Principles for a Levee Safety Program
Role of levees: Levees are abundant and integral to economic development and flood risk reduction in numerous communities around the United States. The National Committee on Levee Safety estimates that tens of millions of people live and work in leveed areas. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ levee systems provide a 6:1 return ratio on flood damages prevented compared to initial costs, and more robust systems such as the Mississippi River and Tributaries system provide a 44:1 return on investment. By some estimates, nearly 50 percent of Americans live in counties with levees or related flood protection infrastructure.
Levees serve an important role in our nation’s energy framework by protecting many power plant facilities, as well as the oil, gas and petrochemical industries along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast and the agri-business economy throughout California’s Central Valley, the Mississippi Delta Region and the Midwest. Levees, floodwalls and appurtenant infrastructure protect fire and police departments, hospitals, and schools. They are critical to the viability of our overall public infrastructure network, protecting other infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railroads, port facilities and wastewater treatment plants.
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