Fish River Levee Modification

When the Town of Fort Kent’s flood damage reduction system (i.e., levee) was constructed in 1977, an approximate 800-foot-long section was constructed without freeboard. A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification of the levee identified the deficiency and it was determined that the levee could receive only provisional accreditation status with the National Flood Insurance Program until the required freeboard was in place.

Challenges
The Fish River section of the levee consisted mainly of a town roadway paralleling the crest of the riverbank. The road leads to a Historic Blockhouse constructed in 1839 and a public park/boat landing. The Blockhouse was not protected against flood damage by the levee as part of the 1977 construction. The Town secured funding to mitigate the freeboard deficiency and include the Blockhouse in the flood protection area.

Project Outcome
SME developed an engineering solution that: realigned the levee so that the Blockhouse would be protected; satisfied technical criteria set by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), FEMA, and Maine Department of Transportation (Maine DOT); and met the needs of federal, state, and local stakeholders relative to preservation of the historic setting and access to the park/boat landing. SME provided the following services:

• Coordinated and oversaw embankment geotechnical investigation for evaluation of the subsurface conditions that would support the freeboard modification.
• Engineered a levee modification cross-section that visually appears as a rustic wall of cut stone block while also providing a minimum of three feet of freeboard relative to the 100-year flood loading.
• Prepared plans and specifications for constructing the levee modification.
• Coordinated technical reviews and approvals through USACE, FEMA, Maine DOT, State Historic Preservation Office, Maine Emergency Management Agency and other regulatory stakeholders.
• Provided construction oversite for foundation improvement along the wall line.
• Prepared a Letter of Map Revision to revise the Flood Insurance Rate Map for Fish River section of the Fort Kent Flood Damage Reduction System.