OMAHA, Neb.— As of Tuesday, repairs on the Missouri River Levee System L-611-614 have returned the entirety of the levee system to its pre-flood height. Although the system has been returned to its pre-flood height, there is still an elevated risk until all of the damages on the levee system can be repaired. Repair efforts will continue on this levee system, such as relief well testing and replacement. Of the Missouri River Levee Systems, south of the Omaha Metro where the majority of the damaged levee systems occurred, this is the first to be returned to “full” height following the historical 2019 flooding.
“The USACE team, levee sponsors, and other stakeholders have worked tirelessly since the March flooding event to restore these damaged levee systems. Having the L-611-614 Levee System back to its full height is a monumental milestone in the repair process. This will provide an added level of risk reduction to the communities and landowners behind the levee as they continue their efforts to rebuild,” said Mary Darling, Project Manager for the Omaha District Systems Restoration Team.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District also awarded a $7.3M construction contract Tuesday to Midwest Construction of Nebraska City, Nebraska. This contract will repair the Papillion Creek levee systems throughout the Omaha Metro. A significant number of homes and businesses throughout the Omaha Metro rely on the Papillion Creek levee systems to reduce their flood risk, making the repair of these levee systems vitally important to the metro area and the USACE.
“In partnership with the Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District and the HDR design team, we have been focused on getting the Papillion Creek Levee Systems restored as quickly as possible, as we know how important these levee systems are to the communities that many of us work and live within,” said Eric McKinney, Project Manager for the Omaha District Systems Restoration Team.
There are more than 500 miles of levees on the Missouri, Platte and Elkhorn rivers, and tributaries that experienced significant flood damage since March 2019. Due to the magnitude of damage along these levees, repair of the levee system efforts will take an extended period of time to complete.
Omaha District’s focus remains on ensuring the safety of citizens and communicating the conditions on the river systems to all of our partners and stakeholders. The Corps continues to provide flood fight assistance to state, local and tribal government agencies.
For regular updates on the repair efforts to flood control structures in the Missouri River Basin, visit the Omaha District’s System Restoration web page at: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Omaha-District-System-Restoration-Team/.
Release no. 20-016