Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:01 AM
Rebuilding Levees
We frequently read about problems with our nation’s levees and other flood control structures—from failures in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina to dams and levees that are unable to be certified so that the property owners downstream understand their risks. So it’s a pleasant change to read of a turnaround of sorts in one community, which was hit by flooding from the Missouri River last year and is now putting itself back together.
During the worst of the flooding, hundreds of residents of Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, were evacuated from their homes, and a temporary earthen levee was built—cutting across yards and golf courses—to hold back the water. More insidious flooding occurred, though, when water pooled behind the levee and caused flooding in hundreds of basements.
Now, however, the city—with funding from the state and FEMA, and with planned increases from tax revenues—has removed the temporary structures and is building permanent concrete flood walls and earthen levees. It is also upgrading the stormwater system, including limiting the number of outfalls to the river that can potentially back up when the water level rises. Property values in the upscale community are actually increasing—a feat for almost any community in this economy.