Levee dangers

Leaks near Lakeshore Drive raise familiar concerns about

By MEGAN DOYLE
H&N Staff Writer

June 8, 2008  

    It was a matter of hours from the time levee maintenance workers first noticed cracks in the Geary Levee in June 2006 to when it gave way.

   The Pacific Power crew was working on another levee along Upper Klamath Lake when workers saw cracks and leaks from a distance. Six hours later, the levee failed, flooding 2,000 acres of land, part of the Running Y golf course and Highway 140.

   This past week, leaks in a dike near Lakeshore Drive launched a new round of concerns about the Basin’s aging levees. 

   Homeowners who live in the Lakeshore Gardens Drainage District, which maintains the Lakeshore Drive -area levee, notified Klamath County Emergency Service over Memorial Day weekend of two spring-like leaks in the dike. Another two leaks were later identified within 40 feet of each other along the nearly one-mile levee. A fifth leak was found Saturday.

   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specialist Mike Ramsbotham said Friday the levee isn’t in imminent danger of failing, but it remains a risk and should be monitored closely.

   Since the problem was identified, crews have added rock and other material to stabilize the levee and engineers have discussed long-term solutions. Property owners are walking the levee on a regular basis, looking for changes.

   So far, the levee has held.

   It’s hoped the 2006 levee failure drew quicker attention to the problem along Lakeshore Drive , said Jon Barkee, Running Y development director.

   “It’s a serious situation,” he said, noting a levee breach can cause severe damage.

   County officials have estimated that a breach in the Moore Park levee would cause about $1.8 million in damage to the structures in the flood plain between the lake and Lakeshore Drive . Many believe Lakeshore Drive itself is at a higher elevation than the homes and is not in as much risk.

   Officials and property owners are throwing materials, money and time into the effort to prevent another levee failure.

   “We’re in better shape this time,” said Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger.

   This time, there was more notice that the levee was in bad condition and the county knew who to contact for help.

   The Klamath County Commissioners approved $20,000 from the county’s risk management fund to temporarily fix the problem.

   County Emergency Services manager Bill Thompson said they also are trying to get federal funding and assistance from the Corps of Engineers, which has sent representatives from San Francisco and Sacramento to look at the site and make recommendations.  
Inspections

   The Corps of Engineers offers an annual levee inspection program. Eligibility is partially based on the purpose of the levees, and levees must be built to prevent floods to qualify.

   Both the Geary and Moore Park levees were created to increase the lake’s storage capacity.

   Barkee said the program didn’t seem advantageous for the Running Y.

   “It seemed the program was more tailored to new construction that could be built to Corps standards,” he said.

   Many of the levees in Klamath County are privately owned and maintained.

   The Bureau of Reclamation has a division that inspects all of the levee banks owned by the Bureau, which include the A Canal.

   Some entities have trouble generating money to pay for maintenance and repairs.

   The Lakeshore Gardens Drainage District maintains the levee near Moore Park , which was built in 1927. Since then, the small taxing district has tried to maintain and repair parts of the levee, but didn’t have the expertise of people like the Corps of Engineers.

   Truckloads of rock have been dumped on the levee in hopes of slowing the leaks, at a cost of about $11,500 as of Friday night.

   Old tree roots and rodents on the levee are a source of concern — experts fear rotten roots may have caused tubes in the levee and weakened it.

Lessons learned

   After the 2006 failure, the Running Y purchased more property around the flooded area and created a secondary emergency levee further out that is still in place, Barkee said.

   It also has become more aware of what to look for.

   It’s a long and expensive process to repair a levee after it’s breached, Barkee said.

   After the break, it took about a year and a half to get the water out of where it didn’t belong. The first crop since the flood is being harvested this year. 

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Source:  http://www.heraldandnews.com/articles/2008/06/08/featured_story/

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