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Workin' on the leveeThose earthmovers along I-24 in Brainerd are raising the floodwall
Behind a row of houses on Miller Drive in Brainerd, a dump truck moves big chunks of red-brown earth on an embankment as cars zip past on Interstate 24 in Chattanooga.
The embankment is part of the Brainerd Levee, and on June 8, construction began to raise a 700-foot section of it by 4 feet.
Dennis Malone, assistant city engineer in Chattanooga's public works department, said the project is meant to bring the levee up to current Federal Emergency Management Agency standards.
"Currently, that portion of the levee, which was built in the '70s, is at flood level," Malone said. "The latest FEMA maps, which came out of (Hurricane) Katrina, require levees to be 4 feet above flood level, so to get certified, we have to meet those standards."
Malone said that after the new flood maps came out, the city hired Augusta, Ga.-based Cranston Engineering Corp. to do a review of the three-mile levee. The firm found that most of the 35-year-old levee was up to code, except for one section.
"This was one area that needed something done," Malone said.
Eldridge Whitehurst, senior project engineer with Cranston Engineering, said that once the $325,848 project is completed, his firm will be able to give its stamp of approval on the entire levee.
"When we're done, we'll finish our report saying it meets FEMA requirements," Whitehurst said.
Work started with the removal of trees, vegetation and root systems lining the levee. He said they had to go because they could compromise the structural integrity of the earthen portion.
"When woody vegetation gets ripped out by floodwater, it can leave a hole in the earth mass," Whitehurst said.
One person who isn't terribly excited about the project is Matthew Ware, owner of Greater Chattanooga Insurance. His agency has been in a house on Miller Drive since 1997, and the construction is happening in its backyard.
Ware said he's concerned about increased noise from the interstate now that the trees are gone. He said his agency hasn't had problems with flooding, although the field next door fills with water in heavy rain. He said he doesn't know what the project hopes to achieve, especially given the serpentine ways of South Chickamauga Creek.
"I'm not sure what the goal of it is. Are we keeping the water in Brainerd or out of Brainerd?" he said.
Malone said the project would save Brainerd residents insurance money, based on an October 2009 memo sent to the city from BakerAECOM, a firm that helps FEMA with risk mapping. The memo stated that without the FEMA certification on the flood map, insurance rates could go up.
Ware, who sells home, auto and small business insurance, said flooding is a concern for some of his clients, many of whom live in East Ridge. But he doesn't think the project will have any effect on flood insurance rates.
"I haven't seen any indication that since this project is not done, rates are 10 percent higher, or that when the project is completed, rates will be 10 percent lower," he said. "As an agent, I haven't seen anything from FEMA that this levee affects pricing good or bad."
According to Malone, the project should take about 45 days to complete.
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.