SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District released its draft supplemental environmental assessment for Reach D of its Natomas Basin project for public review.
The proposed project includes the removal of two abandoned pumping plants (Bennett and Northern Pumping Plants), the rehabilitation of a third pumping plant (Pumping Plant 4), and the relocation of a canal located on the south side of the levee (Vestal Drain) at Reach D, located along the Natomas Cross Canal, near Howsley Road in Sutter County.
The draft SEA describes the environmental resources in the project areas; evaluates the environmental effects of the proposed plan; and recommends mitigation measures. All potential adverse effects that would result from the proposed alternatives would either be short-term, reduced by using best management practices or avoided altogether.
The document is published on the district’s website at http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Sacramento-Area-Levees/, and is available for review at Sacramento’s Central Library and the North Natomas Public Library. Copies of the report are available upon request.
The draft document will be available for public review and comment until Sept. 20, 2017. Written comments can be submitted through the postal mail to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, Attn: Ms. Robin Rosenau, Environmental Manager, 1325 J Street, Sacramento, California 95814 or by e-mail at Robin.M.Rosenau@usace.army.mil. All comments received on the draft document will be considered and incorporated into the final EA, as appropriate.
The project at Reach D is a cooperative effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to address seepage problems in the American River levee system. This project would ensure levees on the north side of the Natomas Basin meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s criteria for certification.
Construction is expected to begin in spring 2018.
Release no. 17-023