Down on the Levee

This mornings Sacramento Bee had an article about the dangers inherent in levees and the similarities between New Orleans and Sacramento. What was not discussed in the article was the fact that the current levees around Sacramento are built upon levees that were first built in the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. That work, done with mules and “Fresno’s” provides the foundation for the levees we see today. And, that work was contracted out to the builders by independent levee districts, formed by local farmers as a method of financing the land reclamation. Remember, money was an issue back then as well, and so the low bidding contractor got the job. And today, levee maintenance is handled by the same districts and in the same manner. You might remember that a levee failed a few years ago in the Stockton area…on a sunny day.