Shannon & Wilson provided geotechnical expertise for prioritizing investments in Delta levee operation, maintenance, and improvements. This work will allow the State to identify funding priorities, as well as to develop a comprehensive investment strategy that will maximize flood protection while ensuring a fair allocation of costs among beneficiaries.

Shannon & Wilson applied geotechnical risk analysis methods to estimate expected annual flood damages with and without levee improvements. To meet this objective, Shannon & Wilson synthesized available information on natural hazards, geotechnical conditions and uncertainties associated with levee vulnerability, fragility, and failure consequences. We used this data to calculate expected annual damage for multiple levee operation, maintenance, and improvement alternatives. Shannon & Wilson helped incorporate this information into a project team-developed Computer-Based Decision-Support Tool, which compared the benefits, impacts, costs, and tradeoffs associated with various risk-reduction measures. After assembling and analyzing a viable set of options for each Delta island, the project team will recommend an optimized suite of investments.