BG Kimberly Peeples, Commanding General, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division visits the Portsmouth, Ohio Local Protection Project on her first stop of her visit to the Huntington District. This gave her the opportunity to see firsthand, the importance of this project and the fruits of the success of the levee safety program.
The Portsmouth segment of the Portsmouth/New Boston LPP levee system was designed and constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and then turned over to the City of Portsmouth for ownership, operation, and maintenance on 15 May 1950.
During the 2018 flood, extensive embankment foundation erosion, damages to interior storm water drainage pipes, and separation of pump station discharge pipes adjacent to the LPP occurred near Pump Station No. 5.
Construction of a cut-off wall to reduce uplift pressures that cause internal erosion in the foundation has recently begun. The cut-off wall will extend approximately 90 feet with an additional 5 feet embedment into bedrock and will be placed along the centerline of the levee. The cut-off wall will be two feet thick and approximately 1500 feet long, centered on the pump station. Placing the cut- off at the center of the levee allows for higher pressures to be dissipated on the river side of the levee, and for the flow of groundwater bypassing the cut-off to be minimized.