Courtesy Photo | Before and after photos of levee repair work completed at the Bay Island Levee and...... read more read more
Following devastating floods and coastal storms in the mid-20th century, Congress passed the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act, also known as Public Law 84-99 (enacted Aug. 18, 1960). This law authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help communities prepare for and respond to floods and coastal storms. This includes disaster preparedness, emergency operations, rehabilitation, restoration, advanced measures, drought assistance, and even emergency water assistance in cases of contamination.
“PL 84-99 is the foundation of our emergency response efforts,” said Sarah Jones, Chief of Emergency Management at the USACE Rock Island District. “It allows us to provide both technical expertise and direct assistance, supplementing the work already being done by Tribal, state and local authorities.”
Under the authority of PL 84-99, an eligible Flood Risk Management System (FRMS) – such as a local levee district or a drainage authority – may receive rehabilitation assistance if it is damaged during a flood event. All systems considered eligible for PL 84-99 rehabilitation assistance must be active in the Rehabilitation and Inspection Program before the flood event occurs.
If the FRMS was originally constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and later turned over to a levee sponsor for operation and maintenance, it is considered a federal system. Federal systems may be eligible for full restoration to pre-disaster condition at 100 percent federal cost for design and construction. In contrast, non-federal systems – those not constructed by USACE – are required to cost share 20 percent of the construction costs. Non-federal systems may request entry into the program through an Initial Eligibility Inspection.
USACE determines if a levee remains eligible for PL 84-99 rehabilitation assistance through recurring levee inspections. These inspections use a standard checklist to identify specific items to be fixed during routine, preventative maintenance and provide an opportunity for proactive collaboration prior to flood events.
A subset of the checklist items which are deemed critical to the performance of a FRMS during high water must be considered in at least Minimally Acceptable condition for continued eligibility. Levee inspection reports performed by USACE are stored online in the National Levee Database (https://levees.sec.usace.army.mil/). The National Levee Database captures all known levee systems nationwide, allowing the public, agencies, and decision makers to assess risk, focus priorities, support preparedness and promote collaboration.
In addition to the cost benefits of the program, USACE also provides a multi-disciplined team of engineers, scientists, and technical experts to design eligible projects utilizing over 100 years of institutional expertise constructing similar projects in the same watershed.
While the Rehabilitation Program may not construct any betterments to an FRMS, the repairs are able to incorporate resiliency measures and design improvements based on current engineering principles. For example, armoring of a levee slope with a specific grouping of different sized rocks called riprap could be added where repetitive erosion occurs due to currents, waves or where new erosion occurs due to the loss of a pre-existing tree line.
On the land or dry side of a levee, sand may be placed in a long, wide layer called a berm to address areas with high volumes of water traveling through or beneath the levee, referred to as seepage.
According to PL 84-99, the Rehabilitation Program provides flood mitigation to the homes, businesses, and infrastructure that reside in an area behind a levee by promoting emergency response planning, sound FRMS maintenance practices, and continued partnerships. The funding and expertise required for the restoration of flood risk management systems after floods and coastal storms emphasizes the vital role this law plays in keeping communities safe and resilient.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2025 07:01 |
| Story ID: | 542920 |
| Location: | MERCER COUNTY, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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