§ 203.93 - Inspections.

(a) General. The initial inspection of any non-Federal levee using these guidelines will establish the estimated level of protection and structural reliability of the existing levee. Subsequent inspections will detect changed project conditions which have an impact on the integrity of the flood protection provided by the levee.

(b) Hydrologic/hydraulic analyses. The level of protection provided by a non-Federal levee will be evaluated and expressed in terms of exceedence frequency (e.g., a 20%, 10% etc. chance of the levee being overtopped in any given year.) These analyses also include an evaluation of existing or needed erosion control features for portions of the levee which may be threatened by wind generated waves, stream or surface flows.

(c) Geotechnical analyses. The geotechnical evaluation will be based primarily on a detailed visual inspection. The initial inspection will identify critical sections where levee stability appears weakest and will document the location, reach, and cross-section at these points.

(d) Maintenance. The Maintenance section of Rating is intended for use in evaluation of maintenance performance and deficiencies to the same scope and degree as is required to determine compliance with assurance agreements entered into pursuant to 33 CFR 208.10. This evaluation should reflect the level of maintenance required to assure the intended degree of flood protection and performance of local cooperation required for a levee to remain eligible for the rehabilitation program under Pub. L. 84-99. The Rating Guide is also applicable to levees where no local cooperation agreement exists (i.e., not previously repaired under Pub. L. 84-99), but an eligibility review is requested by the owner/sponsor of the project.