WILTON, CA (MPG) - When Reclamation District 800 (RD 800) was selected as one of only four private levee districts nationwide to take part in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pilot study in late 2022, it was already a major win.

The program promised expert inspection, risk analysis and long-term data, all at no cost to the district. But what may be even more rewarding, district leaders say, is that it also brought long-sought recognition and support from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR): the most likely source for future funding.

Reclamation District 800 maintains and repairs 34 miles of privately owned, mostly dirt levees along the Cosumnes River between Rancho Murieta and Freeman Road off Dillard Road in Wilton and Freeman Road off Grant Line Road in the Sheldon community. The funding to maintain the levees at a 10-year flood standard is provided by an assessment district that generates just over $500,000 annually. The district currently owes more than $7 million to the Bank of Stockton but is awaiting two FEMA payments of nearly $5 million in reimbursement for the 2023 storm repairs.

The pilot project began in earnest on Feb. 13, 2024, when Army Corps engineers conducted their first levee tour on the north side of the Cosumnes River. Top DWR officials from the Division of Flood Management joined that tour: an unusual show of support for a rural district long accustomed to going it alone.

The mutual respect grew stronger as the Corps continued its inspections this year on April 7 and June 23.

All three inspections were followed by classroom work, in which federal, state and local stakeholders reviewed levee conditions, modeled breach scenarios and identified weak spots.

Patrick Ervin, the district’s contract engineer, explained the process. 

“We basically sit in the classroom for three days and go over the risks and kind of assign values of what we think the highest risks are, and then the Corps comes up with a report,” he said.

Board Trustee Leland Schneider participated in the first levee inspection and described the interactive nature of the classroom work. 

“They’re asking you numbers the whole time, like, ‘So what should we plug in here?’ And you’re like, ‘Plug this in. No, that’s not it. Plug this in,’” he said.

Schneider was especially impressed by the 3D simulations used to model potential flood paths, calling the laptop visualizations “cool.”

Ervin said the Corps prioritized higher-risk levees. 

“Levees that pose a significant threat to life and structures when breached received the full levee review, including a physical inspection and full risk analysis,” Ervin said.

Other levees with lower risk received a “baseline assessment,” which still involved data collection and modeling, but without a field inspection. Hydraulic modeling also considered stretches along the Cosumnes River with no formal levees, known as “high banks.”

One remaining segment – a levee south of Wilton Road on the river right side – will be assessed remotely due to the absence of nearby buildings, Ervin reported at the July board meeting.

Reclamation District 800 hasn’t been out of pocket for its study participation. 

“If we were paying for this ourselves, it would be extremely expensive,” said Rebecca Smith, the district’s contract attorney.

Nor did the district pay Ervin and Smith for their involvement, even though they customarily bill the district for their work. Their participation was covered by a $500,000 planning grant secured by state Sen. Roger Niello in 2023.

The district’s response after the 2023 storm, which broke three levees and caused massive erosion, hasn’t gone unnoticed, including a recognition that the district borrowed more than $6.5 million to make the emergency repairs.

At the district’s Feb. 15, 2024, board meeting, board members and staff recounted how Water Resources officials expressed surprise and admiration at what they saw during the initial Corps levee inspection.

“I’ve got a whole new respect for your district. We didn’t really understand what went on out here until today,” Water Resources Division of Flood Management Manager Jeremy Arrich told Schneider during a break in the Feb. 13, 2024, inspection.

“DWR will have involvement. All you have to do is ask. We need to get you guys so it is not just your board members and your employees who are flood-fighting out here,” Arrich told Schneider.

The Corps and DWR officials were especially struck by the volume of water the system withstood: around 75,000 cubic feet per second (CFS), compared to 9,000 CFS in some other areas.

Levee patrol efforts during the high water also raised eyebrows. Schneider recalled being asked, “You guys patrol this when the water’s right here; are you guys goofy?”

The night patrols through rain and darkness also included close encounters with swimming rattlesnakes, Trustee Dave Utterback said.

The district’s work continued to receive admiration at subsequent inspections. 

“They kept saying, ‘We don’t know how you’ve held this system together as long as you have,’” Ervin said at the July meeting.

Ervin also reported that Mike Mierzwa, State Floodplain manager at the Department of Water Resources, has taken a strong interest in the district’s situation and is pushing for a new cost-sharing maintenance program for high-risk levees outside the Delta region. It would be similar to the Delta Levees Subventions Program, which reimburses up to 75% of maintenance costs.

Ervin expects the Corps to deliver a draft report of its findings from the June inspection in about three months. They will send a draft review before anything goes public, and they are open to comments or clarifications, Ervin said. “The Army Corps does not take criticism poorly and will make revisions if needed.”

The Corps also prepared draft reports after the first two inspections, but they aren’t yet available for public review.

Smith said the value of the work goes far beyond internal planning. The process has given Reclamation District 800 something in never had before: robust, third-party documentation.

“We walked away with a big old packet of information from trusted engineers,” she said. “Now we can say, ‘Here’s the problem. Come help us find a solution.’”

Ervin added: “Our hope is that this work helps us to better understand our flood system, and to plan for future improvements that will keep our communities and properties safe. We are also hopeful that this information translates to access to funding and better data about where funds can be most effective at meeting the district’s flood control goals.

“I don’t think the district learned anything new regarding this levee system’s historical problems, but other participants in this process, mainly California DWR, are learning a lot about what we are up against out here, especially considering our lack of funding.

“I think DWR’s participation demonstrates that we are on their radar, and I am hopeful that it eventually translates to longer-term support and funding opportunities,” Ervin said. “I also think that the reports generated from the levee review will give decision-makers outside of the district better information about how critical this infrastructure is, and how important it is that the state and federal government bring support to the region.”