U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Controversies (New Orleans)

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Civil Works Controversies (New Orleans)

Through 19 Flood Control Acts since 1917, the United States Congress has authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers to become involved with design and construction of flood protection and damage reduction system in the Greater New Orleans area and throughout the nation. The Flood Control Act of 1965 (FCA 1965), enacted after Hurricane Betsy flooded large sections of New Orleans, mandated the Corps of Engineers as the Federal agency responsible for levee design and construction. Definition of requirements, operations and maintenance remained the purview of the local levee boards, tasks that have been their responsibility since 1890. Among other projects and studies, FCA 1965 authorized the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity, Louisiana Hurricane Protection Project. The project was to construct a series of control structures, concrete floodwalls, and levees to provide hurricane protection to areas around Lake Pontchartrain. The project, when designed, was expected to take about 13 years to complete and cost about $85 million. Although federally authorized, it was a joint federal, state, and local effort.

"... As GAO reported in 1976 and 1982, since the beginning of the project, the Corps has encountered project delays and cost increases due design changes caused by technical issues, environmental concerns, legal challenges, and local opposition to portions of the project."

In August 2005, forty years later, when Hurricane Katrina passed to the east of New Orleans, the Corps's flood protection failed catastrophically with levee breaches in over 50 places. The levee failures caused massive flooding in New Orleans with associated property loss and drownings. This was the first total failure of a USACE system. On 29 August 2005, the hurricane protection authorized was between 60 and 90% complete; and the projected date of completion was estimated to be 2015.