Winter won’t stop work on the L-536 levee

Despite winter conditions, work continues on the L-536 levee setback south of Rock Port, Missouri.

According to the Army Corps, repairs to the original in-line portion of the levee are scheduled to be substantially complete within the next month. Construction of the levee setback portion of the project continues despite the freezing temperatures.

The project is utilizing eight heated tents to condition cohesive material so it can be placed along the setback alignment. Conditions in the tents allow for drying of the material and placement of up to 6,000 cubic yards of material per day.

Four structures span 40,000 Square feet each with the remaining four averaging 30,000 square feet each. The tents range from 4 to 5 stories in height with internal temperatures nearing 80 F. This is a progressive solution that allows work to continue when other similar jobs would be required to shut down due to winter conditions.

Although significant strides have been made in repairing the over 350 miles of levees across the Lower Missouri River Basin that were damaged following the historic floods of 2019, a heightened level of flood risk remains for the communities and landowners behind these damaged levee systems as repair efforts remain ongoing.

This risk is higher than it was prior to the flood event because the levees are comprised of a series of components that all function together to create a complete levee system, and until all of these components, (such as seepage berms and relief wells) are repaired, the system does not fully provide the same level of flood risk reduction as it did in its pre-flood condition.

USACE will continue working with other federal partners to communicate the conditions on the river systems as they look towards the 2021 run-off season. When severe weather and/or heavy precipitation is forecasted, the public is encouraged to keep in contact with their local emergency managers for the latest conditions in their area, concluded the Corps.