Crews have begun repairing about 2.5 miles of levees along the Santa Ana River in Jurupa Valley and Riverside.
"Anytime there's rain in the community, a lot of that rain drains into the Santa Ana River," said Juliana Adams with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. "And so, to provide the cities and the region flood protection, the levees are being used every year, and every time it rains."
The current levees have been around since the 1950s, with the repairs taking place along levees that were damaged during storms in 2010 and 2011. "The levees are eroded, and so if that erosion continues, the levees could potentially fail," Adams said.
The project will cost $36 million and be managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "The levees are needed to protect over 4000 structures in the city of Jurupa Valley and the city of Riverside combined," Adams said. "So there's $1.5 billion of infrastructure that's going to be protected."
Construction on the levees is expected to be completed in about four years.
