VSF 03.03.01: Levee Inspection Team Member

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A Volunteer Support Function (VSF) is a functional area under which volunteers carry out their responsibilities. Each VSF is broken into position assignments. VSF 03.03.01 is the position assigned to NETs when volunteering with the Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District (UFSWQD) as a Levee Inspection Team Member.

The UFSWQD manages 27 miles of levees that divert Columbia River and Lower Columbia Slough floodwaters away from properties within the District boundaries. Though the levee system is well maintained, there are still known areas with risk drivers that should receive special attention during emergency response.

Inspection during high water events is critical to ensure proper operation of the flood management system. By identifying problems early on, issues can be prevented or slowed down. During a flood emergency, monitoring the levee system condition is necessary to ensure that emergency risk reduction measures are initiated quickly to avoid adverse impacts of delayed response.

UFSWQD and PBEM project that Levee Inspection volunteers will be called on to deploy once or twice a year.

Summary

A NET volunteer learns about levee inspection from the Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District. Photo by Karlene McCabe, November 14 2025.

Support the safety and integrity of local levees by conducting routine visual inspections using provided go-kits and reporting findings. Inspections and maintenance of the levee system promotes levee integrity in the larger effort to protect lives and property. Levee failure during a flood can cause catastrophic damage. These inspections are a frontline prevention measure. Levee inspection volunteers contribute to:

• Critical early detection: Routine inspections help UFSWQD catch small issues before they become serious—like erosion, animal burrows, or seepage—that could compromise flood protection.
• Emergency readiness: Knowing the condition of levees ahead of a storm or flood event makes emergency response faster, more informed, and safer.
• Community resilience: Your involvement helps maintain a vital line of defense that protects homes, businesses, and infrastructure in flood-prone areas.

Blue Skies/Grey Skies Summary
During Blue Skies, these volunteers...	During Grey Skies, these volunteers...
...train with UFSWQD personnel as needed to be ready to deploy during a high water event.	...patrol levees during high water events and report and document potential trouble spots.

Related Volunteer Positions

VSF 03.03.02: Debris Removal Task Force Member

Responsibilities

• Be familiar with Levee Threat Monitoring Guidelines (UFSWQD Flood Emergency Action Plan, Appendix M, 2016).
• Patrol levees in teams of two to identify sand boils, erosion, and overtopping.
• Monitor floodwalls for leaks in the monolith joints and for other sources of seepage.
• Use radios for communications (radios provided by UFSWQD during deployment).
• Report immediate concerns to UFSWQD Division Supervisor or Operations Section Chief, or otherwise hourly.
• Use cell phone to take photos of issues as they arise and change to document the incident for reporting.
• Use cell phone to document levee inspection forms.

• Participate in scheduled training, drills, and activation exercises to maintain operational competence.
• Represent PBEM professionally and follow safety and operational guidelines at all times.
• Log all volunteer hours.

Position ID	VSF 03.03.01: Levee Inspection Team Member
Mission Area	Preparedness	Response	Recovery
Lead Agency	Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District (UFSWQD); deployments issued by PBEM.
Active NET Required?	Yes.
Structure	Levee Inspection Team Members work in pairs and report to an UFSWQD Division Supervisor or Operations Section Chief.
Relevant Knowledge, Skills, Abilities	Basic radio operation principles, including radio etiquette.
Licenses and Certifications	None required.
Currency	Required to complete a Criminal Background Check at PBEM's expense every three years. Completion of a training refresher at the start of each rainy season with UFSWQD.
Physical Requirements	✍️ Volunteers must travel along unpaved inspection routes [approx distance or shift duration?], often in rough weather. They should carry a personal daypack. Possible exposure to variable and/or extreme weather conditions. Possible, though unlikely, exposure to water-borne pathogens found in floodwater.
Task Book	None at this time.
PPE and Recommended Equipment	PPE: Weather appropriate/watertight clothes (rain gear) and watertight footwear designed for trails. NET vest, ID, and hard hat. Equipment: Personal cell phone with camera (for emergency communications and to document incidents), PBEM-issued 800 MHz radio, personal daypack with drinking water and snacks.
Forms	2025.10.11.Volunteer Levee Patrol Form
Updated	2025.09.15
Released	2025.05.12

Training for VSF 03.03.01: Levee Inspection Team Member

Important note: ONLY the trainings listed as REQUIRED are required! Optional training and supplemental resources are presented as a path for a volunteer to increase their knowledge and confidence carrying out their volunteer responsibilities. However, no volunteer's Active status depends on completing training marked as "Optional" or "Supplemental". For more information, please visit the article on Position Descriptions: Training Section.

Training or Resource	Type	Delivery	Duration	Learning Objective
UFSWQD Levee Inspection Training	Required	In-person	✍️ # hours for class?	Learn everything needed to qualify as a Levee Inspection Team Member, including how to spot trouble areas and reporting.

VSF VSF 03.03.01: Levee Inspection Team Member Knowledge Base

File/Resource	Description	Author	Publish Date
Levee Threat Monitoring Guidelines (UFSWQD Flood Emergency Action Plan, Appendix M, 2016)	Establishes a set of “Best Practices” based on field-tested techniques used by levee maintaining agencies, their engineers, flood fight specialists, and levee inspectors to mark and monitor a levee threat.	State of California Department of Water Resources and The Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District	2012.04.__ & 2016.__.__