Water often tends to seek its own level.
Sometimes the best thing to do is let it. Now in progress following a FEMA buyout of homes along Cedar Lane, a levee breach at Newport will help control the risk of future catastrophic flooding.
“We’re going to remove a portion of the manmade levee so that water from the Mississippi River can travel in and out of that levee and reduce the chance for a large failure with unbalanced pressure on that levee,” City Engineer Jon Herdegen told the council. “This is the last step in that FEMA money we received to purchase and the demolish several homes in that area.”
Involved in the levee breach project is removal of trees and stumps along the levee to provide access to construction equipment, with soil excavated and removed in the shape of a “V” to the depth of four feet before being distributed on site to level off low lying areas of Cedar Lane and protect it from future flooding. Work on the project will be 7:00 a.m. to dusk, the project expected to take approximately one month. Large boulders will be placed at the site of the levee breach to prevent erosion from the flow of the Mississippi River, with hope that the breach site will minimize river silt deposits.
Once the project is completed with soil redistributed and grading work done, the site will be seeded to restore the natural lawn appearance.
Residents are urged to use caution around the work site, reminding area children to stay clear of construction operations.
The winning quote for the levee breach project approved March 6 is $58,400.50 by Fitzgerald Excavating and Trucking. Fitzgerald was significantly lower than other bidders, the nearest competitor being approximately $144,000. The quote is unit price and subject to some fluctuation. Tree removal will take place separately outside the contract.
Completion of the work on the levee breach project is expected by May 15, a FEMA grant being used to pay for the work.