In 2019, many areas of the Missouri River experienced flooding, damaging homes and businesses along the river. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is committed to ensuring that an event like that does not cause that type of damage again.
Recently, local contractors, in coordination with the Omaha District and the Iowa Department of Transportation, performed a trial erection of flood gate panels across Highway 33 leading into Hamburg, Iowa. District engineers were present to inspect the installation procedures for the panels and see the timetable for the installation.
The flood gate panels are part of the Hamburg Ditch 6 flood emergency management closure structures. Once in place, the panels are reinforced with sandbags and packed dirt. This is intended to temporarily abate the flow of water into the city of Hamburg.
“The closure structures could take between two to six hours to put in place,” Lowell Blankers, Levee Safety Program Manager, Omaha District, said.
This time it was contractors doing the installation, but should the need arise in the future, local emergency responders will be able perform this task as well, he added.
“The contractors have done excellent getting the structure in place,” Blankers said. “It’s very good to see it.”
As part of the test installation, the footings for the posts that are the backbone of the structure were inspected and repaired. With everything tested and recorded, the structure was successfully removed and stored, hopefully not to be needed any time soon.
Hamburg made history in 2021 by becoming the first city to implement the Section 1176 Authority from the 2016 Water Resources Development Act. It is the first project of its kind in the nation to raise the height of a federal levee system. The Ditch 6 levee was raised a total of eight feet.
For additional information on the Omaha District’s Dam and Levee Safety program visit: https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Dam-and-Levee-Safety/