Is the federal government responsible for maintaining levees? NO!

Source

Responsibility for Levees

Levees are operated and maintained by their “sponsors”. These sponsors may be special districts created to operate the levee system. As the system ages, the effort required to maintain the levee’s performance increases.

Levee systems are designed to protect against a specific flood level, but they may not provide protection passively: sometimes action is required to ready levees for a flood event (“flood fight”). For example, roads and railroads passing through the levee often must be closed. If human intervention is required to make the system work, this requires advance planning, significant resources, and allocation of responsibility for specific, timely actions. A good public awareness campaign may reduce opposition to these preparations: a community that understands the reason for the disruption of transportation or utilities that may be required for a “flood fight” may be less resentful of the inconvenience.

-The Institute for Business and Home Safety