Orson trotted to a wide concrete access ramp that descended along the levee wall to the Santa Rosita.

The twenty-foot-high levee walls rose on both sides of us.

Water cascading over the levee wall or flooding from swollen marshes at the lake's eastern and western ends is just one part of the nightmare, the experts say.

Others collapsed after a brief period of overtopping (Industrial Canal) caused "scouring" or erosion of the earthen levee walls - a design flaw.

In April 1990, unusually heavy rains caused major flooding in the town, despite a massive effort by local people to build levee walls using sandbags.

"Some of the land inside the levee walls is privately owned," said William Barclay of East Brunswick, who attended the public meeting.

According to corps figures, the 21-foot levee walls would shield about 1,600 houses and buildings, and save millions of dollars in future flood damages.

The wells pump water collecting around the airport over the levee wall back into the Missouri River.

There was a surge of motion, then the deck tilted up as they climbed the levee wall.

The article in the Science section did paint a prescient picture: "Water cascading over the levee wall is just one part of the nightmare, the experts say.