QuickTake:

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study to evaluate what the levee needs to meet federal flood control standards has identified the westward migration of the McKenzie River channel as the highest risk to the levee’s structural integrity.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley had a question during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last month about Springfield’s 42nd Street Levee.

The answer was good news for city officials.

After city staff sought help from the Democratic senator, Merkley asked federal officials how to resolve a funding pause that had halted a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study to determine what the aging levee needs to meet federal standards.

“Without the study, they can’t proceed,” Merkley said during the May 20 hearing in Washington, D.C. “And we are talking about a levee that is 60 years old, that protects 24,000 people, and they’re very concerned that they’ve got to complete the study and prepare to try to make sure this thing doesn’t collapse.”

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Gen. William Graham Jr. told Merkley the project was not paused.

“There was some hiccups in getting the current year money released, and that was just administrative work,” Graham said. “I’m responsible for that. That got fixed yesterday. They are moving forward.”

Springfield Emergency Manager Ken Vogeney learned from Corps of Engineers staff in February that funding for the study had been paused, he told Lookout Eugene-Springfield. The Corps wouldn’t be able to work on the project until the pause was lifted.

Springfield receives federal assistance to address aging 42nd Street Levee

Vogeney began working with the Corps of Engineers on a feasibility study last year to determine what is needed to provide accreditation for the levee, which was built before federal standards were created to assess levee systems for flood protection. 

The 7-foot-tall levee is on the west bank of the McKenzie River, starting at Marcola Road and ending at the entrance to the International Paper mill. A paved multiuse path runs atop the levee, which has a flood protection area extending from the river west to Interstate 5 and from Centennial Boulevard north to the river.

Springfield leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to represent the city’s federal priorities, one being the levee.

Springfield leaders “emphasized the importance and urgency of identifying a solution for the levee and requested assistance in resolving the federal funding pause that has stalled the feasibility study,” according to a memo filed with the City Council. 

Vogeney said Merkley reached out and the emergency manager provided the senator’s staff with copies of emails the city had received from the Corps stating the project was paused. Merkley brought up those emails during the Senate hearing. 

The same day, Vogeney said, he received a call from staff at the Corps of Engineers Portland District, who said they had received funding and that the project would move forward. Vogeney met with Corps staff last week to create a schedule for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. 

“We don’t know what generated the pause, but it’s been lifted now, and we’re getting back to work,” Vogeney said. 

Channel migration a top concern 

The study identified a suite of possible levee improvements, and staff will work with the Corps of Engineers this summer to analyze those options. Vogeney anticipates staff will present a package of recommended improvements and cost estimates to the City Council later this year or early next year. 

“I got to say ‘package,’ because there’s multiple issues we’re wanting to address,” he said. 

The study identified McKenzie River channel migration as the highest risk to the levee’s structural integrity, Vogeney said. Due to soil erosion, the river is migrating west toward the levee at an average of 10 feet per year since it was constructed.

Potential solutions include redirecting the river upstream to historic channels and using riprap boulders or other barriers to manage erosion. 

“If nothing is done, there is a high likelihood that the bank erosion will continue, will undermine the levee, causing it to fail, allowing Mackenzie River floodwater to flood into Springfield,” Vogeney said.

Aerial views of the McKenzie River above the 42nd Street Levee in Springfield show how the river is migrating west toward the levee. Credit: Courtesy of City of Springfield

The analysis identified other issues as possible concerns, including some areas where riprap, an armor of large rocks placed along the levee to protect it from erosion, may not be sufficient. Officials also need to do more analysis of trees and root systems that have grown into the levee. 

“We think the height of the levee is probably OK. Initially, that was a significant concern, but we think we’re OK there,” Vogeney said. 

The work includes a public engagement process, expected to start this summer, with the city informing community members about the levee, the concerns around it and the options for addressing those issues. 

After receiving input from the City Council and the community, the Corps of Engineers will prepare a final project report for adoption by both the Corps and the council. The Corps will then develop construction plans. 

The project is being funded through a cost-share between the Corps of Engineers and the city of Springfield. For the study, each party is contributing about $450,000. In total, the Corps can contribute up to $15 million toward the project, with a cost share at 65% federal and 35% local for design and construction costs.

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