Outstanding Civil Engineering Acheivement Award
posted by Larry J Smith on 02/19/06The Sacramento River Flood Control Project Upper Sacramento. has just won the ASCE Sacramento Section Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award.
The Sacramento River Flood Control Project, Upper Sacramento Area Phase V
Selected For The
ASCE Sacramento Section 2005 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievment Award
History:
Colusa County was founded in 1850 at the time of California statehood. Because of the sandy soils present in this farming community the Colusa Levees have always been an engineering challenge. The levees were constructed by suction dredges meaning most of the levees seep during flood conditions along the river. On February 5, 1915 the Dolan Break flooded the town of Colusa, California along with areas downstream to Knights Landing, California.
Background:
The Upper Sacramento Area is one of five geographic components of the Sacramento River Flood Control Project originally authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1917. After the 1986 Flood, designers conducted a system wide evaluation to identify and repair sites that exhibited poor physical performance during a flood event. Four (4) miles of levee were selected for reconstruction and were accomplished under three construction contracts and one mitigation contract.
Project Success:
The Upper Sacramento Area Phase V Project was the last of the three construction contracts authorized. This contract was awarded to DD-M Crane & Rigging. in September 2004. The project was completed three months ahead of schedule, within budget, no lost time accidents, with a total project cost of just over 5 Million Dollars. During the construction we had an unseasonably high spring river stage that tested the need for added levee protection. With the cut off in place the seepage that historically plagued adjacent landowners along the Sacramento River was eliminated.
Project Description:
The project length is 2.65 miles project consisting of constructing over 400,000 ft2 of a Soil-Cement-Bentonite (SCB) cutoff wall to depths of 40 feet through the levee crown near the City of Colusa, California.
The project award will be given at the Engineers Week Banquet on the evening of February 24, 2006 in Sacramento, California.