11/13/09

POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) _ Pocatello city officials are hoping the
Federal Emergency Management Agency will re-certify the levee
system along the Portneuf River.

The Idaho State Journal reports the city submitted a hydrology
study to the agency, reporting that the levees need to hold just
3,850 cubic feet per second of water to handle a 100-year flood.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in 2006 that the levees
were insufficient to handle a flood, and said they needed to hold
at least 5,500 cubic feet per second of water. As a result, FEMA
decertified the levees.

If the levees aren't recertified, the city will have to redraw
its flood plain boundaries, and that could affect flood insurance
rates and construction standards.
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Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com


(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APNP-11-13-09 0919MST<