RD 2031 Resilience

Updated on 2/4/2022: Project Lead and Potential Project Partners

Project Lead: RD 2031, Elliot

Potential Project Partners:
Central Valley Flood Protection Board; landowners; California Department of Water Resources; United States Army Corp of Engineers; Stanislaus County

Short Project Description:
Complete the necessary repairs and upgrades to bring RD levee system back into “Active” status for PL84-99 eligibility.

Long Project Description:
Many of the reclamation districts (RDs) in the planning area have been unable to maintain levees to United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) standards because they lacked the funding and staff to complete necessary repairs. As a result, these RDs no longer have “Active” status per the PL84-99 eligibility requirements.

This project would address the current deficiencies of the levees under the jurisdiction of RD 2031 including completion of the necessary repairs and upgrades to bring the levee system back into “Active” status for PL84-99 eligibility. Necessary actions can be found in RD inspection reports from 2013 – all “U” ratings need to be fixed immediately and all “M” ratings need to be fixed within 2 years or less. Actions listed in the inspection reports vary by RD, but generally include:

  • structural repairs to levees, pumps, or other facilities
  • removal of unpermitted encroachments (i.e. structures, fences, pipes, etc.)
  • researching and negotiating encroachment permits for previously unpermitted encroachments
  • improved fund-raising capacity for needed O&M
  • improved technical capacity to perform necessary O&M (i.e. visual inspections of pipes, rodent control, erosion repairs, emergency road access, etc.)
  • development of Emergency Response Plan for the RD
  • establishment of Board of Trustees or maintenance agreement with another local agency(ies)
  • others as needed

Specific deficiencies identified in the 2013 inspection report for RD 2031 include the following:

  • “U” rated items –
    • Animal Control
  • “M” rated items –
    • Vegetation issues
    • Tree trimming
    • Encroachments
    • 0.03 miles of erosion issues
    • 0.07 miles of surface depression issues

The USACE Interim Policy for Determining Eligibility Status of Flood Risk Management Projects for the Rehabilitation Program Pursuant to PL 84-99 (Interim Policy) went into effect on March 21, 2014 and temporarily suspends PL 84-99 eligibility determinations, including generally excluding levee vegetation condition requirements. The Interim Policy allows for districts to make eligibility determinations based on a subset of items from the full inspection list. The path to regaining Active Status is through the USACE System-Wide Improvement Framework Policy (SWIF), which requires that the districts present a plan to address the deficiencies identified.

Unique Project Characteristics:
Varies – may include incorporation of environmental, water supply, or other secondary benefits to the region.

Project Status Pre-planning
Project Cost $2,000,000
Project Timeframe 1-5 years
Cost-sharing Some costs may be eligible for funding from local, state or federal grant programs – likely requires active Reclamation District with Trustees and financial oversight from the County.
Multi-benefit Project Potentially
Types of benefits The project would improve flood risk management; operations and maintenance; and institutional support.
Source of Project RD 2031

Background Information:
Maintenance reports; Inspection Reports; Maintenance Agreement with CVFPB; USACE O&M Manual