Levee: an earthen embankment, floodwall, or structure along a water course whose purpose is flood risk reduction or water conveyance.

Federal responsibility: there is no single agency with responsibility for levee oversight nationwide. The Corps has specific and limited responsibilities for approximately 2,000 levees nationwide.

Local responsibility: the responsibilities of local levee owner or sponsor are broad and may include levee safety; land use planning and development; building codes; and operations, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation and replacement of the levee.

Levee certification: the certification of levees for FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program is the responsibility of the local levee owner or sponsor.

Federally authorized levee: typically designed and built by the Corps in cooperation with a local sponsor then turned over to a local sponsor to operate and maintain.

Non-federal levee: designed, built, and managed by a non-federal entity.

Corps funding eligibility: federally authorized and some non-federal levees may be eligible for Corps rehabilitation assistance funding.

Overtopping: water levels exceed the crest elevation of a levee and flow into protected areas. Levee may be damaged but not compromised. Flooding occurs from overflow/overwash (waves) and other sources. The levee must be inspected.

Overtopping breach: a breach whose cause is known to be a result of overtopping (system exceeded). The levee has been compromised after overtopping and must be repaired to function prior to the next event.

Breach: a rupture, break or gap whose cause has not been determined.

Failure breach: a breach for which a cause of failure is known based on an investigation to determine the cause.