Photo By Staff Sgt. Evan Lane | YAUCO, Puerto Rico -- Wilmel Varela, right, the Resident Engineer for the Army Corps...... read more read more
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YAUCO, Puerto Rico — Within days, the Army Corps of Engineers can move a river. They proved this recently during an emergency levee construction project in Yauco, Puerto Rico.
The Yauco river had burst from its original path and flooded the Lucchetti community following Hurricane Maria. Immense water pressure and flow caused an entire section of river embankment to be carried away. This caused the river to flow straight through the town rather than bend away. The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was tasked through Public Law 84-99 to build a temporary levee to ensure the water flow returned to its original course.
Emergency flood fighting activities such as levee construction have to progress quickly to avoid more damage, said a USACE representative. The speed of response is especially important in Puerto Rico, which is in its rainy season.
“Authorization and vetting for something like this usually takes quite a bit longer,” said Maricarmen Crespo, head of USACE operations on the island.
Engineers have to conduct a feasibility analysis before sending out requests for quotes. This can be a long process depending on the complexity of the project. In the case of the Yauco levee, Corps engineers accomplished the in-depth vetting within three days.
“Our team worked late nights, all weekend.” said Wilmel Varela, the Resident Engineer for all USACE construction and military projects in Puerto Rico. The levee will be made up of over 10,000 cubic meters of earth. Varela needed to ensure that the plan was sound and detailed enough for local contractors to be able to get to work immediately.
“Day one, [the USACE] requested bids. Day two, we submitted ours. Day three, they selected us as the construction company. Day four we had guys here starting work,” said Gerardo Ortiz, the general contractor on site and employee of BIM Contractors, LLC, the company constructing the levee.
As Varela walked the active construction site with Ortiz and Crespo, he explained the different phases of the project, pausing occasionally to let loud machinery rumble past.
Workers first had to plug the overflowing river to protect the community and use truck-sized pumps to drain the area where the levee was to be constructed. That ground was too unstable to support the levee, so it had to be cleared of muck and flattened to provide a good foundation.
“We have many projects running along the island,” said Varela, “and I feel glad that I came back to Puerto Rico to support this mission and every mission we have.”
Once completed, the levee will be over 15 feet tall, 200 feet long, and reinforced on the side facing the river with large boulders to prevent erosion. The levy is a temporary flood fighting measure. It will allow the local municipalities much-needed time to work on a permanent solution.
Ortiz praised his experience working with USACE representatives on the Yauco levee and its impact. The project will ensure the safety of the residents of Lucchetti and Yauco as they return to their everyday lives following the destruction of Hurricane Maria.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2017 17:35 |
| Story ID: | 254524 |
| Location: | YAUCO, PR |
| Web Views: | 1,278 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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