GEI Consultants Provides Environmental Support Services to West Sacramento Southport Setback Levee Project

West Sacramento, CA. – GEI Consultants, Inc., one of the nation’s leading geotechnical, environmental, water resources, and ecological science and engineering firms, provided environmental support services during the recently completed Southport Levee Improvement Project. The new levee provides the City of West Sacramento with 200-year flood protection along this segment of the Sacramento River.

In December 2018, The West Sacramento Flood Control Agency (WSAFCA), completed construction of 4 miles of new setback levee and 2.5 miles of repair-in-place levee improvements, provided advanced mitigation for the congressionally authorized West Sacramento Project, and reestablished the historic floodplain along the Sacramento River. The project also improved public safety and emergency response by relocating an existing road on the levee crown to a new alignment that conforms to longstanding transportation objectives found in the City’s General Plan and that provides both flood operations and evacuation routes during high water events. During construction, the WSAFCA team redesigned aspects of the project so that significant cultural resources could be preserved in place.

The GEI team provided biological and archaeological monitoring during construction and completed cultural resources studies to support compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. GEI’s restoration ecologists continue to assist WSAFCA with implementation of the restoration plan and recently prepared construction documents (i.e., plans and specifications) for restoration of the newly created floodplain. GEI will assist WSAFCA with overseeing restoration, which is set to begin later this year and be completed by early 2020.

Recent highwater conditions have provided an opportunity to observe the flood plain inundation which is functioning as designed.

About GEI: GEI’s multidisciplined team of engineers, scientists, and planners deliver integrated water resources, environmental, ecological, geotechnical and waterfront engineering solutions to diverse clientele nationwide. The firm has provided a broad range of consulting and engineering services on over 35,000 projects in 50 states and 22 countries. GEI was ranked #94 on the 2016 ENR Top 500 Design Firms list. For more information on GEI, please visit www.geiconsultants.com.