Memorandum

DATE
TO
SUBJECT

June 12, 2012

Jill Jordan , Assis tant C ity Ma nage r Trinity Rive r Levee s

CITY OF DALLAS

The Army Corp of Engineers levee reassessment states that in the levee
system "as is" following com pletion of the 198 maintena nce repa irs a nd without

a cut-oft-wall, there is less than a one-in-100,000 ("100 ,OOO-Year Standard") chance duri ng any given year of seepage causing internal erosion and levee failure. By comparison, there is between a one-in-1,OO ("1,OO O O-Year OO Standard") and one-in-5,O ("5,OOO-Year Standard) chance during any given year of overtopping causing levee failure.
FEMA certifies a system , and certain map redrawing and related insurance
requirem ents are not triggered , if there is less than a one-i n-100 chance ("100-

Year Standard") during any given year of levee failure. Previously the levees faced decertification and FEMA was going to redraw the 100-year flood plain as if the levees didn't exist. To avoid decertification and the FEMA flood map redrawing , the levees were and are required to meet the 100-Year Standard.
Prior to the Corp's levee reassessment, to design a solution to meet the 100-

Year Standard and avoid FEMA redrawing, the City engaged an engineering and consulting firm, which is recomme nding that the City of Dallas build a cutoff-wall at co nsiderable expense to m itigate seepage. levee s will meet the 10Q-Year Standard. Given the Corp's levee reassessment. is the cut-oft-wa ll requ ired ? T he engi neering a nd

consulting firm is certifying that if -and only if- a cut-oft-wall is built, then the

If the levees today meet the 100,OOO-Year Standard for seepage , why is an
expens ive cut-oft-wall req uired to m itigate the risk of seepage? How much money has the C ity spen t thus far on the levee reassessmen t?

"Dallas-Together , we do it better!"

What is the cost of the cut-olf-wall and how much money has and prospectively is the City paying for the cut-olf-wall and l OO -Year Standard analysis?
Did the engineering and consulting firm have access to all data and the final

Corp report as the basis of recommending that a cut-olf-wall is needed to meet the lOO-Year Standard?
If No, should the cut-olf-wall be re-examined? If No, is the engineering and consulting report still relevant?
Why is there a discrepancy in seepage analysis? The Corp states the levees

as is meet the lOO,OOO -Year Standard, while the consultants and engineers state an expensive cut-olf-wall is needed to barely meet a 100-Year Standard,

~: '~\':) colt T. Grig IS

Gduncilmem er District 3 c: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

"Dallas-Together. we do it betterl"