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Engineer warns Marysville ring levee still needs work to meet state certification; FEMA remap could raise insurance costs
Summary
MBK Engineers told the City Council that three gap areas in the Marysville Ring Levee remain uncertified and would require further geotechnical work; staff said FEMA remapping could force some homeowners to buy flood insurance unless the city submits certification materials.
Tom Engler, an engineer with MBK Engineers, told the Marysville City Council that the city’s ring levee protects "approximately 12,700 residents" and that a breach would produce rapid, deep flooding with "a very strong risk to life." The presentation reviewed the levee’s history, Army Corps studies and the current certification status before the state and FEMA.
The council heard that the Army Corps’ recent risk assessment identified three areas where risk remained "not tolerable": the North/Jack Slough reach, the Union Pacific Railroad gap near the wastewater treatment plant, and the finger levees. Engler said those areas did not meet the Corps’ economic-justification thresholds for additional federal investment and that city-contracted engineers concluded the levee could not be certified to the state's urban levee design criteria "without additional exploration." This matters because FEMA’s remapping process could require homeowners with federally backed mortgages to buy flood insurance and could impose stricter building rules on new construction.
Why it matters: certification affects flood-insurance requirements and development approvals. Engler described the next steps: a gap analysis with additional geotechnical exploration and a certification package to send to FEMA. He told the council that FEMA certification work is estimated at about $450,000 and that the additional work to reach the state's urban levee design criteria would run roughly $500,000. City staff said Yuba Water Agency has provided grant support for some of this work and that the Legislature extended the deadline for making the required findings from 2025 to 2030.
Council members asked practical questions about timing and specific features. Engler said FEMA remapping typically takes two to three years; if the city prepares and submits a 100‑year certification package this year, FEMA would not move forward with remapping while the Corps project is active. Questions about closure gates and railroad-related constraints drew technical detail: some closure gates have been removed, Caltrans will replace a gate behind the high school as part of its project, and the city expects to award consultant contracts for the gap analysis in late February or early March.
Next steps: staff said the gap analysis procurement is underway and that the city will return with consultant recommendations and cost estimates for specific remediation work. The council was urged to track the schedule for the Army Corps’ work and the Caltrans construction that interacts with levee features.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A with Tom Engler (MBK Engineers) and city staff during the Marysville City Council meeting. The council did not take formal action on certification at the meeting.
