What is a Levee?

While it’s not one of the flood control tools we discuss as frequently, the levee is arguably the most important tool we have for protecting Valley Ranch from flooding against the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.

Building the levee was necessary to separate Valley Ranch from the 100-year floodplain along the Elm Fork. In today’s blog, we’re sharing more detail about the purpose of the levee, it’s effectiveness and the work that goes into maintaining it.

What is a Levee?

While levees can vary in their size and material, the simplest definition is that a levee is a wall, often made of dirt, constructed to prevent or divert the flow of water to prevent an area near water from flooding. While this may sound like a dam or a dike, a levee is located downstream and has the primary goal of flood prevention, rather than collecting water or inhibiting water flow.

While our levee was built to prevent flooding from the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, levees can also be used to prevent flooding along coastlines as part of a flood control system, such as this example in the Florida Everglades. Another local levee that you might be familiar with is the Dallas Levee System, which provides a buffer on either side of the Trinity River throughout Dallas.

How are levees made?

Many levees are constructed by building up soil to form a wall with steep embankments, preventing water from reaching the land on the other side. However, some levees are made of concrete or, in the case of emergency flood prevention, sandbags.

In addition to these man-made levees, natural levees can also occur when soil and sediment in a river or lake are pushed to the edges. This can create a natural embankment, which helps keep water out in the same way the man-made levees do.

Maintaining a Levee

While a levee is a tried-and-true flood control tool, consistent exposure to water can lead to erosion, which over time can minimize the effectiveness of the levee. IFCD 3 conducts regular inspections on our levee to identify when maintenance should be performed. The most common type of maintenance conducted on our levee is mowing, which allows us to maintain proper grass coverage and prevent erosion.

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