Ongoing repairs at the infamous site of New Orleans’ 17th Street Canal levee breach have an added wrinkle that sets the project apart from other hurricane protection repairs around the city: The site is a potential treasure trove of forensic evidence for lawsuits filed by victims of the flooding.
Scientists and attorneys still hunting for clues into what happened at the failed, I-wall-fortified levee, hover in the wings, scrutinizing excavated materials as the project proceeds. An inquest into the performance of the flood protections around the city funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified a design flaw that allowed the flood wall to flex, opening up a vertical crack in the top of the levee that separated the front and back halves and initiated a slip fracture in a clay layer beneath the levee—but that explanation is not stopping investigators from sniffing for further clues.