A detailed geotechnical analysis of the Laguna West Levee system identified areas that were compliant with state and federal design criteria, as well as recommendations for rehabilitation work.
The Laguna West levees serve as a perimeter levee system that protects the Laguna West community from the floodwaters of the Stone Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which are influenced by backwater effects of the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers. The levees also provide protection from a potential breach in the rural levee along the Sacramento River east levee.
At the request of the City of Elks Grove, AECOM evaluated the levee system to identify if it meets current Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Water Resources Urban Levee Design Criteria geotechnical criteria. Since available exploration data and geotechnical analyses were not sufficient to demonstrate compliance, AECOM developed a field investigation and laboratory testing program. The program filled existing data gaps and enabled a detailed analysis to be performed. The evaluation of the levee system determined where the existing levees were adequate or whether rehabilitation works are required to meet criteria.
Photo credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.