Hundreds of levee sites have been identified for repair throughout the Central Valley. These repair sites are not improvements, but are sites that require immediate attention to maintain operation of Central Valley flood control systems. These repairs are necessary to maintain the functionality of flood control systems that have deteriorated over time and/or do not meet current design standards. While many of the most urgent repairs have been completed or are near completion, other sites of lower priority are still in progress, and still more are in the process of being identified, planned, and prioritized.

In general, repairs to State/federal project levees are being conducted under three main programs: the Critical Erosion Repairs Program, the Sacramento River Bank Protection Project, and the PL84-99 Rehabilitation Program. A fourth program to repair critically damaged levees on the San Joaquin Flood Control System is under development by DWR.

DWR is the lead agency for the Critical Erosion Repairs Program, while the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the lead agency for the Sacramento River Bank Protection Project and the PL 84-99 Rehabilitation Program. ("PL 84-99" refers to federal Public Law 84-99, the Flood and Coastal Storm Emergencies Act).

There are essential differences between the types of repair sites referenced on these pages. "Critical Erosion Repair sites" are the highest-priority erosion sites where levee degradation has occurred to the extent that they are at risk of failure even during normal flow conditions.

"PL 84-99" sites, on the other hand, are levee rehabilitation efforts in response to damage from specific flood events. Under federal statute, USACE and DWR are authorized to conduct emergency repairs to flood management works threatened or destroyed by high-water events, such as California's 1997 and 2006 floods. PL 84-99 sites are prioritized by "order" of urgency, ranging from the most urban Order 1 sites through the most rural Order 5 sites.

DWR is also working with local agencies to survey and document erosion damage at additional sites that are under local control (not part of the State/federal flood control system), with the aim of assisting local jurisdictions in determining the best approach for needed repairs. Local maintaining agencies can participate in the Local Levee Grant Program with State/local cost-sharing divided evenly, provided the repair sites are deemed critical by DWR.

To learn more about the repair efforts and individual sites (sorted by year and county), please click on the links in the right-hand column.