Error, Not Lack of Dollars, Caused Flood Wall Failure in New Orleans

It appears that the flood wall failed along the 17th Street canal in New Orleans for the oldest of reasons: human error in its design and construction.

Instead of a lack of funding or care in maintenance, it seems to have been a simple design error:

Several high-level academic and professional investigations have found that the sheet piling used in the design to support the floodwalls was too short for the 18.5-foot depth of the canal.

(Hat tip: Instapundit)