Photo By Marcy Sanchez | The Jackson Levees are shown, Aug. 21, 2025, just below the Teton Range where more...... read more read more
JACKSON, Wyo. – Along the Snake River, the sound of heavy equipment echoes off the Teton and the Gros Ventre mountains as crews place fresh riprap along the Jackson Levees. For the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Walla Walla District, it is the latest effort in more than a decade-long undertaking to protect lives and property in Wyoming, part of USACE’s broader national mission to safeguard communities against flooding.
The levees shield more than 10,000 residents, along with homes, businesses, emergency facilities and farmland in the floodplain. Without them, Jackson, described as a gateway community for the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and a popular year-round tourist destination, and the town of Wilson, which sits lower than the Snake River, would be at constant risk.
“We have 33 miles of levees; about 22 miles are federally designed and constructed levees between 1962 and 1964,” said Kenny Koebberling, Jackson Levee project manager, Walla Walla District. “In 1986, those levees were gifted back to us for operations and maintenance by Congress. We also accepted about another 11 miles of non-federal levees.”
Inspections occur each July, with rehabilitation work typically scheduled for October, when water levels are lowest.
The levees are earth embankments with a crest width of 15 feet, and a landside height on the order of 10 feet. The levees’ risk rating is considered moderate, with low overtopping risk but a higher potential for erosion during high-velocity flows. Annual monitoring ensures these challenges are addressed before they become a threat to the community.
“The purpose of the levees is to protect life and property,” Koebberling said. “It’s very important.”
While the Walla Walla District provides engineering expertise and oversight, the day-to-day success of the levee system relies on strong local partnerships. Teton County serves as the official non-federal sponsor, maintaining easements and coordinating with private landowners, the Bureau of Land Management and Wyoming Game and Fish.
“Our partnership with (USACE) is year-round,” said Dave Gustafson, Teton County’s road and levee manager. “In winter, we’re out surveying or digging out culverts. In spring, once runoff starts, we’re often in daily communication with (the Walla Walla District).”
Gustafson, who has lived in Wyoming for 28 years, said that before major rehabilitation work began in 2012, the county routinely fought floods each spring. “There used to be quite a few flood fights each spring, that took a significant amount of material and costs,” he said. “When the0 (Walla Walla District’s) started levee rehab efforts in 2012, we’ve seen a huge reduction. In 2017, we had a high runoff, and the levees were resilient due to the (USACE) and County’s efforts toward rehabilitation.”
Since 2010, efforts have focused on rehabilitating the levees. From vegetation management to riprap along the levees, operations along the levees has been nonstop. Cumulatively, 30.76 miles of levee has undergone rehabilitation, 2,500 tons of concrete slab “urbanite” has been removed (not graded riprap and potential runoff contamination), over 25 damaged sites repaired, 19 defective culverts replaced or removed, placed 52,683 tons of fill material, and over 171,000 tons of riprap placed.
The levees’ purpose has evolved along with the Jackson Hole community. Once built mainly to protect ranchland, they now safeguard subdivisions and homes valued in the millions belonging to billionaire business owners, and A-list celebrities.
That economic value is substantial: federal estimates place the property protected by the levees at nearly $1 billion.
When river levels rise each spring, Teton County dispatches “levee watchers” to patrol for weak spots. Early alerts give USACE time to act if needed.
For Gustafson, the partnership is as much about trust as it is about technical expertise. “We have a cost-share obligation, but the majority of the expertise comes from the (Walla Walla District) along with a lot of the funding,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.04.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.04.2025 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 547264 |
| Location: | JACKSON, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USACE, Teton County partnership shields $1 billion in property from floods, by Marcy Sanchez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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