SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District awarded an $8.6 million contract on Sept. 14 to River Partners of Chico, California, to begin the first phase of revegetation for the Hamilton City Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration project.
The revegetation project, which will install native plantings that can be naturally sustained within the floodplain, is expected to begin later this year. The first phase of revegetation covers roughly 770 acres on the southern end of the project.
Divided into four work phases, two phases each of levee construction and revegetation, the Corps and Reclamation District 2140 are partnering to improve flood risk management for local residents by reducing erosion and maintenance needs by allowing overbank flooding when necessary, and reconnecting native habitats and natural floodplains.
The first phase of levee construction is underway, building about half of a new setback levee that will tie into the existing "J" levee on the southern side of Dunning Slough. The second half of work will begin construction two miles north of Hamilton City and end at its interface with the Phase 1 levee at Dunning Slough.
In total, the $67.9 million project will construct a new 6.8-mile setback levee, designed to reduce flood risk for Hamilton City and also reconnect and restore nearly 1,500 acres of natural habitat once separated by the existing levee.
The project is the first in the nation to be authorized for construction under the Corps' guidelines to develop multipurpose projects that include both flood risk reduction and ecosystem restoration features.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District provides planning, engineering, project management, environmental restoration and construction services to military and civilian customers in parts of eight western states, including California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming.