levees | 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure

ASCE commends passage of Water Resources Reform and Development Act

May 22nd, 2014 | By: Becky Moylan

Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), regarding the final passage today of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives: “Today’s congressional passage of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) is a defining moment for the nation’s ports, inland waterways, dams, levees and clean water infrastructure. The bill will provide significant funding — $12.3 billion over ten years — to modernize critical infrastructure while also promoting economic growth and job creation. “ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the nation’s ports a C, inland waterways a D-, dams a D, and levees a D-. Since the release of our 2013 Report Card, we’ve urged Congress to pass water resources legislation that would revitalize these languishing sectors. After seven years with no legislative action to modernize the nation’s water resources, this bill will definitively move the ball forward to help raise the grades on America’s infrastructure.

“ASCE applauds Congress for its decisive and bipartisan action in getting WRRDA over the finish line. This bill will ensure that our nation’s ports, waterways, dams and levees receive the funding they require so that the United States remains competitive in the 21^st century. We look forward to the legislation being signed into law by the president in the coming days.”

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, graded America’s cumulative GPA for infrastructure at a D+. The Report Card app for Apple and Android devices includes videos, interactive maps and info-graphics that tell the story behind the grades, as well as key facts for all 50 states. For more information, visit www.asce.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.

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Tags: congress, dams, infrastructure, levees, ports, water, water infrastructure, wrrda
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ASCE Applauds U.S. Senate Conference Report on Water Resources Reform and Development Act

May 15th, 2014 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

Washington, D.C. — The following is a statement from Randall (Randy) S. Over, P.E., F.ASCE, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) regarding the conference report on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act by the U.S. Senate: “Today’s release of the conference report on the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) represents a major victory in providing the necessary funding to modernize the nation’s ports, inland waterways, dams and levees. The bill promotes economic growth and job creation through policies that strengthen U.S. infrastructure, allowing the United States to remain competitive in the 21^st century. “ASCE’s 2013 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure graded the nation’s ports a C, inland waterways a D-, dams a D, and levees a D-. Our nation’s water resources are critical to our economy, our infrastructure, public safety, and the preservation and enhancement of our environmental resources. In fact, ASCE’s Failure to Act economic study on the nation’s marine ports and inland waterways shows that underinvesting in just these two sectors threatens more than one million U.S. jobs and $270 billion in U.S. exports by 2020. “WRRDA will drastically reduce the time it takes for project approvals by consolidating or eliminating duplicative studies, allowing concurrent reviews, and streamlining environmental reviews. The significant reforms in the law are not at the expense of environmental quality and will allow for a stronger, safer national water resources infrastructure. In addition, ASCE applauds the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program, the strengthening of the Levee Safety Initiative, and the efforts to put the trust back into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund so that our nation’s ports can remain competitive on a global level. “ASCE is pleased that Congress has collaborated on a final conference report on WRRDA to invest in America’s future. This decisive action will ensure that our nation’s ports, waterways, dams and levees receive much-needed funding. We look forward to the final vote next week and the legislation being signed into law by the president.” Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 145,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society.

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Tags: congress, dams, infrastructure, levees, ports, water, wrrda
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How WRDA Can Reduce Risks and Costs of Future Floods

June 6th, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

In a Monday briefing, representatives from the Association of State Floodplain Managers, National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, and the Nature Conservancy gathered to discuss the opportunities in the proposed WRDA bill to reduce flood risks and the potential damages from flood disasters. The nation’s dam and levee system is characterized by low system integration, having been constructed in an ad hoc manner, with little to no regard for the effects beyond the immediate applications. Because dams and levees are often constructed by localities to serve the needs of their constituents, there is no full register of all the existing dams and levees in the United States. Many of the known dams and levees are reaching or exceeding their designed operating age of 50 years, creating a pressing need for a National Levee Safety Program. Recently built dams are constructed to withstand the 100 year flood. However, according to Dr. Professor Mathias Kondolf of U.C.-Berkeley, a house with a 30 year mortgage built in a floodplain area has an aggregate 26 percent chance of being flooded over the course of the mortgage. Since they are living under the protection of a 100 year dam, houses in these areas often do not have flood insurance and have not taken steps to protect themselves, such as elevating the structure, from flood waters. Dr. Kondolf continued on to say that the aim of modern dams is to “filter out the small floods,” but that they do not protect from “the big ones.” In many areas historically prone to flooding and flood damage, the presence of protective structures has actually drawn increased levels of business and personal development. This risk intensification was borne out in areas damaged by Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina when levees holding back ocean water failed. Floods, in their natural form, are healthy for and necessary parts of an ecosystem. In fact, without the floods of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers carrying silt and material, the Mississippi Delta around which New Orleans is built would not exist. Disaster arises when a dam or levee is built and people are allowed to build and live in what was the floodplain. When a flood does breach the wall, the costs can be astronomical. The hazards out flood disasters can be mitigated by analyzing and appropriately managing flood-vulnerable areas. By adopting policies known in the Netherlands as “room for the rivers,” the effects of floods on human activities can be mitigated. Some recommendations in accord with this are to set levees further back from the main flow of water, thus allowing any flood to proceed more naturally, or to designate areas of land that to be used as flood bypasses during times of high flood waters. However, the availability of these lands during dry times can induce development. All representatives present at Monday’s briefing agreed that, as a rule, “non-structural” approaches such as giving the river room, building houses above flood level, and creating natural drainage channels around cities are best suited to provide long-term protection. Ultimately, WRDA is an essential bill to plan and manage the nation’s waterways and flood preparedness. It is necessary to establish national guidelines for dams and levees, provide money to repair levees, and establish a comprehensive database of levees in the country. Cost-sharing, imposing per-project caps, and creating a national floodplain management plan will allow the legislation to provide the greatest amount of benefit.

Tags: congress, dams, levees, natural disasters, water infrastructure, water resources development act
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Kansas and Missouri Both Earn C- in New State Report Cards

May 22nd, 2013 | By: America's Infrastructure Report Card

According to civil engineers in Kansas and Missouri, the states have an imperative to improve their inadequate infrastructure systems if they hope to boost their economies. Today marks the release of both the 2013 Report Card for Missouri’s Infrastructure and the 2013 Report Card for Kansas’s Infrastructure. Engineers in each state spent the last year analyzing 9 and 11 categories in Kansas and Missouri respectively, assigning cumulative grades of C- for both.

Tom Jacobs, P.E., Report Card Committee Co-Chair for Kansas, accompanied the news by impressing upon elected officials the need to do better. “To our elected officials I only ask this question: is a C- good enough? I certainly hope not. We did not elect you to build a C- state. Our roads, levees, bridges and dams need long-term investment in order to have long-term success.” “Our state’s future is dependent upon whether we can attract businesses and allow them to thrive” said Steve Randolph, P.E., President of the ASCE St. Louis Section. “A C- means that businesses cannot reliably and effectively move goods in an ever-changing global marketplace. If we are serious about creating jobs and building a strong economy, then we must also be serious about investing in our infrastructure.” Each state’s grade was the aggregate of various individual sectors, ranging from Aviation and Energy, to Levees and Wastewater. The grades for each state are broken down as follows: KANSAS

Aviation earned a C. Twenty-five percent of Kansas’ airports with paved runways need improvement. System-wide, only 36 percent of Kansas airports meet the benchmark for clear approaches to the primary runway.
Bridges were awarded a D+, in part due to Kansas’s nearly 3,000 structurally deficient bridges. Only five states have more structurally deficient bridges than Kansas.
Dams earned the lowest grade of a D-. Of the state’s 6,087 dams, 230 are classified as high hazard, meaning failure would likely lead to loss of life and significant property damage.
Drinking Water earned a C. Presently, there are no dedicated revenue streams to support the necessary funding to support the Kansas’ Water Plan initiatives.
Energy was awarded a C-. Kansas ranks in the top ten for crude oil production and has one of the richest natural gas fields in the United States.
Levees earned a C-, in part due to the fact that there are no consistent standards or regulations governing the maintenance and ongoing inspection of levees in the State.
Railroads earned a C. Kansas has the sixth largest rail system in the United States. Funding sources for the long-term investments have not been identified yet.
Roads earned the highest grade of a C+. A decrease in federal and state funding levels has a direct impact on the quality of roads in Kansas, from safety to pavement condition.
Schools earned a C+. There was a huge expansion in the 1950s where the amount of schools in Kansas more than doubled. These building are now 60 years old and many are in need of major repair or replacement.

MISSOURI

Aviation earned a C grade, in part due to the fact that over the next five years, a shortfall of slightly more than $81 million is anticipated for MO’s aviation sector.
Bridges was awarded a C-.Missouri has 339 functionally obsolete bridges (12 percent of Missouri’s bridge inventory). Missouri has the 19th lowest percentage in the country.
Dams received the lowest grade of D-. Missouri has 1,588 high hazard dams (meaning failure would likely lead to loss of life and significant property damage), and 3,511 significant or low hazard dams.
Drinking Water earned a C-. Even though Missouri has an abundance of water for serving its communities, its aging water treatment and distribution systems are struggling to keep up with current demand.
Energy earned a D+. Missouri’s shift away from coal and toward more sustainable energy systems, is requiring increased investment in generation facilities, transmission and distribution networks.
Inland Waterways was awarded a D. Each year the Missouri River carries 8 million tons of cargo, throughout its navigable length. The Mississippi River carries 58 million tons to the mouth of the Missouri River, and 189 million tons to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Levees were awarded a C-. It is estimated that 85 percent of Missouri’s levees are not a part of the National Levee Database.
Railroads received a C. In order to meet future travel demands, greater funding and much greater support from the State will be necessary.
Roads earned a C. The last time the state of Missouri passed a piece of transportation funding-related legislation was in 2004. The funding generated by the bill allowed for 2,200 miles of the state’s busiest highways to be smoother and safer, sped up 55 critical highway projects and allowed $1.6 billion in new construction.
Schools earned a C, in part due to education budget cuts and a lack of long-term funding.
Wastewater earned a C-. The state of Missouri has a network of established wastewater systems that have been functionally serving citizens for over 50 years in some locations.