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Pennsylvania’s aging levees are under pressure from scarce funding and severe weather

<name>Kaleigh Yost, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Penn State</name> <foaf:homepage rdf:resource="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kaleigh-yost-2759499"/>· 10 septembre 2026

The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia flooded after heavy rains from Hurricane Ida in 2021. Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images Pennsylvania has over 180 levees that span approximately 155 miles (255 kilometers) and keep its rivers from flooding. They protect about 158,000 people and US$26.2 billi…

Résumé

Pennsylvania's levees

Pennsylvania has over 180 levees, which are earthen embankments built along rivers to prevent flooding.

These levees span about 155 miles (255 kilometers) and protect around 158,000 people as well as property worth US$26.2 billion.

Most of these levees were constructed between 1950 and 1970 under the Flood Control Act of 1936, a U.S.

federal law aimed at reducing flood damage.

Levees are designed to handle floods with a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, meaning they are built to withstand events that have a low but not impossible probability.

However, these structures are aging, with many exceeding their typical 50-year design life, which raises concerns about their long-term effectiveness.

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