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135 Comments
- publiclurker, on 06/15/2009, -1/+42It depends on the plant in question. Tree roots can burrow through the layers of the levee. Also, large trees will tear holes in them if knocked over by a strong wind. There are other types of plants that you want to use for stabilizing these types of structures.
- maz2331, on 06/16/2009, -2/+3015 feet seems pretty reasonable, because if a large tree fell on the levee during a storm it would create a breach that would very quickly be eroded to epic proprotions by the water.
Seriously - 15 feet? I could see an uproar over 1 mile - but 15 ***** feet?
Get real. - publiclurker, on 06/15/2009, -3/+29I hope you aren't trying to imply that levees are a natural phenomenon.
- bstockwell, on 06/16/2009, -1/+21A lot of this is plagiarized. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2 ...
- davetyler, on 06/15/2009, -10/+29This seems very wrong. The point about vegetation stabilizing riverbanks is a good one. Won't tree roots help rather than hurt?
- nicklantz, on 06/16/2009, -0/+13Article seems bias. Its not a matter of erosion, its a matter of a root working its way into the concrete sunk below the ground and severly weakening it. Its only 15 ft to the levee's, most are over 15 ft to the water so riverbank trees probably wont be plucked, not like there clearing out 60 ft from every river bed. It would be better to take out the tree's and plant bushes in there place. turn it into a kickass running trail.
- Rikkochet, on 06/16/2009, -2/+15So did you bring your lunch or not?
- inactive, on 06/16/2009, -0/+13that and those levees are dirt piles instead of being actual concrete levees
- weister42, on 06/16/2009, -1/+14Tree roots may damage the levee by squeezing their roots into tiny cracks, there are a lot of old buildings where trees pretty much grew through the concrete by cracking it. At least that's what I think.
- inactive, on 06/16/2009, -3/+15yes...your basic guesses are probalby more accurate than the Army Corps of Engineers extensive studies on the matter.
- Mike17102, on 06/16/2009, -3/+13Its funny to watch the diggiot "experts" pretend they know dick about what makes a levee more stable.
- Barackalypse, on 06/16/2009, -0/+9I have a common sense rule on homebuilding, if the land has ever flooded, don't build there, because it will flood again. The corollary to that rule is if a man made wall is the only thing stopping the land from being flooded, don't build there, because it will flood.
- Barackalypse, on 06/16/2009, -1/+10Yes, because God knows a website full of geeks can't possibly have any civil or mechanical engineers. As if it even takes an engineer to figure out that tree roots growing under or into a wall are going to weaken it
- Mike17102, on 06/16/2009, -2/+10I am gonna bet they know a whole ***** lot more about keeping water at bay than you do.
- ScottyAnimal, on 06/16/2009, -2/+10Earth, Wind, Water, Fire...Heart!
- Jeepinator, on 06/16/2009, -0/+6You don't have to have a degree or certification to be able to think it through in your head. You think to yourself "What could a tree potentially do to a levee if it grew on it." So then you move immediately to the roots because they are IN the levee. What is different about tree roots compared to normal plant roots? They are a lot bigger. I come to the conclusion that these bigger roots probably do not provide the same stability that smaller roots found on grass and ivy do. I visualize the roots burrowing into the soil. Then I think of a storm situation. Trees aren't the best at surviving hurricanes. When they fall a lot of dirt comes with them. Given that these trees are growing IN the levee, that dirt they take with them when they fall MUST be from the levee! Dirt loss couldn't be a good thing.
That was too much to write so I left out some small jumps here and there. Hopefully you can fill them in. - ohplease, on 06/16/2009, -4/+10Trees don't care about black people.
- Jeepinator, on 06/16/2009, -0/+6Well then the people there need to understand that they might wake up one night in their homes with the water up to their wastes. They also shouldn't be allowed to complain when the government doesn't come get them after they were told to evacuate and they didn't
- heyimcamcook, on 06/16/2009, -3/+9These comments suck.
- Chairboy, on 06/16/2009, -4/+9Easy solution to all the paperwork: Simply identify those trees as terrorists. It's been done before, here's an unfortunate picture of the jailers posing with their charges in humiliating positions:
http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/uploaded_images/WoodP ...
For shame. - Borstal, on 06/16/2009, -4/+9............................................______ __
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Digg users thinking they are engineers. - RoboRay, on 06/16/2009, -0/+5"2) The Army Corps of Engineers are not engineers"
Considering that military engineering long predates any type of civil engineering, I'm sure they disagree with you. Yes, I'm aware that various organizations of civilian engineers try very hard to claim that name for their own and seek ways to forbid anyone else to use it, but they are definitely not entitled to sole use of that title, as they were not the first engineers. - ScottyAnimal, on 06/16/2009, -0/+5Where is the Lorax?!
- RoboRay, on 06/16/2009, -1/+5I'm hungry.
- NMRgentleman, on 06/16/2009, -0/+4What could go wrong is that the levee could break. I'm no expert on this issue, but they seem to think that having the trees so close could make that more likely. Whether they are wrong or right, I don't know. But environmental concerns are not the only concerns - sometimes they should be trumped by other issues.
- commentposted, on 06/16/2009, -0/+4If you mean on banks that don't see a lot of gargantuan bodies of water trying to knock them over via seepage, then yes, they do help to prevent erosion.
- ChinezePanda, on 06/16/2009, -1/+5By your powers combined... I AM CAPTAIN PLANET!!
Captain Planet he's our hero!
Going to bring pollution down to zero!!!
ahhh... childhood. - TheGuruStud, on 06/16/2009, -0/+4The odds are ridiculously low and a properly built home will take the wind except for a direct hit.
It's very ignorant to compare flooding or other natural disasters to tornadoes.
I'm assuming you're serious. - memper, on 06/16/2009, -3/+7The army corp of engineers continues its 234 year history of exacerbating long term disaster by putting off the inevitable, allowing people to settle in areas that should not be developed, and risking our entire environment.
Thumbs up to the last vestige of the industrial revolution's narrow and elitist philosophy that man can and should control nature. - inactive, on 06/16/2009, -2/+6They are actually.
Human beings are part of nature. Just like every other animal. Human built levees are just as "natural" as beaver dams. Hell, technically, the Hoover Dam is as natural as a beaver dam. A skyscraper is just as natural as a bird's nest.
All are examples of a species using the environemnt and their know how to create something that benefits them - seltaeb4, on 06/16/2009, -1/+5If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break,
When the levee breaks, I'll have no place to stay. - TheWalt, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3French, Spanish, English, Americans. Also, the city is hundreds of years old. You know what is really ***** up? Venice, but no one ever points that one out because its easier to just insult the south as backwards or drugged and to disregard how much a cultural and historical center New Orleans is.
- JoeParanoid, on 06/16/2009, -1/+4Considering the Corps' record, I would not trust their judgment on this. Their answer is to pave everything rather than seek natural and more sustainable solutions. So when the water breaches the levees next time, residents can expect a mudslide as well.
- inactive, on 06/16/2009, -1/+4why on earth would you think that a tree covered levee would be more stable? Roots can do a LOt of damage to materials far stronger than earthen levees. So they can absolutely weaken them.
- CYCLEORDIE, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3The Army Core of Engineers have a long record of making 'mistakes' which result in environmental disaster, wasted money and resources. They're a huge contributing factor to the katrina levee failures. Did ya'll forget this or do you just think they're better now?
Further more the amount of water that a tree holds is incredible. If you take the trees down and don't replace them with wetland plants you're drastically decreasing the land's ability to deal with water. This makes you far more vulnerable to flooding. They need to build bio-swales all over to deal with flooding. But is the government doing this? No. Non-profits are down there still working hard on restoration projects. So before blindly accepting the core doing a bang up job, look into their history and also look into how wetlands work before you slam people for criticizing a corrupt organization. - eelriver, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3Levees cause levee failure. Removing the houses near the rivers would prevent flood damage.
- commentposted, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3Dugg hard for excellent critical thinking.
- 5urr3al5am, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3what about the Federal money given to New Orleans was supposed to be used for the Levees? what ever happened to that money when it got to .. New Orleans?
- inactive, on 06/16/2009, -1/+4An average tree's root system covers an area TWICE the radius of its canopy. So think abouthat. A tree with branches that stretch out 20 feet will have roots 40 feet from its trunk. If you rally think that that can't do damage to the levees then you are all complete idiots.
- inactive, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3OK, maybe I'm a bit slow here, but I have always believed that tree roots help hold dirt together.
- feomatteo88, on 06/16/2009, -3/+6This is insane... coming from the Sacramento River delta I can't see how this will be possible/affordable.
- Jeepinator, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3I see what you are getting at, but trees don't provide the same structure as low and light vegetation. The levies need grasses and ivy type plants to prevent erosion. If one of the trees in the levee fell it could take several cubic yards of levee material with it, thus weakening the structure.
- superkendall, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3This is Material Science 101. Concrete + tree roots = failure.
Kind of like your post. - commentposted, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3From what I understand, there are many layers to levees. If one of those layers is breached, the whole levee could be in danger of failure. It starts with a little hole. Observe:
http://www.gradethenews.org/photos/levee.jpg - maehem, on 06/16/2009, -2/+5These guys have obviously not watched "The Happening" by M. Night Shyamalan. Don't f**k with the trees! ...oh and run indoors if you see the breeze picking up.
- Barackalypse, on 06/16/2009, -0/+3You know the French Quarter didn't flood during Katrina, right? They had the good sense to build on the dry land and not in the swamp.
- freakFlag, on 06/16/2009, -0/+2This is a Standard Operating Procedure here in Northwest Missouri and trust me it really is not big deal.
- Jeepinator, on 06/16/2009, -0/+2Running along a levee would be the *****. As long as it is dirt and soft short cut grass on the top. It could potentially be a great running surface.
- commentposted, on 06/16/2009, -0/+2hahaha, you're trolling, right? Please tell me you're trolling.
- mikeophile, on 06/16/2009, -1/+3This is *****! I live near the Sacramento delta. The reason they have come up with this idea is to displace the hundreds, if not thousands of people who are camping there out of necessity. This has nothing to do with levee safety.
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