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Reclamation District 900 general manager reports staffing, infrastructure and levee project updates
Summary
The district’s general manager reported staff turnover, internet connectivity trials, recent repairs, levee inspections and several flood-control projects—including pending tree removal on Blacker Canal and ongoing coordination with the Army Corps, DWR and FEMA.
Reclamation District 900’s general manager updated the board on staffing, infrastructure repairs and multiple levee- and pump-station projects at the Sept. 17 board meeting.
The general manager said district staff have lost two employees recently — an administrative assistant and a maintenance worker — and that a new administrative assistant will start on Monday after a hiring process that attracted roughly 400 applications. The district has not yet advertised the maintenance-worker vacancy, the general manager said.
The general manager described recurring internet instability at the district office and said staff are testing Starlink as a possible remedy: “I know everybody here in West Sac seems to have issues with Internet. So we’re trying Starlink out at our office to see if that improves our connectivity.” He added that existing fiber being installed by commercial providers does not currently serve the office across the freeway, and that Starlink may allow hybrid/Teams meetings with video.
On facilities and repairs, the general manager reported a plumbing failure caused by aging galvanized-steel pipe and said the office now has new water lines. The district’s duckweed pond has “cleared up 100%,” and trash racks at the racetrack pump station have been reconstructed following diver-assisted installation work.
The general manager provided updates on levee and emergency-preparedness items: the South Cross Levee received a draft U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspection report and currently rates “minimally acceptable” under the Corps’ three-tier scale (unacceptable, minimally acceptable, acceptable). The general manager said the district is enrolled in the Corps’ rehabilitation program; maintaining the levee at minimally acceptable standards is needed to remain covered in the event of a disaster. He noted oak trees on the waterside of that levee complicate any tree-removal mitigation.
For the Yolo Bypass North Levee, the general manager said the levee is largely complete and contractors are finishing a pump station and backup generator; progress is delayed while the district and contractor resolve access for PG&E powerlines across a private property, but the general manager estimated the project is about 95% complete. He also said a temporary setback levee and rock-slope protection were placed along the Yolo Bypass East Levee as an interim measure after reconstruction revealed issues; final design and construction for that reach are not expected to begin until 2027.
The general manager said the district reviewed a 60% design for a DWR-maintained reach on the Sacramento River (Maintenance Area 4) and returned comments to the U.S. Army Corps. He also said FEMA reimbursements for Blacker Canal work and additional damage assessments from the 2023 storm on the Main Canal and eastern part of Blacker Canal are under review; the general manager received requests from FEMA and Cal OES to approve a new scope and budget for those repairs.
Board members asked no follow-up questions at the meeting and no additional board actions were recorded.
The general manager closed by summarizing that the district’s projects and maintenance work are progressing, with some items awaiting outside approvals or scheduling windows that avoid nesting birds.
