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Natomas levee improvement plan enters first stages of development |
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Thursday, 06 December 2007 |
With the final environmental impact report approved as of Nov. 29, the
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency is beginning work on the
improvement of the levee in the Natomas Basin area.
SAFCA would like to get work on the levees started as soon as possible, said Jay Davis, media representative for SAFCA.
SAFCA
anticipates that the bulk of the work being done on the levee will be
done during the years of 2009 and 2010, although work on the Natomas
Basin cross canal has already begun, Davis said. By 2010, SAFCA would
like to have the levee improved from the Sacramento County line all the
way down to Interstate 5, he said.
The projected levee improvement totals approximately 23 miles.
The project plans to add onto the land side of the current levee, creating an adjacent levee, Davis said.
"It is like building another levee right up against it," he said.
The
focus of the project at the moment is to finish up work on the Natomas
cross canal which is approximately 5 miles long, before continuing to
work on the rest of the Sacramento River. The improvement along the
rest of the Sacramento River will be the majority of the project, Davis
said.
In the Natomas Basin area, this improvement project will
make the levees stronger, ensuring 100-year flood protection for the
residents, Davis said. If all goes according to plan, SAFCA and the
people associated with this project anticipate 100-year flood
protection by 2010 and 200-year flood protection by 2012.
People
who live in and around the Natomas Basin may be affected by the
construction. SAFCA would like to minimize the impact on the local
residents, and plans to meet with residents one-on-one to see how
drastically they are affected, Davis said.
People living on the water side of the levee will experience dust and construction noises, he said.
SAFCA
and everyone else working on the project want to expedite the process
in order to minimize discomfort for the 70,000-plus people inhabiting
the Natomas Basin area, Davis said. Read the rest of this article at www.californiaaggie.com |