Army Corps Of Engineers Warns Natomas Levee Work May Not Start Until 2017
NATOMAS (CBS13) — While Natomas is planning on a possible building boom once a moratorium is lifted this summer, a new concern from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could have lots that have sat empty and undeveloped since 2008 stay that way for at least another decade.
The moratorium is on track to be lifted by the summer, but the efforts to reduce the area's high risk of flooding could take another decade.
Progress repairing the levees surrounding Natomas continues as home and business owners wait, watch and wonder when the building will resume.
President Barack Obama signed legislation in June giving the go-ahead to make necessary levee improvements around Natomas and lift the community's six-year building moratorium.
"We are in an area that's very prone to flooding," said Army Corps spokesman Chris Gray. "There's always a storm that's bigger that could come along and bring more water than those levees are designed to handle."
The Sacramento County Flood Control Agency fixed about one third of the 42-mile stretch of levees, leaving the Army Corps to fix the remaining 24 miles—something that hasn't started yet.
"We hope to be in construction as soon as 2017 and then funding dependent it could take 8 to 10 years to complete that work," Gray said.
Right now, the moratorium is still on track to be lifted by June, but Gray says the risk of severe flooding won't be reduced by then because there is still work left to do.
"It's important to understand levees operate as a system and until that entire system is improved, there's always weaknesses and gaps and so there is always risks," he said.
Meanwhile, homeowner Rahmi Karajeh can't wait to see construction start again on the empty fields. But he wonders if the looming threat of Mother Nature in the flood-prone area could slow recovery time.
"I know a lot of people would like more development to occur," he said. "It sure is a dilemma on whether to build or to make safety the priority first."
Gray says even after levee improvements are complete, the flood risk will never go away completely.
