Sacramento County puts Sherman Island under local emergency over levee erosion concerns
Sherman Island on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is under a local emergency a week after a levee was spotted with “significant” erosion damage.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors made the declaration Monday morning citing “significant uncontrolled levee erosion.” Engineers from the island’s Reclamation District 341 are focusing on 500 yards of levee near the Sacramento-Solano county line.
No evacuations have been ordered for the tiny Delta island, home to about 200 residents. The threat of a levee failure is low, officials said, but Sacramento County authorities were advising residents to follow updates from county officials via sacramento-alert.org and from the National Weather Service.
Sherman Island residents, visitors and workers to the area can sign up to be notified through sacramento-alert.org or can text the word “levee” to 77295.
County officials said wave wash from the forceful storms that pounded the Delta in this month have caused erosion on the water side of the levee.
Engineers first spotted the levee erosion Dec. 14 and are now inspecting and measuring the levee daily, sending their findings to the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services, county officials said Monday.
Sherman Island County Park is closed and was being used as a staging area for engineers and emergency levee repair work. County officials were asking visitors to avoid the island until the park reopens.
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