Levee work underway

September 18, 2012

Repairs to the Bonners Ferry levee started Monday as U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' officials began work to rebuild two damaged segments totaling approximately 350 feet on the Kootenai River's left bank at Bonners Ferry.

The $179,500 project includes rebuilding damaged sections and installing erosion protection along two sites originally damaged during a May-June 2011 flood event which reduced flood defense from a 20-year flood protection level to just a two-year level. Under a cost-share agreement, the Corps pays for 80 percent of the project and Boundary County picks up the remaining 20 percent.

Site repairs span 300 feet and 50 feet along the respective segments and involve filling voids with two-to four-inch quarry spalls, placement of a quarry spalls blanket and adding riprap armor. In addition, willow plantings and hydro seeding are included in the design to offset construction impacts.

Construction is expected to be complete by the end of September and will restore the levee to its pre-flood level of protection.

The Corps coordinated with multiple agencies during the planning, design and construction phases, including Boundary County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, Idaho Department of Fish and Wildlife, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the Idaho State Historical Society.