While it is good to see these levees being repaired, it is also a reminder of how long the maintenance on them has not been done, and that is the main problem with relying on miles of levees for primary flood protection versus one strategically placed dam.
Given the current state of levees, and dams, let’s hope this is a relatively dry winter.
An excerpt.
Reclamation panel backs $1.5 million levee repair
By Deb Kollars - Bee Staff Writer Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, October 19, 2006
SACRAMENTO -- In a special session Wednesday, the Reclamation District 1000 board approved a nearly $1.5 million contract for an emergency repair of a vulnerable levee protecting the Natomas community.
The deteriorating section sits on the east side of the Sacramento River, just south of the Sacramento-Sutter county line. The site experienced serious seepage problems during last New Year's storms.
An 86-year-old pumping plant adjacent to the levee has been removed, and engineers have determined the levee has at least one "void" or gap inside it, and possibly other interior weaknesses that cannot be seen.
The entire section must be dug out, reconstructed and reinforced with a slurry wall.
Because time has run out for a permanent repair before the rainy season, the reclamation district -- which maintains levees surrounding Natomas -- chose a temporary fix. The district will install a metal sheet pile wall on the water side of the levee.
