FangKC wrote: ↑Sun Oct 22, 2023 5:45 pm It doesn't matter how big you make a levee. Levees are only a solution if the water against them is only for a short period. Prolonged floods that hold water up against the levee can weaken it, and water can percolate and bubble up on the other side of the levee in what is called a sand boil.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_boil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levee_breach
A flooded river is also different from a lake. Earthen dams with lakes behind them have a different level of pressure than a flooded river with a strong current pushing against it while wet.
Pumps fail. Ask New Orleans about that.
How will the region benefit from the improvements?
https://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Mega-Pro ... vees/FAQs/When completed in 2026, the Kansas Citys Levees Program improvements will reduce the annual risk of overtopping by nearly 200%, improve the reliability and resiliency of the levee and floodwall system as well as:
Improve deteriorated infrastructure;
Strengthen infrastructure to ensure performance during future floods; and
Improve levee safety and flood awareness.
The completed project will reduce the potential for loss of life, economic consequences and environmental impacts.
Levee systems reduce the chance of flooding, but they cannot eliminate all flood risk. That's why program benefits are maximized when local governments and stakeholders understand and act on their shared responsibility for flood-risk management by:
Managing floodplain uses and choices to help limit flood-related damages;
Putting in place effective safety, evacuation and continuity plans and processes; and
Educating the public about steps they can take to reduce flood-related risks and impacts.