Residents of Hamburg, Iowa, along the Missouri River are racing against time to build up a levee to try to prevent even more massive flooding. A 300-foot swath of an earthen levee was punctured as the river grew from heavy rains and melted snow.
Not only can huge levees be constructed to hold back large rivers, individual homeowners can construct their own levees to protect their property.
Sandbags
The most elementary form of making simple levees is with a lot of sandbags. The reason sand is a good alternative in building temporary levees is because the sand is pliable enough to form water-tight seals. For small amounts of water and just around doorways and small amounts of property, sandbags are good for temporary solutions to flooding.
The downside to making sandbags is that they are heavy. It takes a lot of people to make sandbags and their transport may be an issue as they can quickly weigh down the beds of trucks. If there are larger amounts of water headed towards a property, more drastic measures may have to be taken.
Earthen Levees
Popular Mechanics reports the key to making a larger levee is to have enough time and dirt to do so. If you have a large amount of land, finer grain dirt is the key to compacting the earth to make a waterproof levee.
The first thing that has to happen is you need to dig a ditch below ground level around the property you are trying to protect. The trench serves as a foundation of clay or other fine grain dirt. That way there is a less chance of water coming under the levee.
The critical step to making a levee is compacting dirt on top of the foundation as you pile on more dirt. Every six inches of earth piled on to the levee should be compacted before continuing.
Spacing
Depending on the amount of property you want to safeguard, you will want to leave enough space between the levee and your home or barn. There are several reasons for leaving enough space. In case you need to build the levee higher you will have time to do so as floodwaters rise.
If you need a higher levee, your base will have to be wider. The top of the levee should be like a pyramid as you compact the tops and sides of the levee as it builds up. Make the levee three times as wide as it is high so there is enough compact dirt between your place and the high water.
In a pinch, you should cover your homemade levee with plastic weighed down with sandbags for added impermeability. Because your levee is relatively new and temporary, dirt hasn't had time to naturally settle to offer full protection. You can still build the levee higher and keep the plastic on if you need to later.
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