Flood-Side Wave Erosion of Earthen Levees

Present State of Knowledge and Assessment of Armoring Necessity

Report (2010)

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Copyright: © 2010 US Government
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Published Date

01-08-2010

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ERDC/CHL TR-10-7

Abstract

This report is a compilation of facts and information that summarizes the present state of knowledge related to wave attack on the flood side of earthen levees. Particular emphasis was placed on the need for providing flood-side armoring (beyond the protection afforded by grass) for the New Orleans Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS). The report includes: (1) a summary of observations from Hurricane Katrina; (2) an extensive overview of large-scale experiments conducted in Europe, (3) a critical examination of proposed methodologies for predicting wave-induced damage on flood-side grass and bare-clay slopes, (4) an analysis of wave-induced erosion expected to occur on the flood side during hypothetical storms approximating the 100-yr and the 500-year events, (5) and a comprehensive list of conclusions and associated caveats. The erosion estimation methodologies for wave-induced erosion discussed in this report were applied to three sets of hypothetical extreme storm parameters to assess the need for providing wave erosion protection (i.e., armoring) on grass-covered and bare-clay flood-side slopes.