Walla Walla, Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Walla Walla District has awarded a $ 1.5 million contract to Northbank Civil and Marine, Inc. for levee repairs on eroded sections of the Waitsburg Levee System, located on the Touchet River near Waitsburg, Washington.
In early February 2020, the Touchet River had a near record flood event causing extensive erosion damage to the levee system in multiple locations. Six sites, totaling approximately 2,585 feet in length, were identified and reported by the post-flood inspection team. Additionally, portions of the levee crown and upper portions of the slopes eroded away after being overtopped by flood waters.
Planned repairs involve reestablishing riverside slopes where erosion has taken place by grading slopes, placing erosion control features along the riverside slopes and installing slope support controls. A levee support structure extension will also be constructed, to reinforce the upstream end of the levee. Without repairs, the current state of the levee system provides only a 10-year level of flood protection. After repairs, the levee system will be restored to a 100-year level of flood protection.
The Waitsburg Levee System begins on the left bank of the Touchet River upstream of the
Highway 12 bridge in the City of Waitsburg and proceeds downstream through the city, ending near the Waitsburg wastewater treatment plant. The upstream portion was constructed by the Works Progress Administration and was later rebuilt by the Corps in 1951. The downstream portion of the project was constructed by the Corps in 1951.
For more information contact Randy Hinchcliffe, Waitsburg City Administrator (509) 337-6371
Release no. 20-127