Communities responsible for maintaining levees publicly identified as substandard by the federal government are racing to fix problems caused by years of neglect.

Residents of communities near some levees could be in danger and have to pay more for insurance. If a levee is determined to be at risk of failing, homeowners in the area could be required to buy flood insurance if repairs are not made.

The Army Corps of Engineers identified 122 levees at risk of failing in 27 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. California led the list with 37 and Washington state had 19.

Hawai'i is on the list with three. Sixteen of the states on the list had fewer than three deficient levees.

The list was released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by news organizations.

The deficient designation means a levee has one or more problems, including floodwalls that have moved, faulty culverts, animal burrows, erosion or trees growing on them. Levees also are given poor ratings if access roads are blocked, preventing emergency officials from responding quickly to fight floods. The review did not address structural deficiencies.

Although many levees on the list were in rural areas, some were in metropolitan regions including the District of Columbia; Springfield, Mass.; Stockton and Sacramento, Calif.; and some suburbs of San Francisco.

California's capital, Sacramento, faces significant flooding threats because of the deterioration of levees protecting the flood-prone Central Valley.

In November, California voters approved the issuance of $4.1 billion in bonds for repairs. California has about 10,000 miles of earthen levees; most are owned by local reclamation districts without the money for repairs.

"The governor's agenda to repair California's levees remains a top priority, which is why he campaigned last fall to pass infrastructure bonds, which in many cases will fund the repair and maintenance efforts needed to address these sites," said Bill Maile, a spokesman for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

NONE FROM LOUISIANA

The list did not include any levees from Louisiana. The New Orleans area was ravaged by flooding after Hurricane Katrina caused levees to collapse in 2005.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., sent a letter Thursday to President Bush complaining that levee work in New Orleans is underfunded and the Corps was far behind on several projects.

But Maj. Gen. Don Riley, director of civil works for the Corps, said that levees in the New Orleans area would be adequate once the current work is completed. He said Mississippi River levees are subject to very stringent programs and none in Louisiana shows any deficiencies.

Riley said he could not say how many people potentially could be at risk from the levees on the list. He offered no estimates for the potential costs of repairs, but said the federal government would not cover the bill for local governments.

THOUSANDS AT RISK

Larry Larson, director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said it is clear the repair bill could run into the millions and that thousands of people are potentially at risk from the levees on the list.

Rhode Island had two deficient levees, both in Woonsocket. Alan Brodd, the city engineer, admitted the levees had not been well maintained but said the city cannot afford the estimated $1.5 million for repairs.

Riley said each community had a one-year grace period to correct the deficiencies, but must file a plan within three months for how it intends to repair the problem.

Communities near the levees have been notified they have received an "unacceptable maintenance inspection rating." The Corps has told communities they need to take care of routine levee maintenance, Larson said.

"The feds are saying, 'Wait a minute, we haven't been doing our job. We better get on top of this. Your people are at risk. You need to get something done,' " Larson said.

EMERGENCY PLAN URGED

The Corps' Riley said the list covers only levees with unacceptable maintenance problems. He said a larger project authorized by Congress last year will produce information about other levees that may have stability problems or "if the environment around it has changed."

Butch Kinerney, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's national flood insurance program, said people living near the levees should have an evacuation plan, a family emergency plan and a disaster supply kit, along with flood insurance.

The Corps is responsible for inspecting about 2,000 levees covering about 13,000 miles.