Michael Shaffer, a civil engineer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District, measures the depth of root intrusion on the Mill Creek Levee Dec. 9, 2015, following Phase-1 maintenance removal of the land-side vegetation which jeopardized the structural integrity of the levee. District Geotechnical Section levee experts examined several test pits excavated at various points along the mile-long levee and determined removing problematic roots would require “grubbing” roughly two feet into the levee. In some locations, where tree roots have extended deeper into the levee structure, more extensive excavation and repairs may be required. Phase-2 repair work on the south levee from the division works beginning near the Mill Creek Office, progressing toward the Jones Ditch is slated to begin in early December 2016 and take approximately 3 months to complete. Additional Phase-2 repair work will occur as funding becomes available.