2014 levee work will be ‘unprecedented’
By Andrew Creasey, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
And the main event of the summer will be the
By year's end, 37 miles of levee will have had installed a slurry wall designed to protect parts of
Details of the operation are not known _ the first round of bids for
"This season will be unprecedented," said
Work will occur simultaneously throughout all three areas of the project, stretching from Thermalito Afterbay in
In total, about
It's a massive undertaking. Last year, 170 people were employed to work on less than two miles of slurry-wall construction. This year, that number will increase significantly, Inamine said.
On top of the intricacies of pumping the slurry, which consists mostly of bentonite _ a type of clay _ the project will also work around 117 pipes, ranging in diameters from inches to feet, that punch through the levees, transfering water from the Feather River to fields and communities.
Most of the pipes don't meet current standards and will need to be replaced.
"It's a major challenge," Inamine said. "The execution is different for every pipeline, so each one is its own project."
When work is completed in 2015, most of
The work will also meet the timeline established by SB 5, a state bill mandating that all communities achieve 200-year flood protection by 2025 or face development and building restrictions.
Delays plaguing
Delays on the state and federal levels have been a common theme for the
The agency has already obtained approval for
The delay has stretched further than
"We can't wait for the state," Inamine said. "We anticipated the delay; that's why we put the bonds up for sale last year."
The agency also waited longer than anticipated for the final 408 permit from the
That delay is part of the reason why the 2014 season will be so hectic _ work intially planned for 2013 was not completed and was pushed into 2014, Inamine said.
The unanswered question involves how to fund the final seven miles of the project south of
The state has not committed money for the project, but Inamine has kept his eye on the Water Resources Development Act, which is in conference committee in the
The project is not mentioned specifically in the bill, which allocates funds for flood control projects, but Inamine said there is some draft language that could authorize the project.
The bill could provide about
Other levee projects also planned for 2014
The money would go to complete about
Currently, the district, which hasn't raised the assessment since 1997, is running at a deficit, said
The district started the year paying off
"There's no contingency fund. There's no reserve fund. That's why we're looking to do the assessment," Stresser said.
The district has 44 miles of project levees that protect 32,000 acres. None of the district's levees have 100-year flood protection.
Elsewhere, in
The 2.1-mile embankment would provide 100-year flood protection to parts of
Other areas of the county are still considered at-risk for floods, including
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(c)2014 Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.)
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