Anderson Consulting Engineers staff is intimately familiar with the analyses required for levee/floodwall certification outlined in various Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) guidelines, engineering manuals, and technical letters. Anderson Consulting Engineers staff has kept abreast of the USCAE’s ever-evolving levee certification guidance and design criteria by attending related national conferences, workshops, and webinars. Mr. Brad Anderson, the Principal of ACE, was a member of the Independent Technical Review Committee for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s document “EC 1110-2-6067, USACE PROCESS FOR THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM (NFIP) LEVEE SYSTEM EVALUATION” [August 31, 2010]. This document contains the latest guidance from the USACE in the field of levee certification.
FEMA issued Procedure Memorandum 34 “Interim Guidance for Studies Including Levees” and Procedure Memorandum 43 “Guidelines for Identifying Provisionally Accredited Levees (PALs)” in August 2005 and September 2006 respectively. PMs 34 and 43 dramatically changed the way Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) (see Floodplain Studies section) are scheduled and produced. Anderson Consulting Engineers was one of the first DFIRM contractors, to be exposed to the new levee accreditation process. Therefore, our understanding and experience with FEMA’s levee/floodwall accreditation program is unparalleled in the State of Colorado. Since then ACE has been providing general education and outreach to levee/floodwall owners facing accreditation of their levees. We provide the following general services leading to accreditation: certification needs assessments, inspections, certification evaluations (freeboard, closure/penetrations, and interior drainage), and compilation of the accreditation request to FEMA. Additionally, ACE has been providing its specialized certification evaluations to fellow engineering firms supporting their accreditation efforts for levees/floodwalls.
The breadth ACE’s levee/floodwall experience is evidenced by the variety of projects completed involving: a) first time certifications of projects designed by others; b) recertification of projects previously accredited by FEMA; and c) certification support/accreditation education:
- Templeton Gap Levee Certification, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Boulder County Justice Center Floodwall Certification, Boulder, Colorado
- Fountain Creek Levee/Floodwall/Channelization System Certification, Pueblo County, Colorado
- Oxbow Levee Certification, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Waterglen Floodwall Certification, Fort Collins, Colorado
- Willow Creek Levee – Determination of PAL Status, Creede, Colorado
- Colorado Water Conservation Board 2007 Levee Seminars in Glenwood Spring, Greeley, and Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Boulder Creek Accreditation Assistance on WWTP Levee, Canyon Blvd. Levee, and Roche Levee in the City of Boulder, Colorado
- Kiowa Creek Levee Accreditation Assistance, Wiggins, Colorado
- Kiowa Creek and West Kiowa Creek Levees – Accreditation Assistance and Outreach, Elbert County, Colorado
- Arkansas River Levee, Fountain Creek Levee/Floodwall, Wild Horse Creek Levee, and Dry Creek Levee – Accreditation Assistance, City of Pueblo and Elbert County, Colorado
- Coyote Creek Levee – Erosion Stability Assessment, City of Fremont and Alameda County, California
- Sulphur Creek Levee – Erosion Stability Assessment, City of Hayward and Alameda County, California
- Alameda Creek and Dry Creek Levees – Erosion Protection Evaluation, Fremont, California
- Santa Clara River Levee System Erosion Protection Evaluation, Ventura County, California
- Oxbow Levee Re-Certification, Fort Collins, Colorado