GEI Consultants, Inc. has been selected by the City of Stamford, Conn. to perform Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Levee Accreditation engineering studies. The study focuses on the adequacy and condition of existing flood protection systems along the Connecticut River.
The Stamford levee system has been granted Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) status by FEMA. The PAL status has been granted to this levee system because FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) believe the system provides flood protection against a design flood event with 1% annual chance of being exceeded. Under the PAL agreement, the municipality must provide the required documentation to demonstrate that level of flood protection. GEI Consultants has been selected to collect the necessary data, perform the evaluations and provide a comprehensive plan for achieving compliance with FEMA regulations.
Based on GEI's previous experience and knowledge of FEMA and Corps requirements, the city of Stamford chose GEI to perform the geotechnical assessment of the levee embankments, including seepage, settlement and stability, and the structural assessment of the floodwalls and closure structures.
The outcome of GEI's work will be an evaluation of the current level of protection provided by the levees and recommendations for any needed improvements to the levee system. GEI will provide documentation to support the city's FEMA Accreditation submittal, which is due by January 31, 2010.
Based on its broad experience with levees and knowledge of the FEMA process, GEI will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the entire flood control system including the levee embankments, floodwalls, closure structures, interior drainage and pump stations. The evaluation and accreditation will be conducted in a comprehensive but fast-tracked manner over a two-year period. Services will include reviewing existing data, exploratory drilling and testing, survey, and engineering analyses. If deficiencies are found, GEI will design and implement repairs. GEI is also providing design services to address several maintenance deficiencies identified by the town in an earlier study.
For levees to be accredited and approved by FEMA, documentation must be provided establishing that, in the event of the "base flood" -a flood event with a 1% annual chance of being exceeded - adequate design, operation and maintenance systems must be in place, and must provide reasonable assurance of protection. For the purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program, FEMA will only recognize those levee systems that meet minimum design, operation, and maintenance standards consistent with the established design level of protection.
GEI's multi-disciplined team of engineers and scientists deliver geotechnical, environmental, water resources and ecological solutions to diverse clientele nationwide. The firm has provided a broad range of consulting and engineering services on over 25,000 projects in 50 states and 22 countries. For more information, please visit the firm's web site at www.geiconsultants.com http://www.geiconsultants.com.