Projects

Boschert Creek Levee Study & Upgrades – St. Charles, MO

City of St. Charles, MO

The City of St. Charles retained Reitz & Jens to evaluate the existing levee system along Boschert Creek north of Route 370.  FEMA produced Draft Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) for this area that would have expanded the floodplain encroaching on adjacent residences and businesses.  The purpose of this evaluation was to determine if the draft FIRM could be revised, removing residences and businesses from the floodplain.  Our evaluation included determining what improvements were necessary to bring the existing levee system into compliance with the requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  Our services included detailed floodplain analysis of Boschert Creek and an adjacent MoDOT detention basin using 2D unsteady state modeling; a watershed analysis of the levee protected areas; and geotechnical investigations and analysis of the levee stability and freeboard.  Concept design alternatives were developed, and a recommended option was presented to the City.

The levee study and concept design were ultimately used to determine that it was not cost-effective to build and maintain an accredited levee.  Instead, we successfully appealed FEMA to revise the FIRM based on better mapping and technical issues with the hydraulic model which removed dozens of properties from the FIRM, releasing them from the obligation to buy flood insurance, and saving an average property owner $4,000 / year. 

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Environmental & Civil Engineering Geotechnical Water Resources