SACRAMENTO, California -- This week is California Flood Preparedness Week, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District is making progress on several projects throughout the Sacramento region aimed at reducing the flood risk for one of the most at-risk regions in the nation.
The American River Common Features 2016 project is a $1.8 billion project that will upgrade nearly 45 miles of levee and widen the Sacramento Weir and Bypass. In 2022, USACE and its partners—the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, California Department of Water Resources, and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA)—is wrapping up its fourth year of levee improvements along the Sacramento River East Levee, primarily in Sacramento’s Pocket and Little Pocket neighborhoods. This work to address flood risk associated with seepage, stability and overtopping, which presents a significant vulnerability for levee failure along the Sacramento River East Levee, has proceeded on schedule despite complications presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is a vital project for significantly reducing the flood risk for more than half a million people in the Sacramento region,” said USACE project manager Nikole May. “A levee failure in these communities would put homes under as much as 20 feet of water.”
The fifth and final year of this type of levee work is set to commence in spring 2023 and includes some challenging locations across 5 sites totaling nearly 2.8 miles of levee work.
“This contract includes five critical segments, two of which are located where historic events have been documented,” said May. “The first historic event was the 1904 Edwards Break when an approximately 100-foot-wide levee breach flooded Sacramento. The second is near the Pocket Canal Parkway where significant landside boils occurred in 1986 and 1997, putting Sacramento at an elevated risk of levee failure.”
In addition to the Pocket-area levee work, crews began this year to armor American River levees where an oxbow presents the potential for erosive river flows that could breach the levee into neighboring communities. The first site, between Sacramento State University and Glenn Hall Park, is a little more than a mile long and is wrapping up this winter. The second site, located directly across the river in the Campus Commons area, will upgrade approximately 1.5 miles of levee at two sites. Work here began in 2022 and is scheduled for completion in 2023.
Lastly, the first major upgrade in the Sacramento Weir’s 106-year history is scheduled to get underway in 2023 as USACE will begin a project to nearly double the size of the weir and bypass, which relieves the Sacramento River during high water events.
The American River Common Features 2016 project is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Construction also continues this year north of downtown Sacramento as well within the Natomas Basin. USACE is working to upgrade all 42 miles of levee that surround neighborhoods, agriculture, and Sacramento’s International Airport as part of a $1.3 billion program.
Work on the western and southern boundary continued this year.
Reach B, which runs along Garden Highway from approximately W Elverta Rd to San Juan Rd, has been working non-stop since July 2020. Crews here are constructing an adjacent levee to bulk up the existing levee, which Garden Hwy sits atop, and implementing irrigation canal and pumping plant improvements. Work here is expected to be complete in 2023.
Levee construction along the southeastern section of Natomas continued in Reach H. Started in 2018, this work is adjacent to the Natomas East Main Drainage Canal directly behind many residential neighborhoods and intersects with multiple creek crossings. Challenging site conditions mean this project is still ongoing and scheduled for completion in 2023.
Located between Farm Rd and Gateway Oaks Dr, Reach A is possibly the Natomas Basin’s most populous segment. Site preparation, including utility relocations and vegetation removal, is underway here so construction can begin in 2023.
“Upgrading the Natomas Basin levees is crucial. A breach anywhere in the system could cause the basin to fill with water and flood communities, businesses, and major regional infrastructure,” said Cameron Sessions, Natomas Program Manager.
Levee improvements to all 42 miles around the Natomas Basin are scheduled for completion in 2026.
For more information on the Sacramento Area levee upgrades, interested individuals can visit www.sacleveeupgrades.com to learn about ongoing and upcoming work as well as signup for email notifications about our progress.
For more information on the Natomas Basin levee improvements, interested individuals can visit www.natomaslevees.com for the latest status and sign up for monthly progress updates.