YUBA CITY, CA – Repairs will soon be underway for nearly five miles of critically deficient Feather River
west levee between Tudor Road and Cypress Avenue in south Sutter County. In late February, the US Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a $35 million contract to Great Lakes E&I for its Sutter Basin Project,
which involves the installation of cutoff walls as deep as 140 feet into the existing levee. Construction crews
will begin mobilizing in May and repair work is expected to last two construction seasons. The project will be
managed by the USACE.
"We are excited to continue the efforts to lower the risk of a historically flood-prone region. The initiative
taken by SBFCA to move ahead of the Corps process has us in an excellent position to bring substantial
benefits to this community much sooner," said Corps project manager Patrick Howell.
In advance of the federal portion of the project, the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) recently
completed repairs on 36 miles of Feather River west levee from Thermalito Afterbay south to Star Bend
(locally known as the Feather River West Levee Project 1), along with nearly 1 mile adjacent to Laurel
Avenue. Preceding that work, Levee District 1 constructed a new .63 mile-long setback levee at Star Bend.
The federal project will augment these repairs by tying into the Star Bend Setback in the north and the Laurel
Avenue repair in the south. Notably, the project will replace a temporary seepage berm north of Laurel
Avenue that was constructed as an emergency repair following the early 2017 storms and Oroville Spillway
incident.
“We’re greatly appreciative of the Corps’ efforts to prioritize funding and the timely construction of repairs to
one of the highest-risk levee segments in our basin,” said Yuba City Mayor and SBFCA Board Chair Shon
Harris. “The Corps has been an excellent partner in recent years, expediting its federal feasibility study and
permits necessary for emergency repairs. We look forward to our continued partnership in further reducing
flood risk for those who live and work in our region.”
Funding for the $77 million project is largely made possible through an appropriation in the USACE’s 2018
Work Plan. That document authorized a 65 percent federal cost share for the project, up to a maximum of
$50 million. The remaining 35 percent cost share is to be split between the state and SBFCA, with the state
paying up to 70 percent of that 35 percent.
“We look forward to partnering with the Corps on the completion of its Sutter Basin Project,” said Michael
Bessette, SBFCA’s Interim Executive Director. “In conjunction with that effort, we’re continuing to pursue
flood risk reduction solutions for the most southern portion of the basin, including working with the state to
address critical areas along the Sutter Bypass and Wadsworth Canal. We still have work to do.”
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