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According to the National Levee Database managed by USACE, there are currently 12 levees in
Region L that are included in the Levee Safety Program, of which 7 are rated minimally
acceptable, and 5 were not reported. See Table 3.))))))for ratings of specific levees in the
USACE Levee Safety Program.
FEMA Accredited Levees
Many levees shown on effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) were mapped in the 1970s
and 1980s and have never been remapped by FEMA. Prior to 1986, levees were shown on
FIRMs as providing protection from the base flood when they were designed and constructed in
accordance with sound engineering practices. Since 1986, levees have been shown as
accredited on FIRMs only when they meet the requirements of 44 CFR 65.10 “Mapping Areas
Protected by Levee Systems”, including certification by a registered professional engineer or a
Federal agency with responsibility for levee design.
Levees that do not meet the requirements of 44 CFR 65.10 cannot be shown as accredited on a
FIRM. Furthermore, floodplain areas behind the levee are at risk to base flood inundation and
are mapped as high risk areas subject to FEMA’s minimum floodplain management regulations
and mandatory flood insurance purchase requirement.
In 2004, as it initiated work under the Flood Map Modernization Initiative (Map Mod), FEMA
determined that analysis of the role of levees in flood risk reduction would be an important part
of the mapping efforts. A report issued in 2005 noted that the status of the Nation‘s levees was
not well understood and the condition of many levees and floodwalls had not been assessed
since their original inclusion in the NFIP. As a result, FEMA established policies to address
existing levees.
For the remainder of this discussion, FEMA Accredited levees will be discussed in two main
types: Those mapped on Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) since the Flood Map
Modernization Initiative and those that were mapped prior to the Flood Map Modernization
Initiative and are not mapped on DFIRMs.
FEMA Accredited Levees mapped on DFIRMs
As DFIRMs are developed, levees fall under one of the three following categories:
Accredited Levee - With the except of areas of residual flooding (interior drainage), if the data
and documentation specified in 44 CFR 65.10 is readily available and provided to FEMA, the
area behind the levee will be mapped as a moderate-risk area. There is no mandatory flood
insurance purchase requirement in a moderate-risk area, but flood insurance is strongly
recommended.
Provisionally Accredited Levee (PAL) - If data and documentation is not readily available, and
no known deficiency precludes meeting requirements of 44 CFR 65.10, FEMA can allow the
party seeking recognition up to two years to compile and submit full documentation to show
compliance with 44 CFR 65.10. During this two-year period of provisional accreditation, the area
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