Levees along Provo River determined to be outdated, in need of 'facelift'

PROVO, Utah — A recent engineering investigation found that the levee system along the Provo River has aged significantly and has many "structural issues."

"The standard has changed what levees need to be," explained public works director Gordon Haight.

Some levees along the river have been there since the beginning of the 1800s. The last time the city updated them was in the 1980s.

The deterioration is one of the reasons behind the new potential flood map unveiled to homeowners this summer.

"I've been very nervous about the water breaching the banks of the river, but they've held. It's been close, but they've held," said Michael Spong who lives nearby.

If the new flood map is adopted and implemented next year, some homeowners would be required to get flood insurance.

Neighbors worry it could impact the value of their homes.

"Naturally, I'm not happy about that at all. I think they need to maintain it. There are many houses near my house. We rely on it, they have to keep it up," said Spong.

Haight said most of the homes impacted are west of Interstate 15.

"The levees basically do need a good facelift to make sure that they work," he said.

It's a pricey "facelift." Haight said it could cost $50-100 million.

The city is reaching out to state and federal agencies to find the funding. They hope to get construction started in a couple of years.

"It's something the city is very active in and we're very interested to get a solution as quickly as we can because we know how impactful this can be," said Haight.

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