The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which periodically inspects California’s Central Valley flood-protection network, released a report card on 10 of the state’s 26 levee systems, rating seven as “unacceptable” and warning some problems would “likely prevent performance in the next flood event.”
Issues cited included encroachment, underseepage, vegetation and slope stability. The other three won “marginally acceptable” ratings; they retain eligibility for “active” status in a federal “rehabilitation and inspection” levee safety program and may receive federal aid to repair flood damage.