Repairs to the Salzer Creek levee commence today as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ officials begin repairs to a 100-foot-long damaged segment on the levee’s right bank, adjacent to the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lewis County, Wash.
The $185,000 project will repair damages from a November 2012 flood event which caused a 30-foot-long slope failure, cracking in the levee slope and scour damage. Damages reduced the levee’s flood defense from a 10-year flood protection level to just a 2-year level.
Repairs include the removal and reconstruction of the failed embankment portion and re-grading the levee slope. To provide additional scour protection to the riverward slope, willow stakes will be planted at the ordinary high-water line and topsoil and hydroseed will be placed on all disturbed slopes. At the conclusion of construction, re-grading and restorative gravel replacement will be performed on the levee driving surface.
“While damages occurred in November 2012, our dedicated team was able to get a quick turn around on documentation and consultation so we are able to complete repairs prior to the next flood season, ” said Brian Nelson, the Corps’ Seattle District Levee Rehabilitation Program Manager.
Construction is expected to be complete by mid-October and will restore the levee to its pre-flood level of protection. Under a cost-share agreement, the Corps funds 80 percent of project costs and Lewis County picks up the remaining 20 percent.
Throughout the planning process the Corps coordinated with Lewis County, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
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Press Release, September 26, 2013