On Monday, May 2, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Commander Col. Kimberly Peeples, along with Louisville District Section 408 Coordinator, David Lasoski and Great Lakes and Ohio River Division Section 408 Program Manager, Bonnie Jennings, visited the Ovation Project in Newport, KY, including alterations made to the Newport Levee.
The 25 acre Ovation Project is an estimated $1 billion project located on the landside of the Newport, KY levee system directly across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, OH. The project, developed by Kentucky based developer Corporex, will consist of residential spaces, parking garages, dining, and music venue.
Since the project altered the existing Newport, KY Levee System, the Levee Sponsor and USACE needed to review the proposed plans in accordance with USACE Section 408 policy to ensure the design did not negatively impact the levee system. In order for this project to be successful, the AE, Developer, Construction Contractor, Levee Sponsor, and USACE partnered together.
The Louisville District entered into a Section 408 Memorandum of Agreement with the levee sponsor to receive contributed funds for the Section 408 review and management of the alteration made to the Newport Levee. These alterations include 1,600 foot long, 30 foot high concrete wall on the landside and backfilling the area between the wall and levee with backfill material, including innovative high density GeoFoam.
Through the Civil Works program, the US Army Corps of Engineers serves the public by providing the Nation with quality and responsive management of the Nation’s water resources. As a result, USACE, in partnership with stakeholders, has constructed many Civil Works projects across the Nation’s landscape. Given the widespread locations of these projects, many embedded within communities, over time there may be a need for others outside of USACE to alter or occupy these projects and their associated lands. Reasons for alterations could include improvements to the projects; relocation of part of the project; or installing utilities or other non-project features. In order to ensure that these projects continue to provide their intended benefits to the public, Congress mandated that any use or alteration of a Civil Works project by another party is subject to the approval of USACE. This requirement was established in Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which has since been amended several times and is codified at 33 USC 408 (Section 408). Section 408 provides that USACE may grant permission for another party to alter a Civil Works project upon a determination that the alteration proposed will not be injurious to the public interest and will not impair the usefulness of the Civil Works project.
To see more photos from the site visit https://flickr.com/photos/lrdusace/albums/72177720298641973
To learn more about the Louisville District's Section 408 and Levee Safety, visit https://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Levee-Safety/Alterations/