only then will we strike the proper balance betweenflood control, protecting the environment and reviving our economy. For more information, visit www.HNTB.com orcall (972) 6615626. Rob Vining is a vice president and national leader for HNTB Federal’s water resources and geotechnicalpractice in the Gulf Coast region and throughout the U.S. Vining has 32 years’ prior experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is an active member ofseveral industry associations.
