Repairs to the Riverdale Levee kickoff yesterday as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ officials commence construction on a damaged segment located on the left bank of the St. Joe River just upstream of St. Maries, Idaho.
Damages to the levee were caused in April and May 2012 when the St. Joe River twice exceeded flood stage. Long duration flows and multiple flood events caused damage to the Riverdale pump station outfall pipe embedded in the levee. In addition, damages reduced the levee from a 50-year flood protection level to just a 10-year level, putting local homes, businesses and infrastructure at risk.
Repairs include removing existing embankment material within the damaged pipe vicinity, replacing the pipe, reconstructing the affected embankment section, and replacing riprap armor along the riverward slope in this reach. Riverdale Drive will remain closed through mid-September while workers excavate the roadway and replace the pipe which runs under the road near the downstream end.
Construction on the $250,000 project is expected to be finished by Sept. 7, restoring the levee to its pre-flood level of protection. Under a cost-share agreement, the Corps pays for 80 percent of project costs and Riverdale Drainage District picks up the remaining 20 percent.
Throughout the planning process the Corps coordinated and worked with a number of state, local and federal agencies, including: Benewah County, Riverdale Drainage District, Coeur d’Alene Tribe Historic Preservation Office, Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho Department of Lands, and the City of St. Maries.
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Press Release, August 27, 2013