Complex Geotechnical Engineering for a Levee Project-PowerPointPresentation

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This presentation describes the geotechnical engineering and construction planning for a major levee-related flood control project in Louisville, Kentucky. The levee system, originally built under the Flood Control Act of 1938, is sponsored by Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The overall levee system includes 25.9 miles of protection, 16 pump stations, and serves 76.2 square miles of leveed area.<br /><br />The project focuses on upgrading flood pumping capacity by replacing or expanding an existing pump station built in 1953, which currently has a capacity of 875 MGD with 6 pumps, with a proposed pump station designed for 1,900 MGD and 8 pumps. The design targets a 2035 storm event based on a 10-year, 24-hour rainfall of 5.0 inches.<br /><br />Key engineering challenges include complex soil and site conditions, interaction with the existing levee, varying excavation depths, and the need to manage groundwater and consolidation in fine-grained soils. The design approach involves deep wall systems such as diaphragm walls and large bore elements, with 81 panels total, including 33 unitary T-panels and 115 reinforcing cages. Panels are 1,200 mm thick, use concrete water stops for watertightness, and were installed using hydraulic grabs and Hydrofraise methods.<br /><br />The presentation also highlights construction sequencing, including top-down construction, bracing systems, and careful panel installation to accommodate structural and geotechnical constraints. Numerical modeling was used to evaluate material behavior, stress paths, deflections, shear, and bending moments. Soil layers modeled included levee fill, clay blanket, upper alluvial sands, and lower alluvial sands, each assigned different stiffness parameters.<br /><br />Overall, the presentation emphasizes the need for integrated geotechnical design, structural analysis, and construction sequencing to safely deliver a large flood pump station within an existing levee system.

Keywords

geotechnical engineering

levee flood control

pump station upgrade

Louisville Kentucky

diaphragm walls

construction sequencing

groundwater management

numerical modeling

alluvial soils

flood pumping capacity