U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed emergency flood-fight operations on May 22 to stabilize an eroded section of the Heise-Roberts Levee System, on the Snake River near Lorenzo, Idaho, according to USACE Walla Walla District emergency managers.
High-flow conditions in the Snake River had eroded an approximately 300-feet-long segment of the Heise-Roberts Levee System, about 3.7 miles downstream from the U.S. Route 20 bridge in Jefferson County.
The levee was eroding at about 2 feet a day, eventually washing away about half of the width of the levee in that location. Immediate emergency repairs were necessary to prevent further erosion which posed a threat to the structural integrity of the levee and about 65 homes located within the leveed area.
A team of trained flood-fight specialists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, arrived on site May 16 in response to a request from Jefferson County emergency managers for help with the emergency situation.
The Corps team assessed the levee damage, determined appropriate emergency protective measures, and coordinated for construction-contract work to stabilize the levee. Jefferson County built up access roads for equipment to make it the river and coordinated access to the site with local land owners.
The emergency-repair contract was awarded by USACE to Sand Point Generating, LLC, an Alaska Native Corporation in Boise, Idaho. The contractor brought on additional crews and equipment from almost a dozen local contractors.
Contractor crews used approximately 6,500-7,000 cubic yards of rock and fill material to conduct the emergency levee repairs.
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