A recent federal inventory of flood control systems found trouble in almost every part of the country, with less-than-adequate levees and other structures leaving many communities vulnerable.
About 10 million people nationwide live downstream of a levee or other flood control structure. The survey found that, of the levees that have been rated so far by the US Army Corps of Engineers, 326 (of 1,451 surveyed) need “urgent” repair. This Associated Press article details many of the worst situations, and also cites the American Society of Civil Engineers report card; in its latest version in 2009, ASCE gave the country’s levees an overall grade of D minus.
As we’ve covered before, some of the problems stem from the age of the structures, many of which are more than a century old. Others have been weakened by leaking pipes, adjacent construction, vegetation (although there is some argument that removing vegetation can cause greater problems), and even rodents.
Congress ordered the Corps to inspect the nation’s levees and other structures after the failure of some New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Corps has so far published ratings for about 58% of them.
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FORESTER UNIVERSITY - UPCOMING CLASSES
Foundation Flood Vent Technology—Weathering the Storm and Improving Building Sustainability, Durability, and Performance
Presenter:
Gary H. Hall, P.E.
President, GHH Engineering Inc.
Wed., Jan. 23th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST
Protect your buildings and homes from flood damage! Join Gary H. Hall, PE to explore the importance and key installation elements of foundation flood vents complying with the Building Codes and FEMA Regulations, and how they can effectively prevent major damage to buildings due to flooding improving building sustainability, durability, and performance long-term.
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FREE WEBINAR!
Smart Hydraulic Solutions—
Gain a Competitive Advantage with Your Refuse Collection Equipment
Presenters:
Phil Dybing, Program Manager
Eaton Corporation
Scott Kanne, Executive Vice President
Wayne Engineering
Thurs., Jan. 24th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST
Stop leaving money at the curb! Join Phil Dybing and Scott Kanne to explore how to drastically reduce your fleet’s fuel consumption and related CO2 emissions, run quieter, increase productivity, and improve truck up-time. In this webinar Dybing and Kanne will discuss the challenges in refuse collection equipment, the opportunities available in smart hydraulic solutions, and how to implement these in your fleet. This session will also include a real-world case study of the country’s fastest growing refuse body OEM, illustrating the positive impact these solutions can have in today’s competitive environment.
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Green Infrastructure and Community Design—Rainwater Management
Presenter:
Paul Crabtree, P.E., CNU-A
President, Crabtree Group Inc.
Thurs., Feb. 7th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST
Is your rainwater management design effective? Join Paul Crabtree to discuss how rainwater management based on good urban design principles can help to harmonize urban man and nature. This webinar includes discussion of: effective rainwater management design, the importance of settlement patterns, the use of scales (e.g., watershed), consideration of per-acre and per-capita impacts, harmonization of context-sensitive design and regulations with good urban design, community-based and shared BMPs, and hydrology science vs. negotiated settlements.
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Voodoo Hydrology—Pitfalls of Urban Hydrology Methods & What You Need to Know
Presenter:
Andy Reese, P.E., LEED AP
Vice-President
AMEC Environment & Infrastructure
Thurs., Feb. 21st @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST
Understand your urban hydrology! Join Andy Reese, PE, LEED AP, as he exposes the black box of urban hydrology and explores its common stormwater methodologies! In this webinar, Andy will, with his normal humor, “lay bare” the key elements, assumptions, and most common misuses of popular urban stormwater methodologies, as well recommendations for proper application of each.
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