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Periodic Water Barrier Inspections.

Joker

Bronze Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2014
Messages
58
Location
Midwest
Good Afternoon Building Officials. For those of you who have commercial riverfront property, how often does your city require structural inspections of the commercial seawalls, riprap, dikes etc. to ensure there's no collapse at the shoreline? We are considering making it every 5 years by a state licensed engineer hired by the property owner. We've reached out to the Army Corps of Engineers to see if we are on the right track and so far the reply is, "it’s up to you", which is no help at all. Thanks in advance!
 
What's that gonna cost a property owner? or does anyone care?

I thought the corp had complete control of all the riverways?
 
I have no water,,,

Seems like there are a lot of agencies that sometimes have jurisdiction over these

Maybe start requiring it and see what happens??

Who decides when repairs are needed ?

Is there a problem in your area with deterioration?
 
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Thanks for the quick responses. We thought the Corp had jurisdiction. They do in issuing the permits. They're officially hands off when it comes to making sure the owner maintains the barrier. Eventually all water barriers deteriorate and every BO should be very aware of who's responsibility it is before its too late. I'll bet your Property Maintenance code makes it your problem (in general) since the seawall is a part of the property.
 
I’m trying to understand, the property owner owns the parcel which includes all or part of the sea wall, riprap, dikes and etc which then is likely to extend into the waterway???
 
What's that gonna cost a property owner? or does anyone care?

I thought the corp had complete control of all the riverways?
I care as much as I care about how much a wall report costs for a 5+ story building or a boiler inspection. It's a business expense that hopefully keeps very bad things from happening. You can replace your brake pads now or wait a week and replace pads, calipers rotors, etc. IF you're lucky.
 
What is the age of the seawalls, etc..... currently in place?

What is the life expectancy of those seawalls, etc...

Do you have FEMA data that documents increased or decreased its flood plain rating for this river?

If an inspection program is put into action, my preliminary take would be;
-Inspection required within 3 years from start date of program.
-Thereafter inspections required at change of ownership.
 
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I’m trying to understand, the property owner owns the parcel which includes all or part of the sea wall, riprap, dikes and etc which then is likely to extend into the waterway???
Example: Your waterfront property has a seawall or riprap separating your land( Grass, asphalt, concrete, etc.) from the water. It should be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure there's no failure.
 
Example: Your waterfront property has a seawall or riprap separating your land( Grass, asphalt, concrete, etc.) from the water. It should be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure there's no failure.
Gotcha. Similar to retaining wall.
 
What is the age of the seawalls, etc..... currently in place?

What is the life expectancy of those seawalls, etc...

Do you have FEMA data that documents increased or decreased its flood plain rating for this river?

If an inspection program is put into action, my preliminary take would be;
-Inspection required within 3 years from start date of program.
-Thereafter inspections required at change of ownership.
Unfortunately, I don't have any data on the age or life expectancy of the barriers. FEMA did increase the flood plain rating in some areas from 500 to 100 years. Thanks for the comments.
 
We have a lake, so I really can't compare that to a river. FWIW we don't require any sort of inspections for seawalls / riprap after the one I do on initial installation, but we also don't permit any building (except for docks) below 10 feet above normal pool.

Interesting thread / question. I'm curious what all of the answers are going to be.
 
What a can of worms.

Do you have any objective criteria that would compel action? Do your building codes recognize this criteria? How much distress is too much?

If another entity issues permits for the design and construction how can you have jurisdiction? The property maintenance code is a stretch.

If the failure of these walls really creates a problem that impacts more than the individual property the issues could be treated as a public nuisance and litigated in the courts..

I suggest that your department has too much tine on its hands.
 
What a can of worms.

Do you have any objective criteria that would compel action? Do your building codes recognize this criteria? How much distress is too much?

If another entity issues permits for the design and construction how can you have jurisdiction? The property maintenance code is a stretch.

If the failure of these walls really creates a problem that impacts more than the individual property the issues could be treated as a public nuisance and litigated in the courts..

I suggest that your department has too much tine on its hands.

Or a water way hazard/ problem
 
Unfortunately, I don't have any data on the age or life expectancy of the barriers. FEMA did increase the flood plain rating in some areas from 500 to 100 years. Thanks for the comments.

Do you inspect new ones???
 
Do you inspect new ones???
If we were made aware of a new installation we'd probably require a 3rd party inspection at completion to ensure it was done right since ACE just issues the permits and allegedly doesn't inspect.
 
What a can of worms.

Do you have any objective criteria that would compel action? Do your building codes recognize this criteria? How much distress is too much?

If another entity issues permits for the design and construction how can you have jurisdiction? The property maintenance code is a stretch.

If the failure of these walls really creates a problem that impacts more than the individual property the issues could be treated as a public nuisance and litigated in the courts..

I suggest that your department has too much tine on its hands.
With all due respect, I'm not speaking of new design, permit issuance, construction, etc. I'm speaking of barriers that are decades old, at the mercy of rising and lowering tides (erosion) and are subject to failure if left unattended just like any other structure that was built by man. Did you not see the article above? It's not a stretch by any means. If you have a property maintenance code based on the IPMC, it probably defines premises, exterior property, and speaks to grading and drainage to prevent the erosion of soil and the accumulation of stagnant water there on. I'll bet it also says a structure is defined as that which is built or constructed or portion thereof. You probably have a section that speaks to exterior structures and unsafe conditions that this matter will fall under. Maybe you have nothing that speaks to this at all and you're in the clear. Believe me, I have plenty of work to do and would love to not take this on. However, it is my responsibility and probably most of yours too if you have waterfront property. Ignore it if you want. You may get lucky. Maybe you won't. You've been warned.

Regards
 

Causes of Seawall Failure Include:
i. Poor maintenance.
ii. Lack of inspection to detect problems early.
iii. Placing loads atop the soil supported by the seawall.
iv. Shallow building foundations placed too close to the wall.
v. Changing water flow and trapping large quantities of water behind seawall.
vi. Changing cover depth of anchor system, which diminishes seawall the anchor’s
capacity.
vii. Raising elevation and load beyond seawall design limits.
viii. Driving heavy vehicles and/or equipment too close to seawall.
ix. Using materials that can’t withstand harsh, corrosive marine environments.
x. Corrosive Nature of Marine Environments.
 
What are you righting them up on? Do you have the IPMC adopted? 304.1.1?
Ours is based on the 2003 version of the IMPC. I'm currently asking for a 3rd party inspection and repairs of noted items with the following sections:
(Paraphrase)
The Director of the Building Department and the
Public Health Director are authorized to engage, subject to any approvals required by the Charter or by City Code, such expert opinion as deemed necessary to report upon unusual or technical issues that arise as a result of any inspection or re-inspection.

Exterior walls.
All building and structure exterior walls shall be free from breaks, holes, and loose or rotting materials, and
shall be maintained weatherproof and properly surface coated, where required, to prevent deterioration.

The new ordinance being proposed is suggesting an inspection every 5 years by a 3rd party. That's why I'm reaching out to BO's to see what is being done elsewhere if anything.
 
Is the seawall or similar positively part of the owners responsibility, in terms of conveying with deed, shown on plot plan as complete ownership? Or is this part of an easement or some other avenue? What does the zoning Official have to say, is that another hat you must wear?

IMO, 5 years is onerous and unreasonable without substantial evidence of failures. This is in a 100year flood plain, a single owner will not own a property longer then 100 years nor will the likely hold of a 100 year event. Hence my suggestion of inspection at change of ownership.
 
Is the seawall or similar positively part of the owners responsibility, in terms of conveying with deed, shown on plot plan as complete ownership? Or is this part of an easement or some other avenue? What does the zoning Official have to say, is that another hat you must wear?

IMO, 5 years is onerous and unreasonable without substantial evidence of failures. This is in a 100year flood plain, a single owner will not own a property longer then 100 years nor will the likely hold of a 100 year event. Hence my suggestion of inspection at change of ownership.
The seawall in most cases is the owners responsibility. We are not involved with the conveying of property and our code is silent on that. We've had failures. Zoning (also my hat) is for new uses/developments. I respect your opinion that 5 years is bad. However, if we go with inspection only upon change of ownership on a 50-65 year-old structure, AND the owner has no intention of selling, we could still end up in a bad situation. Did I mention that all of my riverfront was industrial for decades (like some of you) with varying levels of contamination? Yeah. That too.
 
It sounds to me like a periodic inspection at the property owners expense is not unreasonable at all. They might complain, but if spending a little money on regular inspections can save a property from serious damage, that's money well spent. A 3rd party inspection every 5 years is not unreasonable, IMO. "An ounce of prevention..."
 
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