SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The sounds of heavy machinery echoed in the background as Sacramento District Commander Col. Thomas Chapman joined local officials and residents to break ground on a setback levee in Yuba City recently. The event officially started an Early Implementation Project (EIP) that will replace a portion of aging levee along the Feather River.
The project, expected to be completed by the end of October, is the construction of a setback levee at the segment of levee referred to as Star Bend. It's named after the large bend in the river at that location. While the old levee used to bend parallel to the river, the new setback levee will essentially straighten the section, therefore, making it stronger. It will also provide a larger area on the water side of the levee for high waters to recede.
A slurry wall will also buoy the flood protection. Slurry walls are constructed by digging a narrow trench underground at a specific levee location. The trench is then filled with engineered material, which can differ based on the conditions and requirements of the site, providing a sturdy barrier against leaks. The slurry wall at the Star Bend site will be dug more than 45 feet deep into the soil, making it very difficult for flood waters to leak through or under the levee and cause structural issues.
"Just like a house, the most important part of a levee is the foundation," Chapman said.
Levee District One (LD1) Chairman Francis Silva agrees, and that's why he wanted to replace the troubled levee. "Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as slurry walls and the ground underneath the new levee was no better than the ground underneath the old levee," Silva said.
Sutter County is surrounded by 282 miles of levee and has seen its share of flood fighting. Silva saw many of them firsthand. Aca,!A"I sandbagged here in 1938, 1942, 1955, 1964, 1986 and 1997 and every year it got worse,Aca,!A? Silva said, discussing the countyAca,!a,,cs historical levee issues. In 1997, levee failure near the Star Bend section was imminent. Boils appeared at the levees on both sides of the river. Eventually, the levee across the river from where current construction is under way busted open, leading to flooding in the Plumas Lake community.
When California voters passed Propositions 1E and 84 in the 2006 election, it meant the state could fund and then accelerate flood protection projects.
LD1, responsible for the operation and maintenance of this stretch of levee, realized the unstable history surrounding this particular portion of the Feather River and the amount of time typically required for Federal support. It created a perfect opportunity to use the new funding program, and LD1 decided it was time to move forward with a setback levee project. By entering into an EIP with the Corps of Engineers, LD1 along with Sutter County and Yuba City were able to get increased flood protection by the 2009 rainy season.
But the levee district can potentially get credit for the work it has accomplished and apply it to future projects in the area, including any work that may be recommended from the ongoing Sutter Basin Feasibility Study through the Corps of Engineers' Section 408 program, which allows a local government agency to work with a Corps project manager to begin a project ahead of the federal process.
"Levee projects like this one are keeping people safe, putting people to work and helping us build a foundation for a prosperous future," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Calpine Corporation's funding of $1.3 million toward the almost $21.6 million setback levee marks the first time in California that a public/private partnership has been formed to directly fund a flood control project. Besides Calpine's contribution, Props 1E and 84 provided more than $16.3 million, Sutter County and Yuba City each provided $1.6 million and Levee District One chipped in the final $750,000 to help this project get finished this year.
Social Sharing