Levees along Provo River are no longer up to current standards
Aug 29, 2024, 8:00 PM
The Provo River in Provo Canyon on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. The levees along the river have been decertified. (Yukai Peng, Deseret News)
(Yukai Peng, Deseret News)
PROVO, UT — The levees along the Provo River have been decertified by The Army Corps of Engineers. They say the levees aren’t up to current standards.
Provo Public Works Director Gordon Haight says they’ve never had problems with flooding. However, The Army Corps of Engineers considers the area a flood plain.
“200 homes and businesses [are now in] the flood plain, and are going to be subject to having to pay flood insurance and other issues,” Haight said.
An updated flood plain map issued by FEMA treats the area as if there aren’t any levees at all.
“The levees now have trees and roots and other things that grow through them that make them a little less stable,” Haight said. “The only real solution is to have the levees upgraded to meet the national standards, and by doing that we’re going to have to have a map revision.”
A project to upgrade them would cost up to $100 million. The city plans to apply for grants at both the state and federal level to get that money.
Once they get the levees fixed, it will help property owners on the river maintain their property value. And, they won’t have to buy flood insurance.
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