Kansas City District Awards More Levee Repair Contracts

The Kansas City Engineer District announced May 1 further progress and more contracts awarded in its levee rehabilitation program. It said 66 levee systems are on target for repairs, some with breaches, others with surface damage such as grass kill or scour holes.

The district currently has 24 levee repair contracts awarded, with another 16 currently advertised for bids or pending award. At the time of the announcement, contractors had begun moving dirt on eight of the 24 awarded contracts.

The district said it expects to advertise for bids for all but five of the remaining contracts in the next two months, pending necessary project agreements. Most units have access agreements in place and project partnership agreements executed that are allowing construction to begin.

The five remaining systems requested assistance in December 2019 or in 2020.  On these remaining units, engineers will complete the damage assessment stage in May, followed by design and construction this summer.

The contracts awarded so far total more than $10 million. Under Public Law 84-99, the federal government pays for 100 percent of the damage repair costs for federal levee systems.  For non-federal systems—those levees in the Corps program but not built by the Corps—the federal government pays 80 percent, and the levee districts pay 20 percent. The levee district may provide some or all of their percentage by in-kind work, as part of an agreement with the Corps.  Many of the non-federal systems located in Missouri are receiving financial assistance for their cost share from the state of Missouri.

The original level of protection is in place or has been restored on 38 levees, while breaches remain to be repaired at 28 levees.

 The district said it anticipates that contractors will complete many of the rehabilitations this summer and fall, with some needing to be finished in 2021.