How To Keep Levees From Failing

Here's a follow-up to yesterday's post about the sorry state of levees not just in New Orleans but here in California as well. It comes from a friend who's a flood control engineer -- a witty flood control engineer. Rare breed, indeed.

Sacramento's concerns are primarily with the Delta and vicinity levees, not those out here in the provinces. The big failure 10 or so years ago just settled. About a half BILLION dollars of State liability. Someone will need to tug pretty hard on Arnold's sleeve to get his attention [to So.Cal. levees].

There are two unfortunate things about levees. First, they are treated with benign neglect and not like the hazards they are. I think that they should be classified as dams, and designed, constructed, and maintained to the standard of care required for dams, which also can fail, release water suddenly, and cause loss of life. For levees to be treated like dams, the Cobey-Alquist Act would need to be amended. Now, the Act exempts levees. Probably in recognition of the monumental costs of maintaining the Delta levees, which the State wished to avoid.

Which leads to the second thing - most levees and miscellaneous highway and RR embankments that act like levees are someone else's. Those deriving protection from something thrown up by mules and Fresno scrapers get something for nothing, at least temporarily. I keep a famous quote in mind when considering how people depend on unintentional flood control protection:

Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.

Blanche DuBois, from A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)