US Army Corps of Engineers
Walla Walla District Website

News Releases by Month

September 2020 (1)
August 2020 (5)
July 2020 (9)
June 2020 (5)
May 2020 (6)
April 2020 (3)
March 2020 (9)
February 2020 (7)
January 2020 (2)
December 2019 (4)
November 2019 (5)
October 2019 (2)
September 2019 (5)
August 2019 (8)
July 2019 (13)
June 2019 (12)
May 2019 (21)
April 2019 (18)
March 2019 (8)
February 2019 (13)
January 2019 (6)
December 2018 (4)
November 2018 (5)
October 2018 (7)
September 2018 (15)
August 2018 (18)
July 2018 (15)
June 2018 (13)
May 2018 (14)
April 2018 (10)
March 2018 (10)
February 2018 (14)
January 2018 (4)
December 2017 (4)
November 2017 (8)
October 2017 (4)
September 2017 (10)
August 2017 (14)
July 2017 (5)
June 2017 (9)
May 2017 (15)
April 2017 (12)
March 2017 (26)
February 2017 (6)
January 2017 (12)
December 2016 (12)
November 2016 (6)
October 2016 (6)
September 2016 (8)
August 2016 (9)
July 2016 (8)
June 2016 (16)
May 2016 (10)
April 2016 (8)
March 2016 (7)
February 2016 (6)
January 2016 (1)
December 2015 (1)
November 2015 (5)
October 2015 (5)
September 2015 (12)
August 2015 (8)
July 2015 (6)
June 2015 (8)
May 2015 (5)
April 2015 (4)
March 2015 (9)
February 2015 (8)
January 2015 (7)
December 2014 (4)
November 2014 (11)
October 2014 (5)
September 2014 (12)
August 2014 (10)
July 2014 (9)
June 2014 (6)
May 2014 (12)
April 2014 (6)
March 2014 (10)
February 2014 (9)
January 2014 (3)
December 2013 (3)
November 2013 (4)
October 2013 (6)
September 2013 (7)
August 2013 (5)
July 2013 (8)
June 2013 (4)
May 2013 (13)
April 2013 (5)
March 2013 (8)
February 2013 (9)
January 2013 (5)
December 2012 (6)
November 2012 (8)
October 2012 (7)
September 2012 (8)
August 2012 (6)
July 2012 (8)
June 2012 (14)
May 2012 (16)
April 2012 (13)
March 2012 (12)
February 2012 (8)
January 2012 (3)
December 2011 (6)
November 2011 (7)
October 2011 (13)
September 2011 (14)
August 2011 (11)
July 2011 (11)
June 2011 (35)
May 2011 (21)
April 2011 (11)
March 2011 (9)
February 2011 (20)
January 2011 (7)

Corps completes West Richland levee system periodic inspection

Published Feb. 18, 2011

WEST RICHLAND, Wash. –  The West Richland levee system, which is operated and maintained by Benton County Diking District No. 1, received an overall system rating of “minimally acceptable” following its most recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers periodic inspection report finalized on Nov. 4, 2010. 

The levee system’s “minimally acceptable” rating means it remains eligible to apply for federal rehabilitation assistance if it is damaged in a flood or storm event. Corps of Engineers project ratings do not determine final eligibility under the National Flood Insurance Program, a FEMA-managed program. Certification documentation is the responsibility of the levee sponsor. For information concerning the National Flood Insurance Program in relation to this levee system, contact the levee sponsor or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The West Richland levee system is located along the west bank of the Yakima River in Benton County, Washington. The project was completed in 1963, and consists of approximately 5,885 feet of right bank levee embankment along the Yakima River. The levee protects numerous residential homes and properties west of the Yakima River.

“Public safety is the number one goal of the National Levee Safety Program,” said Herb Bessey, Walla Walla District’s Levee Safety Program manager.  “We want to make sure levee systems are reliable and do not present unacceptable risks to the public, economy or environment.”

Inspections and assessments provide continuous feedback about levee systems and their reliability and are a critical part of the Corps’ Levee Safety Program. Routine inspections, conducted annually, focus on the operation and maintenance of the project. These annual inspections verify the project sponsor operates and maintains the levee to achieve the maximum benefits the levee was designed to provide.  Routine inspection items include vegetation, encroachments, drainage structures, erosion, animal burrows and culverts.  Routine inspections result in an acceptable, minimally acceptable or unacceptable rating and affect the project’s eligibility for federal rehabilitation assistance under Public Law 84-99 if damaged in a flood or storm event. 

The periodic inspection is the next level in the levee safety program and is conducted by a multidisciplinary team, led by a professional engineer.  It includes a more detailed, comprehensive and consistent evaluation of the condition of the levee system and will be conducted every five years. Activities under the periodic inspection program include routine inspection items; verifies proper operation and maintenance; evaluates operational adequacy, structural stability and, safety of the system; and compares current design and construction criteria with those in place when the levee was built. 

The final periodic inspection rating is based upon the routine inspection items, and includes an acceptable, minimally acceptable or unacceptable rating. Additional periodic inspection information that will be shared with the project sponsor includes identification of components and features that require monitoring over time.

The executive summary of the levee’s most recent periodic inspection reports can be obtained by contacting Herb Bessey at (509) 527-7144.

The National Levee Safety Program Act of 2007 directs the development of a national levee safety program, in addition to the inventory and inspection of levees nationwide. More information about the National Levee Safety Program is available on the Web at www.nfrmp.us/ncls/index.cfm

-30-


Release no. 11-23