Green Valley Creek levees don’t meet Corps maintenance standards

Published Nov. 21, 2011
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Inspections by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District have found that four miles of Green Valley Creek levees in Solano County do not meet Corps levee safety standards. A map showing the location of inspected levees and their inspection report cards are posted on the Sacramento District’s website.

The Sacramento District conducted a routine, or annual, inspection of the Green Valley Creek levee systems in May 2010. Solano County Water Agency, the agency responsible for maintaining the levees, participated in the inspection, learning of deficiencies on the spot. A final inspection report was issued Sept. 12, 2011. The system was rated “Unacceptable,” meaning it is unlikely to perform as intended in a flood.

“Levee inspections are all about making sure that a levee can reliably do what we expect it to,” said Meegan Nagy, Sacramento District levee safety program manager. “Our findings help the agencies that own and maintain these levees prioritize levee fixes – and help the public understand their flood risk and make informed decisions about their safety.”

Inspection findings determine levee systems’ continued eligibility for the Corps’ Rehabilitation and Inspection Program, the Corps’ authority to provide federal assistance for flood fighting and repairing levees damaged by floods or storms. Systems rated “Unacceptable” were found not to meet Corps levee safety criteria, and are ineligible for federal aid in repairing flood or storm damage to levees until their deficiencies are corrected.

The Corps will continue to provide flood fighting assistance for the Green Valley Creek levee system, regardless of RIP status. When the maintenance problems have been corrected, the county may request a re-inspection of the levee system, and regain RIP active status if they’ve been adequately addressed.

Of the more than 6,500 miles of levees in the Central Valley, about 1,760 are in the Corps’ Levee Safety Program. Annual inspections of California levees are conducted mostly by the California Department of Water Resources, with the Corps conducting inspections for 10 percent of those levees annually for quality assurance. The Corps does not own or maintain any levees in the Central Valley.
Contact
DeDe Cordell
916-557-5102
dede.cordell@usace.army.mil

Release no. 11-033