Science activity

DWR, under the authority of Water Code § 8360, § 8370, and § 8371, performs a verification inspection of the maintenance of the SRFCP levees performed by the local responsible agencies, and reports to the USACE periodically regarding the status of levee maintenance accomplished under the provisions of Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 208.10. While there are no specific water code provisions directing DWR to inspect and report on Maintenance of the San Joaquin River Flood Control System, DWR has performed inspections and provided reports for many years as a matter of practice that is consistent with Title 33, CFR. The inspections thus verify, for both river basins, that local agencies are performing their legal and statutory responsibilities pursuant to Water Code § 12642 and § 12657, and are meeting their legal obligations under assurance agreements with the State to operate and maintain their flood control projects “on any stream flowing into or in, the Sacramento Valley or the San Joaquin Valley”. The State inspects and reports only on the status of maintenance practices and on observable levee conditions. The State does not routinely conduct field studies to assess the structural integrity of the levees or their foundations as part of its annual inspection program. Beginning in 2003, the DWR Flood Project Inspection Section (FPIS) and subsequently the Flood Project Integrity and Inspection Branch (FPIIB) has conducted a field survey of the waterward erosion sites and reported them. In addition, the obvious signs of structural weakness such as longitudinal cracks in the crown or slope of the levee, sloughing, or any other noticeable sign of movement within the cross section of the levee are also reported.