Failed Levee Was recently Upgraded

Captain;s Quarters Blog ^ | 9/02/05 | Hidalgo

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

I've heard nothing but crickets chirping since I posted that. You?

Not a word.

Great friggin' pix.

[steve86]

I don't understand why the back side of that concrete levy didn't have concrete sloping down at about a 45 degree angle. In other words, the structure would form a triangle viewed from the side. You don't have to be a civil engineer to see the value in that. I can't see how that extra volume of concrete would be so prohibitively expensive compared to highway overpasses and such.

[FreedomCalls]

I don't understand why the back side of that concrete levy didn't have concrete sloping down at about a 45 degree angle. In other words, the structure would form a triangle viewed from the side. You don't have to be a civil engineer to see the value in that. I can't see how that extra volume of concrete would be so prohibitively expensive compared to highway overpasses and such.

I agree. It doesn't look very stable like that. Most dams are built at a sloping angle both down and in.