West Bank levee authority joins call to rethink levee armoring

The West Bank levee authority in Louisiana has joined other levee authorities in urging the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider its proposal to armor levees with erosion control materials (e.g., geotextiles) and grass to protect from erosion during storm surges. The currently proposed materials would have to be removed when the levees are raised in five years, said a levee-authority commissioner. State levee officials have proposed placing temporary concrete barriers on the levees instead. The Corps has opposed that proposal, which it said would increase the levees’ height above the requirements set by Congress.