California DWR Selects Kleinfelder for Levee Study
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has awarded Kleinfelder a $112.5 million, five-year contract to perform geotechnical levee evaluations along portions of the San Joaquin River Flood Control System.
The initial levee evaluations will focus on 380 miles of non-urban project levees located generally south of Stockton, Calif., as well as 60 miles of urban non-project levees in the Stockton area. The contract likely will include other portions of the San Joaquin River levee system and levees in the San Joaquin River Delta.
As the prime contractor, Kleinfelder will oversee the efforts of almost 40 subcontractors, including Sacramento-area firms Kjeldsen Sinnock Neudeck, Siegfried Engineering, and Neil O. Anderson and Associates. Kleinfelder-led teams will use a variety of techniques to complete the work, including such methods as cone penetration, test borings, and aerial surveys using advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. The teams will document levee subsurface geotechnical conditions and analyze the impacts of these geotechnical conditions on the stability, settlement, seepage, erosion, and seismic characteristics of the levees.
"We're excited to support the Department of Water Resources in this effort to better understand the critical levee system and related flood-control structures of the Central Valley," Patton said. "The results of these investigations are the foundation for a powerful tool that will help local communities and property owners better prepare for future flood events."
The data gathered from these levee investigations will go into the digital California Levee Database, which is under development. The data will also create the foundation for a levee certification program intended to provide a 200-year level of protection in urban areas and a 100-year level of protection in rural areas using criteria established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The California DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.