From USACE Sacramento District – Dry conditions in California are traditionally a benefit for construction companies looking to continue work through the winter season. This year, however, drought-stricken California received desperately needed rains and snowfall … in abundance. That’s good news for the state, not so good for our crews looking to continue work on the Natomas Reach B project. December storms dropped so much water, that areas of Reach B’s construction site have been turned into not just puddles, but mini-lakes, and a large portion near Pumping Plant 3 had to be tarped off to prevent erosion where conveyance pipes are being installed. Following the atmospheric river event, California was soon hit by another prolific rainstorm. The combined storms produced such high flows in the Sacramento River that the Reach B project site along the river side was inundated with several feet of water – right where Sacramento District is building an outfall structure. When completed, the conveyance pipes will carry accumulating water from Pumping Plant 3 over the levee and into the Sacramento River. Reach B project manager, Ruel Binonwangan, said that despite a large amount of water remaining on site, work on the project is expected to resume soon. (more)