Physical modeling studies to evaluate performance of New Orleans levees during hurricanes

Canal and the 17th Street Canal. A typical crosssection of levees and floodwalls in New Orleans consists of the levee fill (clay embankment) and sheet pile which supports a vertical concrete wall above the crest of the levee. This type of floodwall is called an “I-Wall”. Underneath the levee is a marsh/peat layer. For the levee sections on the London Avenue Canal, the levee and peat layer are supported by a thick layer of fine sand. For the levee sections on the 17th Street Canal, the levee is composed of normally consolidated ‘lacustrine’ clay. The typical geometry of New Orleans levees is shown in Figure 1.