Crews Fix Calif Levee, Prep For Potential Flooding
MANTECA, Calif. (AP) -- Crews are making emergency repairs to an eroding levee south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in case a heavy mountain snowpack cause flooding problems this spring.
Ron Baldwin, director of San Joaquin County's Office of Emergency Services, said Friday that an unusually rainy December has caused water to rise high enough that it could start to damage the levee.
A December survey found that snowpack along the Sierra Nevada is holding nearly twice as much water than usual for this time of year.
Officials are starting to worry that when the snow melts, the flow of water will place more pressure on the San Joaquin River's flood control system. The river has a far smaller channel capacity than the Sacramento River and no large flood bypasses to capture overflows.
