Next phase of Marysville ring levee improvements to begin soon

Work on the next phases of the Marysville ring levee is expected to begin soon, which will include $22.5 million worth of improvements to 2.8 miles of levee along the southeast portion of the city.

Forgen, formerly known as Great Lakes Environmental and Infrastructure, was awarded the construction contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in March for Phase 2B and 3, which, combined, make up the largest segment of the ring levee project -- the 2.8 miles of levee stretch along the Yuba River adjacent to Highway 20 to the Recology Yuba-sutter landfill entrance.

“Most of the major levee rehabilitation work will be done on completion of the Phase 2B/3 Project,” said Sean Minard, principal civil engineer with MHM, which is the district engineer for the Marysville Levee District, hired to coordinate with the USACE. “There will be additional levee work between (Highway 70) and Recology in 2021 and 2022. There will also be some pipeline work at the Ellis Lake outfall pipes to complete the improvements for 300-year flood protection.”

As part of Phases 2B and 3, crews will construct a cutoff wall into the existing levee to prevent seepage, as well as straighten portions of the levee between Highway 70 and Simpson Lane. Minard said the projects will most likely be completed in 2022.

A different project, Phase 2C, began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31. As part of that phase, Odin

Construction is installing a cutoff wall along a 1,100-foot section of levee just west of Highway 70. One end of the new cutoff wall is adjacent to an active railroad and the other is adjacent to Highway 70.

The Marysville Ring Levee project is a joint effort between the USACE, Central Valley Flood Protection Board and Marysville Levee District. Work has been ongoing since 2013 and once completed, the project is expected to provide the

city with the highest level of flood protection in the Central Valley.

The most recent project to be completed was Phase 2A South, which improved a section of levee just south of the Fifth Street Bridge along Biz Johnson Drive. Crews constructed a 2,622-foot cutoff wall before reconstructing the levee and installing an impervious slope bank. By the time that phase was completed, approximately

$84 million had been spent on improving the ring levee.

Other areas that have been

improved to date included a small portion of levee near the Binney Junction and a section just north of the Fifth Street Bridge.

“Access via Biz Johnson will be impacted through summer,” Minard said regarding impacts resulting from Phase 2B and 3 work. “Also access on the levee road from Simpson Lane to Recology will be limited. There will be some work on (Highway 20) but will mostly be limited to evening work.”

The ring levee project is expected to be completed in 2024.