Crews Repair Cracks In Sutter County Levee

NICOLAUS, Calif. (CBS13) -- Crews have finished making emergency repairs to a Sutter County levee after a patrol noticed a section of the barrier slipping due to the high water levels.

Volunteers from the California Conservation Corps and nearby farms spent hours Tuesday covering a 300-foot section of the Natomas Cross Canal North Levee with plastic weighed down by sandbags.

A patrol noticed cracks in the levee near Howsley Road, about a mile northeast of where the Natomas Cross Canal feeds into the Sacramento River. Water pressure can push and widen the cracks and it appeared as though small parts of the levee had been pushed down several inches.

Officials inspected the barrier and said there wasn't an immediate danger, but if left unattended, the cracks could have posed a much more serious problem to about 100 homes by the time new rainfall arrived.

"All levees tend to crack and then come back together when it's wet," said Reclamation District 1001 manager Diane Fales. "We're not doing this because it's currently failing, it's to keep it from getting worse."

Repairs were completed Tuesday evening and officials are continuing to monitor the levees.