The money still has to be appropriated by Congress, but President Barack Obama's budget included the project for the first time, which marked a substantial step forward for the levee work.
"This is a really great moment," said John Nicoletti, Yuba County supervisor. "We have a lot of work ready to go right now. If this does get funded, we can go to work immediately."
There are no clearly defined project areas yet, but work would include installing slurry walls or widening the levees, bringing the 7.6-mile levee system that surrounds Marysville up to 200-year flood protection, Nicoletti said.
According to the project's Web page, work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in spring 2015 will bolster the stretch of levee along Highway 70 and the Catholic cemetery using a stability berm.
That is a critical benchmark for levees. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be remapping Yuba-Sutter in the coming years, and any areas outside the protection of levees providing protection from 200-year floods (major floods that occur once every 200 years) will be subject to building restrictions and increased flood insurance rates.
The Marysville ring levee protects critical structures and infrastructure in the county, including Rideout Memorial Hospital and state highways.
"All roads in Yuba County come to Marysville, so it's incredibly important for the circulation of Yuba-Sutter," Nicoletti said.
The entire project is estimated to cost $92.5 million. The project is slated for completion in 2017, according the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
On the other side of the river, work on the Feather River West Levee project will continue in 2015, although most of the construction will occur north of Yuba City.
Construction crews contracted by the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency will focus on the section of the levee from Gridley to the Thermalito Afterbay once the construction season starts on April 15, said Michael Bessette, director of engineering for the agency.
Construction crews will be mostly clear of Yuba City this year. Most of the levee work in that area was completed in 2013 and 2014. The agency will be finishing surface improvements to roads at the top of the levee and installing fences and gates surrounding the levees, Bessette said.
©2015 the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
