New Orleans, La. -
A long-awaited report on the impact of debris discovered in West Bank levees finds the levees will perform as designed, with one exception.
The so-called "Tiger Team" of investigators included representatives of the West Bank flood authority, the state and of engineers from outside the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.
The team's full report will not be released until Thursday, but the Executive Summary finds the levee system will meet its functional design, "excepting that part in the vicinity of the Central Avenue dump site where a buried debris field exists."
Last year, the Corps agreed to the formation of the independent team to investigate the debris, including pieces of a shopping cart, chunks of concrete and bricks."
State and levee district engineers worried the debris would cause the levee to settle over time, exposing a potential weakness in the system. They charged the Corps had not done enough to ensure the levees would perform as designed.
The executive summary hints that disagreement remains today, though it provides no specifics.
In the summary, the Tiger Team "agrees that surficial wood and non-woody debris pose a potential safety hazard to maintenance workers and the general public."
However, the report concedes "the Tiger Team remains divided on the impact of the woody debris," implying that state and/or local engineers want more extensive repair efforts.
Last year, an Associated Press review of state inspection reports found the Corps "was slow to respond to the debris concerns." State inspectors repeatedly found debris in the levee, but reported little response from the agency.
The Corps is spending $2 billion to bring the West Bank its first true hurricane protection system, designed to defend against a storm with a one percent likelihood of occurring in any given year.
However, West Bank officials are concerned about a potential "weak link" in the system.
Susan Maclay, president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West, said at the time she had "concerns that the integrity of the levees has been compromised."
In a report last year, Col. Ed Fleming, the New Orleans Corps district commander, found that unsuitable material "may cause a levee to settle minimally" but does not affect the structure integrity.
Fleming also pointed out the debris problems were confined to three out of 54 contracts.
The Tiger Team was most concerned about a 3.5-mile stretch of levee in Westwego, where state and local inspectors repeatedly raised questions about chunks of debris.
A Corps spokesman could not immediately say how long a stretch of levee remains in dispute.
Debris found in a West Bank levee (SLFPA-West photo)
