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McLean Bottom Levee and Pumping Station Restoration

Background: The McLean Bottom Levee and Pumping Station was damaged during the May/June 2019 Arkansas River Flood Event. The pump station was submerged and the levee experienced severe scour. The pumping station and section of the levee is USACE Federally Constructed and USACE Federally Operated. This pump station is not part of the USACE Levee Rehabilitation and Inspection Program.

This McLean Bottom Levee system is divided into three segments:

  • McLean Bottom Levee District No. 3 (Locally operated and maintained by the McLean Bottom Levee District No. 3)
  • Six Mile Diversion Levee (USACE operated and maintained)
  • McLean Bottom Levee and Pumping Station (USACE operated and maintained)

National Levee Database Information: https://levees.sec.usace.army.mil/#/levees/system/3705000011/segments

Current Action:  Flood Supplemental funding has been received to begin work on the McLean Bottom Levee and Pumping Station repair project.  The purpose of this rehabilitation project is to repair this section of the levee system and the associated pump station to its authorized level of flood risk management.

Next Steps:

  1. Complete the Engineering and Design process.
  2. Advertise and award the pump station and levee repair construction contract.
  3. Repair the pump station and levee system to its authorized level of flood risk management.

Status Update

16 July 2021 - Temporary pumping remains operational. Earthen levee repairs complete. Pump station repairs in progress, took delivery of pumps and motor, components being delivered, scheduling pump station outage.

16 March 2020 - E&D work for final repair to pump station continues.

24 January 2020 - Contract with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for repair of earthen levee at pump station, TVA begins construction.

11 January 2020 - Refurbished pump motor commissioned, pump capable of 54,000 gallons-per-minute restored to operation. One temporary pump retained.

09 January 2020 – Temporary repairs continue.  E&D work continues.

18 December 2019 – One pump motor refurbished and installed. Electrical work ongoing.

4 December 2019-Two damaged pump motors pulled for rehabilitation.

24 November 2019 – Three temporary pumps turned on, gravity flow gates to the Arkansas River are closed.  Engineering and Design (E&D) work continues for rehabilitating the levee and pumping system. The team is still anticipating to be complete with the E&D process by early 2020.

13 November 2019TVA crews arrive onsite to restore access to pump station.

12 November 2019 – Contract with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for initial repairs to pump station.

28 October 2019 – Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 First Quarter Flood Supplemental funding received by USACE SWL.

17 June 2019 – An initial site damage assessment was completed by the USACE Little Rock District (SWL) team.  From this initial assessment, the team has determined that there were damages to the levee system that are eligible for repair.

McLean Pumping Station

McLean Pumping Station Map