"It's unpredictable": Cosumnes River forecast may reach two feet above flood level Tuesday
WILTON — All eyes are on the Cosumnes River levels as it is forecast to hit two feet above flood stage Tuesday.
The levee that protects the community of Wilton is all repaired after the January storms, but if the Cosumnes rises above flood stage, there is no levee protection.
Bryan Hanson is keeping close track of the levels on his cell phone.
"It's updated hourly," Hanson said. "I know it's got to get into the purple to essentially reach me."
Hanson has lived in Wilton for decades.
He is ready to go, if and when evacuations are ordered.
"And you just know that if things get bad enough, you just need to have a few things you need to pack up and take with you and get out," Hanson said.
Leland Schneider is on the Reclamation District 800 board, which is responsible for levee protection in the area. He is paying close attention to the levee after the destructive New Year's Eve storms caused more than 30 boils, breaches and breaks, leading to widespread flooding.
Repair work has been nonstop.
"You live on the Cosumnes River, you expect floodwater. It's unpredictable," Schneider said. "We've had crews 24 hours a day. We've had crews 12 hours a day. We've worked through rain. We've worked through sleet. We have got this thing hemmed back up to the same level of protection we had on December 31."
Now, with a new flood in the forecast, there's a new cause for concern for this Wilton community.
"I just really hope that people are aware of it," Schneider said. "You know, we don't want people getting trapped in their homes."
"Of course, it's a wild river, and so we just have to be careful," Hanson said.
As of right now, the river is forecast to rise two feet above flood stage at its Michigan Bar sensor at 7 p.m. Tuesday. People in Wilton say that could then flood their community four to six hours later, around midnight.
