Dam facts.

In last issue's editorial, "Katrina Storm Warnings," I was disappointed to see that your writers did not do their homework regarding the maintenance of the almost 400 miles of levees around the New Orleans region. The article incorrectly states that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was responsible for the maintenance of these structures before Katrina hit. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, while many levees throughout the country have been constructed by the Corps of Engineers, most of these levees are turned over to local entities for maintenance. In the case of the levees in New Orleans, maintenance responsibility fell solely to the local levee boards, not the Corps of Engineers. The only levees maintained by the Corps of Engineers in the New Orleans area are the levees along the Mississippi River. Those levees remain intact, unlike those maintained by the local levee boards.

G. Bowman

Via e-mail