The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has created a more comprehensive and rigorous levee inspection system under its Levee Safety Program to aid district offices in communicating to local levee sponsors and the public the overall condition of the levee system and recommending actions to reduce flood risk.

The levee inspection system is a set of technologies that provides a tailored solution for levee inspection. Using a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), and Microsoft Access database software, the system operates on a laptop computer running Microsoft Windows .

The Levee Inspection System allows users to collect real-time data in the field using common commercial GPS receivers. By using the GPS, the accuracy of data collection is enhanced and, through an automated alerting feature, allows the inspector to more easily find and verify the locations of deficiencies during subsequent inspections.

Additional ease is incorporated into the data collection process by providing the inspector with data-entry tools to record the attributes of the deficiencies, enter remarks and recommended actions, and provide a rating and status.

The Levee Inspection System also provides tools for managing digital photos, thereby reducing the amount of time spent renaming, copying, and updating database records.

The local USACE district office will provide inspection results to the local levee sponsor. Local levee sponsors will then use the inspection report information to communicate with affected stakeholders, inform future actions, and address deficiencies as needed.

The Corps of Engineers has constructed about 10,500 miles of levees and floodwalls for flood damage reduction, most of which have been assigned to non-federal sponsors for operation and maintenance.

 

 For questions, comments or more information click here to email the Vicksburg District Public Affairs Office