City of Evansville Awarded $1,655,000 for Levee Improvements

(EVANSVILLE, IN) – September 20, 2010 – The City of Evansville has been awarded $1,655,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (IOCRA) to make improvements to a one-mile section of the levee.

“The area protected by this section of levee includes more than 23,500 residents, numerous businesses and industries, and the downtown Evansville central business district. Flooding caused by a breach of this section of the levee would be truly devastating,” said Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “In addition to protecting lives and property, these repairs will move the levee closer to being FEMA Certified, which will save all area residents and businesses considerable amounts of money over the long term.”

The levee improvements will focus on alleviating the toe erosion occurring in the lower portion of an approximately one-mile stretch of levee in Knight Township Section between Stationing 290+00 and Stationing 360+00 (see attached map). The toe erosion to be repaired is due to wave wash when the water level and winds are high. Further toe erosion could ultimately result in upper bank instability.

The project will include re-grading the levee to return the slope to a 3:1 (H:V) ratio, reseeding for erosion control, revetment1 toe protection, and the installation of riprap at the upstream and downstream ends and at a minimum of one (1) foot vertically on the levee slope above the wave wash area. These repairs will return the levee to “as-built” conditions. Per terms of the grant
agreement, the project must be completed by September 30, 2012. The District hopes to begin construction in June 2011 and complete the project by November 2011.

1 A revetment is a stone or concrete facing to sustain an embankment and prevent erosion.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that public levees along the Ohio River would be required to be inspected by the Corps of Engineers and to become “FEMA Certified.” Any residents and businesses within municipal areas not protected by a FEMA Certified levee will be required to purchase flood insurance even if they are not located within a floodplain. It is expected that those purchasing flood insurance for the first time would pay up to three times more than existing customers to cover the cost of flood insurance.

The Evansville-Vanderburgh County Levee Authority District system consists of 79,183 feet of earthen levee, 8,175 feet of concrete wall, 1,761 feet of combined wall and highway, 3,160 feet
of roadway levee, 20 pumping stations, 24 movable closures, and 15 sandbag closures along the Ohio River and Pigeon Creek. The flood protection system is designed to pump rainwater from
the City/County back into the river during high river conditions and prevent the river from backing into the sewer system. The District is partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Louisville District, which inspects the levee system annually.

FEMA is currently reviewing the Levee Systems Evaluation Report submitted by the Corps of Engineers. The District expects to receive FEMA Certification at any time.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designated these funds under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery Fund, Appropriation 2 (DR2) for relief of unmet needs resulting from tornadoes and flooding in the State of Indiana. The City of Evansville will also commit $200,000 from the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Levee Authority District (the District) general operating fund for the project.