STOCKTON, Calif. — With rain expected this weekend, people living along the Calaveras River in Stockton are once again concerned about the status of the levee that protects their homes.
A fresh pile of rocks covers what used to be damage to the levee near Mission Road and River Drive in Stockton.
The five-mile stretch of raised levee is responsible for protecting Patti Brennan’s property from the waters of the Calaveras River — part of a levee system that protects more than 129,000 people and $16.5 billion in property values.
"This levee keeps the water out of our homes," said Brennan. "A great part of this demographic are senior citizens. They’ve had these properties for a long time. They’ve paid a lot of taxes over the years for the maintenance of the levee.”
When video surfaced showing several spots of erosion along the levee left over from last winter’s storms, Brennan got involved by holding a community meeting and talking with officials to get fixes made.
Weeks later, construction equipment moved in next door to her home.
“We did see trees getting removed that were clogging the waterways," said Brennan. "We saw rocks going on.”
Brennan and some of her neighbors were initially happy to see that something was being done to address the erosion, but the speed of that repair work — wrapping up within just a few days — left them with question about the quality.
"The question is, we were told there had to be soil reports and surveys and within a couple of days, don’t believe that happened," said Brennan. "The longer these questions go on, the more questions come up."
ABC10 took some of those questions to the county’s deputy director of public works.
"These repairs are long term so we wanted to mitigate that damage," said Deputy Director Najee Zarif. "We are continuing to monitor the other erosion that’s occurred on that segment of the Calaveras River."
Zarif said the three areas repaired with rocks in just a few days were due to man-made damage, but that crews are still surveying the levee to look out for erosion.
The state’s Department of Water Resources is doing the same. The department says its personnel were on the water Thursday looking for damage.
"We are working with the Department of Water Resources to continue to document the damage," said Zarif. "As repairs are needed, they are willing to assist us.”
Brennan is hopeful that the documentation of damage can wrap up soon and be done accurately so that she and her neighbors can feel safe as more rain falls.
"Our lives, our retirements rest on a structurally sound levee and clear channel," said Brennan. "We got some responses from agencies. We hope it keeps up."
