National Levee Safety and Locally Operated Levees

This book examines national levee safety with a focus on recommendations and strategic plan implementations of the National Committee on Levee Safety. It is a critical juncture in our nations' history with a burgeoning growth of risk to people and infrastructure as a result of more than 100 years of inattention to levee infrastructure combined with an economy and social fabric that are in a particularly vulnerable state. The current levee safety reality for the United States is stark and uncertain in location, performance and condition of levees and a lack of oversight, technical standards, and effective communication of risks. A look to the future offers two distinct possibilities: one where we continue the status quo and await the certainty of more catastrophes or one where we take reasonable actions and investments in a National Levee Safety Program that turns the tide on risk growth.