Scott Satchfield / Eyewitness News
MARRERO, La. -- The West Bank flood authority is raising questions about the integrity of a levee, which is still under construction in Westwego.
The flood authority shot their own video, showing what inspectors are finding inside the levee: unsuitable debris, items they fear could weaken the barrier.
"Any flood protection system is only as strong as its weakest link," said Susan Maclay, who heads up the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority -- West.
At a meeting Monday, Maclay and others aired out their concerns in front of several high-level U.S. Army Corps officials, including New Orleans District Commander Col. Edward Fleming.
But Fleming said he’s confident the materials will not compromise the levee’s integrity.
"I think we can be rest assured that these levees are gonna be built to the specifications that they're supposed to be and that public safety, as all of our number one priority, is not at risk at all with any of these levees," he said.
But the flood authority argues Army Corps inspectors have also alerted their own management about the debris and the importance of removing it.
Monday, corps officials pointed out, the Westwego levee is still under construction, and some areas analyzed could have been cleared of debris after inspectors left.
They said spot inspections often lack proper context.
"Public safety is our number one priority and there is no chance that there is any issue with the structural integrity of any of the levees we're building," Fleming said.
Fleming said the corps is now taking steps to prove it.
He said a new inspection team will be on the ground by next week, the number of inspections will be increasing and crews will trench the levees in some spots to determine how deep inside debris is located.
Citing lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina, flood authority leaders encouraged taking as many precautions as possible.
"I would hope, that if there was a wide range of interpretation, that given those lessons, the (Army Corps of Engineers) would be erring on the most conservative and stringent interpretation of those specifications," Maclay said.
Corps officials said the new inspection team will come in from outside the New Orleans District.
They plan to report back to the flood authority within 90 days.
