L611-614 Levee Restoration Information

Background: The L-611-614 Missouri River Left Bank and Upper Pony Creek Ditch Levee System experienced significant damage during the 2019 Flood Event.  This led to three (3) breaches, along with substantial other damages, occurring throughout the Levee System.This construction contract was awarded on 26 Apr 2019. These initial repairs are directed at stopping the flow from the Missouri River into the area behind the levee system and providing an incremental level of flood risk management. Follow-on actions to further repair the levee system and provide additional flood risk management are being coordinated within the PL 84-99 program.
 
Current Action: Complete initial levee repairs including placing cohesive material and conducting relief well testing. 
 

Restoration Activities:

 

Initial Breach Repair #1 – South of Hwy 34

Initial Repairs Contract

Contractor

Western Contracting Corp. from Sioux City, IA

IE-Weston Federal Services JVB LLC from Pasco, WA

Contract Amount

$6.2M

$13.1M

Contract Award

April 26, 2019

September 7, 2019

Construction Start

April 27, 2019

September 7, 2019

Estimated
Completion

September 3, 2019

January 10, 2020

Status Updates:

03 February 2021 - The contractor is approximately 90 percent complete with the final levee repair efforts currently under contract including relief well installation and work on the inlet and outlet breach locations. As the required real estate is secured by the levee sponsors, the remaining levee repair areas (inlet and outlet breach locations) can be added to the contract.

08 September 2020 - The contractor is approximately 90 percent complete with the final levee repair efforts currently under contract. The team is working to finalize the final repair designs at the inlet and outlet breach locations.

16 July 2020 - The contractor is approximately 87 percent complete with the interim levee repair project. The team is also working to finalize the design for the final levee repair project.

10 June 2020 - The levee system has been brought back to its full, pre-flood height, and the contractor is approximately 85 percent complete with the interim levee repair project. The team is also working to complete the design for the final levee repair project.

08 May 2020 - The levee system has been brought back to its full, pre-flood height, and the contractor is approximately 85 percent complete with the interim levee repair project.

23 April 2020 - The contractor is repairing riverside scour locations and is approximately 83 percent complete with the interim levee repair project.

10 April 2020 - The contractor is repairing riverside scour locations and is approximately 80 percent complete with the interim levee repair project.

16 March 2020 - The contractor is currently placing surfacing material on the levee crest and cleaning/inspecting drainage structures along the levee system. The team has also completed relief well testing.

04 March 2020 - The entire L-611-614 levee system has been brought back to its pre-flood height. The contractor is currently placing cohesive material and conducting relief well testing. 

13 February 2020 - The entire L-611-614 levee system has been brought back to its pre-flood height. The contractor is currently placing cohesive material and conducting relief well testing. 

31 January 2020 - The entire L-611-614 levee system has been brought back to its pre-flood height with the exception of an approximate one-mile stretch just upstream of the outlet breach. The contractor is currently placing cohesive material and conducting relief well testing. 

10 January 2020 - The contractor is continuing repair efforts on riverside scour at the inlet breach location. 

18 December 2019 - The outlet breach was closed on 06 December 2019. This is the first left bank Missouri River levee system that was damaged by the 2019 flooding to be fully closed, providing an initial level of flood risk management to an entire area behind the levee system. Critical section loss and crest repairs at the outlet breach are substantially complete. 

06 December 2019 - The contractor is approximately 80 percent complete with critical section loss repairs and has begun mining and placing sand at the outlet breach; however, closure of the outlet breach is delayed to allow the area behind the levee to drain as water levels recede on the Missouri River.

22 November 2019 - The contractor is approximately 70 percent complete with critical section loss repairs and has begun mining and placing sand at the outlet breach.

08 November 2019 - The team continues to conduct resiliency and interim repairs throughout the L611-614 levee system. This includes enhancing initial breach repairs, repairing areas that experienced significant erosion during the March 2019 flood event, and restoring the levee crest to provide construction access throughout the system.

24 October 2019 - The team continues to conduct resiliency and interim repairs throughout the L611-614 levee system. This includes enhancing initial breach repairs, repairing areas that experienced significant erosion during the March 2019 flood event, and restoring the levee crest to provide construction access throughout the system.

13 October 2019 - The contractor continues work on the large scour sections around the Highway 34 Bridge and is staging clay material that will be utilized to increase the resiliency of the repaired sections.

27 September 2019 – Permanent seeding of the initial breach closure area is scheduled to be complete this week. Upon completion, the Contractor will start work on the large scour sections around the Highway 34 Bridge and place clay on the sand berm side slopes.

13 September 2019 – The contract for the next phase of repairs was awarded to IE-Weston Federal Services JVB LLC of Pasco, WA in the amount of $13,101,945 on 07 SEP 2019 with a period of performance of 120 days.  One of the focuses of this contract will be repairing the southern “outlet” breach.

06 September 2019 – The final inspection for the initial breach repair efforts was conducted on 03 September 2019 and the contractor is now preparing to de-mobilize from the site.  Proposals have been received on the contract to complete follow-on interim repair efforts and it is anticipated that this contract will be awarded by early next week.  These efforts will focus on repairs other critical sections along the levee system as well as the outlet breach on the southern end of the levee system.

29 August 2019 – The final inspection is scheduled for 03 September 2019.  

23 August 2019 – All work is scheduled to be substantially complete by 23 August with minor work remaining the week of 26 August.  

13 August 2019 – Construction of the clay levee, including mod work to increase the height of the clay levee to match the existing adjacent levee height is  approximately 95% complete. A site walk was conducted on 09 August 2019 in order to review the scope of work with the contractors prior to opening the contract to bids.

31 July 2019 – The Contractor has completed sand berm construction. Clay levee construction commenced on 15 July 2019. The Government is in the process of modifying the contract to increase the design height of the clay levee to match the existing adjacent levee height. All work is scheduled to be complete by mid-August. The follow-on interim repair contract is currently awaiting the award of the R-616-613/R-613 Contract, so that it can be advertised to the contractor pool.

22 July 2019 – Statement of work is being finalized and then will await award of the R616-613 contract.

08 July 2019 The Contractor continues to widen the sand berm closure pad in preparation for the clay levee to be built on top of the sand berm pad. Clay levee construction will likely start later this week.

20 June 2019 – The Contractor continues to widen the sand berm closure pad in preparation for the clay levee to be built on top of the sand berm pad. Clay levee construction will likely start in late June or early July 2019.

12 June 2019 – The priority breach was initially closed on 12 June 2019.  This closure stops inflows through the breach and will allow for follow-on construction activities to further increase the level of flood risk management provided by the repaired levee section.

11 June 2019 – Super saturated conditions at the breach location directly west of the mouth of the Platte River required a redesign of the haul road. A significant portion of the initially constructed sand berm was inundated and eroded during the late May high water event. Since that event, the remaining sand berm has been raised to a higher elevation to better protect and ensure the stability of the repair. The contractor began extending the sand berm toward the southern tie-in point on 3 June 2019 and is anticipated to have the breach initially closed within the next week.

NOAA River Level Observations & Forecasts

NOAA Water Gauge Levels

L611-614 Levee Imagery

The contractor continues repair efforts on the L-611-614 system, focusing on improving the resiliency of the repaired locations that have been returned to their pre-flood elevations.
The outlet breach on the Missouri River Levee System L-611-614 was closed on December 6, 2019. This is the first of the Missouri River Levee Systems damaged during the 2019 flooding to be fully closed, restoring an interim level of flood risk management to the entire area behind the levee system.
USACE conducts site visit of the L611-614 Levee System prior to the final inspection Aug. 24, 2019.
Levee L611-614 outlet breach documented Aug. 24, 2019 during USACE site visit.
Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June, 20, 2019.
Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June, 20, 2019.
Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June, 20, 2019.
Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June, 20, 2019.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District completes the initial breach closure on levee L611-614 near Sioux City, Iowa June 12, 2019. The L611-614 Levee System lies directly east of the confluence of the Platte River (River Mile 595).
L611-614 South of HWY34 Looking Downstream Mar.14, 2019. (Photo by USACE, Omaha District)
L611-614 South of HWY34 Looking Downstream Mar.14, 2019. (Photo by USACE, Omaha District)
View at site of breached levee 611-614 near Highway 34 near Council Bluffs, Iowa May 5, 2019, prior to construction of haul road to be used to access levee for repairs.
View at site of breached levee 611-614 near Highway 34 near Council Bluffs, Iowa May 6, 2019 during construction of haul road, which will be used to access the levee to make repairs.
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 6, 2019
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 9, 2019.
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 9, 2019.
Image of USACE work in progress to repair levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa, May 9, 2019.
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Aerial view of closed breach on levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa June 13, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Offutt Aero Club).
Image shows initial breach closure at Levee L611-614 June 12, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Aerial view of breach along Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa July 1, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Col. John Hudson and USACE Omaha District employees review progress on Levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Documentation showing USACE Omaha District progress at levee L611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 25, 2019
Aerial photo from the south side of the completed levee setback on L611-614 Levee System taken Sept. 1, 2019.
Aerial photo from the north side of the completed levee setback on L611-614 Levee System taken Sept. 1, 2019.
Aerial view of the southern outlet breach on the L611-614 Levee System. USACE Photo photo taken on Sept. 10, 2019.

Video Gallery

Video by Dr. Michael Izard
USACE Omaha District Progress on Levee L611-614 Aug. 23, 2019
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District
Aug. 23, 2019 | 1:15
Col. John Hudson, Commander USACE Omaha District provides an update on the work being done on Levee 611-614 near Council Bluffs, Iowa Aug. 23, 2019.
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