Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger
Levee patrol log — seepage, boils, cracking, animal burrows, encroachments and erosion, in USACE inspection language; offline + GPS.
New levee reach inspection
Routine inspections at least annually (USACE program expects them), plus continuous patrol during high-water events.
Field guide: Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger
Levees protect until the day they're tested, and the failure modes — through-seepage, underseepage, slope instability, overtopping erosion — all show early symptoms a trained walker can spot in dry weather. This logger uses USACE inspection vocabulary: acceptable / minimally acceptable / unacceptable, with a separate flood-fight class for findings during high water, when a wet spot becomes a boil and a boil becomes the night's sandbag operation.
Sand boils are the finding everyone is trained for: seepage that moves sediment is actively eroding the foundation (piping) and is flagged with a warning wherever it appears. Burrows and trees matter more than they look — a burrow complex or rotted root ball is a pre-made seepage path through the section, which is why levee programs are so unsentimental about vegetation.
Field tips
- Walk the landside toe, not the crest — that's where seepage, boils and soft ground announce themselves.
- During high water, ring any boil with sandbags to balance head, never plug it; log GPS and watch for sediment in the flow.
- An unusually lush green stripe along the toe in dry season is groundwater advertising a seepage path.
Records are stored only in this browser (localStorage) — export regularly. This tool aids field documentation; it does not replace your agency's official inspection procedures or engineering judgment.
Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger — Levee patrol log — seepage, boils, cracking, animal burrows, encroachments and erosion, in USACE inspection language; offline + GPS. Free, offline-first and GPS-aware: open it on any phone, log in seconds, and hand your GIS team clean GeoJSON.
About Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger
Levees protect until the day they're tested, and the failure modes — through-seepage, underseepage, slope instability, overtopping erosion — all show early symptoms a trained walker can spot in dry weather. This logger uses USACE inspection vocabulary: acceptable / minimally acceptable / unacceptable, with a separate flood-fight class for findings during high water, when a wet spot becomes a boil and a boil becomes the night's sandbag operation.
How to use Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger
- 1Enter the levee / reach id and tap 📍 GPS to pin the levee reach's exact location (or type coordinates).
- 2Work through the levee reach checklist — every field matches what a real inspection program records.
- 3Pick a condition on the Acceptable / Minimally acceptable / Unacceptable / Flood-fight condition ⚠ scale; actionable findings are tallied automatically.
- 4Add notes and log the inspection — it saves instantly to your device, even with zero signal.
- 5Export the round as CSV for your asset system, GeoJSON for the GIS, or print a clean report.
Why use Levee & Embankment Inspection Logger?
- ✓100% free, no sign-up — built for crews, not per-seat licences
- ✓Offline-first: records save to your device instantly and survive dead zones
- ✓One-tap GPS tagging with accuracy capture on every record
- ✓Exports CSV for asset systems, GeoJSON for GIS, and print-ready reports
- ✓Checklist and guidance aligned with USACE Levee Safety Program
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a sand boil and why is it urgent?+
Underseepage exiting the ground landside of a levee can carry foundation sand with it, building a small cone — a boil. Moving sediment means the foundation is being eroded from inside (piping), historically the leading cause of levee failure. Clear-water seepage is 'monitor'; sediment-moving seepage is an emergency response.
Why can't trees grow on levees?+
Roots create seepage pathways through the embankment, and a windthrown tree tears a crater out of the section at the worst possible time. USACE guidance requires a vegetation-free zone so the embankment can also be inspected — overgrowth that hides the slope is itself an 'unacceptable' rating in federal inspections.
What's the difference between transverse and longitudinal cracking?+
Longitudinal cracks (parallel to the levee) usually signal slope movement or desiccation and merit monitoring. Transverse cracks (across the levee) are worse: they're a potential open path from waterside to landside and can pass water at high stage — that's why this checklist flags them specifically.
What should patrols do differently during a flood event?+
Patrol continuously in pairs, focus on the landside toe, mark every wet spot and boil with GPS and stakes, ring active boils with sandbags to create back-pressure, and report immediately — conditions evolve hourly. This log's flood-fight class exists so event observations are separable from routine ones afterward.
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