Some of the most interesting engineering marvels are the ones that you hardly notice or ever think about. To many people, a levee is just a large hill that looks like it would be fun to sled down. But a levee is a crucial engineered and constructed feature that ensures the safety of people and infrastructure during high water levels.
The City of Lawrenceburg is surrounded by an impressive 18,300-foot earthen levee that protects $2 billion in property and infrastructure value from the waters of the Ohio River. Behind the scenes of the multi-mile long levee is a large network including:
- Relief wells – wells that relieve pressure buildup to help maintain the structural integrity of the levee
- Piezometers – devices that measure water pressure and groundwater levels
- Flood Gates – gates that can be opened and closed in flood events
- Pump Stations – facilities that pump away storm water and percolating ground water
- As well as many others
The Lawrenceburg Conservancy District (LCD) upkeeps and operates this entire levee system throughout the year to make sure that the city is always prepared for flood events. A big shoutout is in order for the LCD staff – Paul Seymour, Jerid Edwards, Derek Black, and Danny Brooks. They make sure the levee is taken care of each and every day and are ready to act whenever the river level rises.
Banning Engineering had the privilege of assisting LCD in mapping their levee network and creating a GIS system to help manage their assets. Hundreds of features were mapped and added into their levee map, giving the crew a complete picture of their system and helping them quickly identify where things are. This project was recognized by the Indiana Geographic Information Council in 2024 with the Excellence in GIS award for a non-profit organization.
LCD recently updated their website (check it out here!) and was looking for a unique way to highlight for the public some of the history of how the levee was built back in the 1940s. They have many old black and white photographs showing various stages of construction and wanted to be able to incorporate these photos into a modern map to show where these pictures were taken.
Using their GIS system, Banning was able to work with LCD to create an interactive “tour” of the Lawrenceburg levee through these historical pictures (Another big shoutout to Heather Shaut for all her work in getting these pictures into the map!). As you scroll through the library of photos, the location of the picture appears on the map and will provide a brief description and date of when it was taken. Be sure to take a tour for yourself!
One of my favorite parts of working with GIS is being able to see the story behind the data we are working with. Each feature on a map is like one of many tiles that come together to form a mosaic that display the history of the area. Being able to see the levee as it is now and dive into its rich history gives a new appreciation for those kind of engineering marvels that we sometimes hardly notice!
The Lawrenceburg Conservancy District and Banning Engineering receive the Indiana Geographic Information Council’s (IGIC) prestigious Excellence in GIS award for the Lawrenceburg Levee GIS Mapping project. Left to right: Mark Butler, Banning Engineering, Paul Seymour, Lawrenceburg Conservancy District, Ryan Bowe, IGIC President, and Pete Rusche, Banning Engineering
If you are interested in GIS mapping or creative, unique ways to highlight historical information, pictures, and other data, give us a call and we would love to help bring your vision into a GIS reality! Also, if you are into fascinating history like me, be sure to check out the awesome history book of the Lawrenceburg levee on LCD’s new website!
~ Pete Rusche