A levee system is a flood protection system that consists of a levee, or levees, and associated structures, such as closure and drainage devices, which are constructed and operated in accordance with sound engineering practices. A levee is a manmade structure, usually an earthen embankment, designed and constructed in accordance with sound engineering practices to contain, control, or divert the flow of water so as to provide protection from temporary flooding. As part of the flood mapping process, the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its State and local mapping partners review levee system data and documentation. It is the levee owner's or community's responsibility to provide data and documentation to demonstrate that a levee system meets National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements as described in Title 44, Chapter 1, Section 65.10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (44 CFR Section 65.10), which you may view on the FEMA Web site at www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/ fhm/lv_fpm.shtm. To be recognized as providing a 1-percent-annual-chance level of flood protection on the modernized NFIP maps, called Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), levee systems must meet and continue to meet the minimum design, operation, and maintenance standards (44 CFR Section 65.10).. To help clarify the responsibilities of community officials, levee owners, or other parties seeking recognition of a levee system identified during a study/mapping project, FEMA issued Procedure Memorandum No. 34 (PM 34), Interim Guidance for Studies Including Levees, on August 22, 2005. PM 34 provided clarification of the procedures provided in Appendix H of FEMA's Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners. FEMA issued Revised Procedure Memorandum No. 43, Guidelines for Identifying Provisionally Accredited Levees, on March 16, 2007, which allows issuance of preliminary and, in some cases, effective DFIRMs while communities/levee owners compile and submit required data and documentation. FEMA issued Procedure Memorandum No. 45, Revisions to Accredited Levee and Provisionally Accredited Levee Notations, in April 2008 to clarify map notes for accredited and provisionally accredited levee systems. This document provides information regarding the types of data and documentation that must be submitted for levee systems to be accredited on DFIRMs, including a checklist and an index of further resources you may wish to consult. HOW FEMA WILL MAP LEVEE SYSTEMS FEMA mapping requirements are designed to provide the people living and working behind levee systems with accurate, up-to-date flood hazard and risk information so that they may make wise decisions to minimize damage and loss of life. FEMA does not evaluate the performance of a levee system-this is the responsibility of the levee owner. FEMA is responsible for establishing levee system evaluation and mapping standards, determining flood insurance risk zones, and reflecting these determinations on DFIRMs. Design Criteria* Section of the NFIP Regulations: 65.10(b) Description: For levee systems to be recognized (i.e., accredited) by FEMA, evidence that adequate design and operation and maintenance systems are in place to provide reasonable assurance that protection from the base flood exists must be provided. The following requirements must be met: Checklist for Design Criteria: Freeboard. Minimum freeboard required 3 feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) all along length, and an additional 1 foot within 100 feet of structures (such as bridges) or wherever the flow is restricted. Additional 0.5 foot at the upstream end of a levee. Coastal levees have special freeboard requirements (see Paragraphs 65.10(b)(1)(iii) and (iv)). Closures. All openings must be provided with closure devices that are structural parts of the system during operation and designed according to sound engineering practice. Embankment Protection. Engineering analyses must be submitted that demonstrate that no appreciable erosion of the levee embankment can be expected during the base flood, as a result of either currents or waves, and that anticipated erosion will not result in failure of the levee embankment or foundation directly or indirectly through reduction of the seepage path and subsequent instability. Embankment and Foundation Stability Analyses. Engineering analyses that evaluate levee embankment stability must be submitted. The analyses provided must evaluate expected seepage during loading conditions associated with the base flood and must demonstrate that seepage into or through the levee foundation and embankment will not jeopardize embankment or foundation stability. An alternative analysis demonstrating that the levee is designed and constructed for stability against loading conditions for Case IV as defined in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Manual 1110-2-1913, Design and Construction of Levees, (Chapter 6, Section II), may be used. Settlement Analyses. Engineering analyses must be submitted that assess the potential and magnitude of future losses of freeboard as a result of levee settlement and demonstrate that freeboard will be maintained. This analysis must address embankment loads, compressibility of embankment soils, compressibility of foundation soils, age of the levee system, and construction compaction methods. In addition, detailed settlement analysis using procedures such as those described in USACE Engineer Manual 1110-1-1904, Soil Mechanics Design- Settlement Analysis, must be submitted. Interior Drainage. An analysis must be submitted that identifies the source(s) of such flooding, the extent of the flooded area, and, if the average depth is greater than 1 foot, the water-surface elevation(s) of the base flood. This analysis must be based on the joint probability of interior and exterior flooding and the capacity of facilities (such as drainage lines and pumps) for evacuating interior floodwaters. Operation Plan* Paragraph 65.10(c)(1) of the NFIP Regulations Description: For a levee system to be recognized (i.e., accredited), the operational criteria must be as described below. All closure devices or mechanical systems for internal drainage, whether manual or automatic, must be operated in accordance with an officially adopted operation manual, a copy of which must be provided to FEMA by the operator when levee or drainage system recognition is being sought or when the manual for a previously recognized system is revised in any manner. All operations must be under the jurisdiction of a Federal or State agency, an agency created by Federal or State law, or an agency of a community participating in the NFIP. Checklist for Operation Plan: Flood Warning System. Documentation of the flood warning system, under the jurisdiction of Federal, State, or community officials that will be used to trigger emergency operation activities; and demonstration that sufficient flood warning time exists for the completed operation of all closure structures, including necessary sealing, before floodwaters reach the base of the closure. Plan of Operation. A formal plan of operation including specific actions and assignments of responsibility by individual name or title. Periodic Operation of Closures. Provisions for periodic operation, at not less than one-year intervals, of the closure structure for testing and training purposes. Interior Drainage Plan. See below. Interior Drainage Plan Paragraph 65.10(c)(2) of the NFIP Regulations Description: Interior drainage systems associated with levee systems usually include storage areas, gravity outlets, pumping stations, or a combination thereof. These drainage systems will be recognized by FEMA on NFIP maps for flood protection purposes only if the following minimum criteria are included in the operation plan. Checklist for Interior Drainage Plan: Flood Warning System. Documentation of the flood warning system, under the jurisdiction of Federal, State, or community officials that will be used to trigger emergency operation activities; and demonstration that sufficient flood warning time exists to permit activation of mechanized portions of the drainage system. Plan of Operation. A formal plan of operation including specific actions and assignments of responsibility by individual name or title. Manual Backup. Provision for manual backup for the activation of automatic systems. Periodic Inspection. Provisions for periodic inspection of interior drainage systems and periodic operation of any mechanized portions for testing and training purposes. No more than 1 year shall elapse between either the inspections or the operations. Maintenance Plan Paragraph 65.10(d) of the NFIP Regulations Description: For levee systems to be recognized as providing protection from the base flood (i.e., accredited by FEMA), the maintenance criteria must be as described herein. Checklist for Maintenance Plan: Levee systems must be maintained in accordance with an officially adopted maintenance plan, and a copy of this plan must be provided to FEMA by the owner of the levee system when recognition is being sought or when the plan for a previously recognized system is revised in any manner. All maintenance activities must be under the jurisdiction of a Federal or State agency, an agency created by Federal or State law, or an agency of a community participating in the NFIP that must assume ultimate responsibility for maintenance. This plan must document the formal procedure that ensures that the stability, height, and overall integrity of the levee and its associated structures and systems are maintained. At a minimum, the plan shall specify the maintenance activities to be performed, the frequency of their performance, and the person by name or title responsible for their performance. Certification Paragraph 65.10(e) of the NFIP Regulations Description: Data submitted to support that a given levee system complies with the structural requirements set forth in "Design Criteria" (Paragraphs 65.10(b)(1) through (7) of the regulations) must be certified by a Registered Professional Engineer. Also, certified "as-built" plans of the levee must be submitted. Certifications are subject to the definition given in Section 65.2 of the NFIP regulations. In lieu of these structural requirements, a Federal agency with responsibility for levee design may certify that the levee has been adequately designed and constructed to provide protection from the base flood. Checklist for Certification Requirement: All data submitted is certified by Professional Engineer or certified by a Federal agency. Certified as-built levee plans are included in the submittal. CHECKLIST INFORMATION The checklist provided in this fact sheet is meant to assist local community officials and levee owners in gathering the data and documentation that will be required for FEMA to show a levee system as providing 1-percent-annual-chance flood protection on the community's DFIRM. Where possible, text from the actual NFIP regulations (44 CFR Section 65.10) was used. The checklist is set up according to the appropriate paragraph of 44 CFR Section 65.10. For example, Design Criteria can be found in Paragraph 65.10(b): For a comprehensive description of each item in this checklist, please see Appendix H of the Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners. Locations of this resource, and other useful resources, are provided below. INDEX OF RESOURCES This fact sheet is accessible, along with an assortment of other levee-related resources, through a dedicated portion of the FEMA Web site. The gateway to the FEMA-provided levee information, which is organized by stakeholder group to assist levee owners, community officials, and other stakeholders, is www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/lv_intro.shtm. The FEMA resources referenced in this fact sheet, listed below, are directly accessible through www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/fhm/lv_fpm.shtm. * Procedure Memorandum No. 34, Interim Guidance for Studies Including Levees * Revised Procedure Memorandum No. 43, Guidelines for Identifying Provisionally Accredited Levees. * Procedure Memorandum No. 45, Revisions to Accredited Levee and Provisionally Accredited Levee Notations * Appendix H, "Mapping of Areas Protected by Levee Systems," of Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners. * Section 65.10. Mapping of Areas Protected by Levee Systems of the NFIP regulations. Flood insurance information can be found at www.fema.gov/business/nfip or on the NFIP's consumer Web site, www.FloodSmart.gov. Links to the USACE Web site also are provided on the levee-dedicated pages; the resources discussed in this fact sheet are accessible through the USACE Web page at www.usace.army.mil/publications/eng-manuals. Meeting the Criteria for Accrediting Levee Systems on NFIP Flood Maps How-to-Guide for Floodplain Managers and Engineers