New Orleans area hurricane levee system: St. Charles Parish levee

A new levee just inland of Lake Pontchartrain on the east bank of St. Charles Parish is part of the overhaul of metro New Orleans' hurricane levee system that Congress authorized after Hurricane Katrina. The upgraded system is designed to keep out surges caused by a so-called 100-year storm, one with a 1 percent chance of hitting in any year. The system is also designed to significantly reduce flooding from even larger storms.

Project: The levee that was unfinished during Katrina was raised and strengthened, giving the east bank of the parish its first real protection. The work included 9.5 miles of levees, four drainage structures and four floodwalls. 

Notable feature: The new levee blocks off a potential back door for surge that would flow from the lake through the LaBranche Wetlands to the river and then east into Jefferson Parish.

Construction status: The levee is built, but the earthen portion must still be armored with grass and fabric mat.