Army Corps of Engineers allocates $1.8 billion for Sacramento flood prevention projects

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Rep. Doris Matsui‘s office has announced that the region has been allocated nearly $1.8 billion to strengthen levees and raise Folsom Dam. The federal money also will be spent widening the Sacramento Weir.

Rick Johnson, executive director of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) says construction work on most of the projects could begin next year and likely would take about five to seven years to complete.

“It’s extremely significant that the Sacramento region has received such a substantial portion of this overall funding,” Matusi said in a statement. “This nearly $2 billion will allow us to advance critical projects across the region, increasing our overall resiliency against flooding and making our residents more safe. This is a huge milestone for our region.”

“This is an incredible opportunity to advance these critical flood control projects for Sacramento,” Johnson said. “This would not have been possible without the efforts of Congresswoman Matsui, the support from the State of California, and the willingness of the citizens of Sacramento to pay their share of these projects.”

The American River – Common Features project, which includes levee work in the Pocket area, work in the North Area above the American River, erosion work on the American River, and the widening of the Sacramento Weir Bypass, will receive $1,565,750,000 billion, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The Folsom Dam Raise will receive $216,523,185 million. Through this supplemental funding from the Corps, these American River Watershed projects are now fully funded. In total, California received approximately $2.5 billion in funding.

Even after years of drought, Sacramento’s biggest worry over water is flood risk. The city is widely considered the second-most flood-prone major city in America, after New Orleans.

The Army Corps plans to strengthen levees on the Sacramento River in the Pocket neighborhood, along Arcade Creek and on the Natomas East Main Drainage Canal. Raising Folsom Dam by 3.5 feet will increase flood-control storage space in Folsom Lake by 40,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot is 326,000 gallons.