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Corps says East Jefferson-St. Charles levees in 'great shape'

New Orleans CityBusiness, May 7, 2008 by Emilie Bahr

ELMWOOD -- East Jefferson Parish levees are in good shape, a representative of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Jefferson Parish Council today, taking to task media reports that called into question the strength of the East Jefferson and St. Charles parish hurricane protection systems.

The April 17 article, published by The Times-Picayune, cited new studies in reporting the lakefront system could be at risk for "catastrophic failure" during a 100-year storm because material buried beneath levees designed to keep them from moving was too shallow.

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Brett Herr, branch chief for regional projects in the corps' Protection and Restoration Office, called the article "unfortunate." He said the corps has adopted more stringent design criteria based on new computer modeling since Hurricane Katrina, but that the existing system is capable of withstanding a 100-year event.

"The existing levees and flood walls may not meet all of these new criteria, but that does not mean they are in danger of failure," Herr said.

The article, he said, "caused a great deal of concern among the residents of East Jefferson when in fact these levees are in great shape."

As part of the Corps' regular update on agency-related matters, Herr told the council no policy change has been authorized that would allow the agency to reimburse landowners the cost of filling in the massive pits across south Louisiana from which the corps plans to obtain clay needed for levee construction projects.

Possible changes to the agency's backfill policy are being reviewed by the corps' New Orleans district and will be forwarded on to the agency's division headquarters in Vicksburg, Miss., Herr said. But he said he doesn't expect the review to result in any policy changes.

Tim Whitmer, chief aide to Parish President Aaron Broussard, said parish officials met with corps representatives and Sen. Mary Landrieu's office about two months ago in hopes of coming up with a compromise to alleviate concerns about the so-called borrow pit process.

"I know (Landrieu's) office is working on it," Whitmer said. "No answers yet."

Corps says East Jefferson-St. Charles levees in 'great shape'

New Orleans CityBusiness, May 7, 2008 by Emilie Bahr

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