Finish line in sight for Hamilton City levee project

James Fisher Jr. Excavating of Willows, California, has won a $10.8 million construction contract to complete levee improvements in Hamilton City.

Construction on the remaining 1.25-mile-long section of setback levee for the Hamilton City Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project will begin immediately, and work is scheduled to be complete by this November, closing out nearly 7 miles of levee improvements, reported the Army Corps’ Sacramento District.

This final stretch of levee will be constructed from just south of the Irvine Finch Recreation Area boat ramp to approximately Dunning Slough.

“This is an important project and the finish line is in sight,” said project manager Margaret Engesser. “Once this final levee segment is completed, Hamilton City will have the benefit of a modern engineered levee system that should serve the community for years to come.”

The multi-purpose project’s new setback levee will not only provide improved flood risk management and greater levee stability by widening the river channel during high water events but will also help reconnect and restore approximately 1,300 acres of native habitat between the levee and the Sacramento River.

The restoration work is being completed in two phases. The first phase of restoration, comprised 900 acres of native plantings at the southern end of the project, was installed over the course of three years and completed in December 2020.

The planting of another 400 acres of ecosystem restoration work is scheduled to begin in 2023. The completed ecosystem restoration work will provide federal and state-listed species an opportunity to recover and stabilize their populations in the area.