Looking for gaps in levee system data

Des Moines Downtown Levee Local Flood Protection

Sometimes it takes a little bit of digging before making a noticeable impact. That was the case in Iowa, where we helped the City of Des Moines achieve full FEMA accreditation for its levee system. The problem? Portions of the city are protected by the Des Moines Downtown Levee Local Flood Protection Project (LFPP).

The LFPP consists of a series of levees and floodwalls originally designed and constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1963 and 1972. FEMA granted these levees provisionally accredited levee status in 2009.

To achieve full accreditation, the city had to submit documentation that showed the levees met updated federal requirements. The city knew that gaps were a possibility, so we assisted with the review of available documentation to find these areas relative to accreditation requirements.

Our research helped the city proactively address some possible deficiencies by implementing various projects that reduced flood elevations and/or raised levee crest elevations.