The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District invites public comments on a Heise-Roberts levee system repair project environmental assessment (EA). Comments are due by Jan. 29.
The Corps proposes to repair three sections of the Heise-Roberts levee system on the Snake River near Rigby, Idaho. The Heise-Roberts levee system is located in rural Madison and Jefferson Counties, Idaho, and was damaged by high flows in 2011. This levee system protects a local bed and breakfast, the approach to a railroad and highway-bridge, a wetland complex, and a canal system.
Without repair, these levees would continue to erode and may eventually fail, leading to the loss of private property and public infrastructure. As a federally constructed levee system, locally maintained to acceptable standards under the National Levee Safety Program, the Heise-Roberts levee system is eligible for emergency assistance from the Corps. On Aug. 31, 2011, the flood control district requested assistance from Corps to repair the priority sites identified during an August 2011 inspection.
The Corps invites public comments on an environmental assessment that evaluates alternatives for the project and documents the environmental effects of the project. The EA will also determine if an environmental impact statement (EIS) is necessary.
[mappress] Press Release, January 24, 2013; Image: usace