Flood protection projects for Sutter Basin

David Wilson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Dec. 1—After completing a project that provided 200-year flood protection to the cities of Yuba City, Live Oak, and others, the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency (SBFCA) is focusing on projects that improve protection to the southern portion of the Sutter Basin.

The southern portion of the Sutter Basin includes rural areas of south Yuba City.

"The levees in the southern portion of the basin suffer from the same deficiencies in the north, which is through and under seepage," SBFCA Executive Director Michael Bessette said in an email. "Installation of slurry cutoff walls will most likely be the most cost effective repair method."

The area is currently mapped into a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Special Flood Hazard Area, so it's subject to building restrictions and mandatory flood insurance. Bessette said SBFCA is coordinating with the Department of Water Resources to identify funding to initiate design and permitting for levee repairs to both the Sutter Bypass east levee and the lower Feather River west levee.

"The FEMA floodplain will remain unchanged until all 22 miles of the Sutter Bypass east levee and 1.5 miles of the lower Feather River west levee are improved to at least 100-year level of protection," Bessette said. "However, each levee improvement project SBFCA is able to construct will make the community safer."

He said SBFCA is identifying the most critical areas and will prioritize its efforts to repair those areas first. Available funding will determine how much of the levee system in the southern basin gets repaired.

SBFCA will be hosting a community meeting on Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Barry Elementary School, 1255 Barry Rd., Yuba City, to connect with property owners in this area and share information on the flood protection efforts.

SBFCA completed the Feather River West Levee project in 2019, which included 37 miles of the levee from Starr Bend in the south to Thermalito Afterbay in the north.

"The scope for providing 200-year flood protection included installation of slurry cutoff walls, seepage berms, relief wells, and a new setback levee at Starr Bend in order to correct the existing through-seepage and under-seepage deficiencies," Bessette said.

The project began in 2007 when SBFCA was formed. The first construction project at Starr Bend was a 0.7 mile setback levee and was led by Levee District 1 in 2008/09. Construction started on the remaining 36 miles in 2013 and was completed in 2019, according to Bessette.

"The project was needed in order to certify a 200-year level of flood protection which is needed for urban areas within the Central Valley as mandated by Senate Bill 5 passed in 2007," Bessette said. "The project strengthened the existing levees so that they can protect the community from a 200-year hydraulic event in the Feather River."