In 2010, the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency began the Feather River West Levee Program with the goal of ushering 38 miles of levee along the Feather River into updated compliance with State and Federal standards for levees protecting urban areas. The USACE completed the program by upgrading the last 2 miles of the levee.

Odin constructed 516,000 SF of soil bentonite (SB) cutoff wall to a maximum depth of 70 feet. The cutoff wall with a maximum permeability of 5×10-7 cm/sec provide protection of the levee foundation from underseepage during a flood event. The cutoff wall was construction utilizing two PC1250 excavators equipped with long booms and sticks capable of extracting to a depth of 80 feet.

Key features of this project included degrading 114,000 CY of levee material, construction 123,000 CY of levee embankment, construction a pump station, and accommodating PG&E’s construction activities.

The pump station included an 18” welded steel pipe, a 24” welded steel pipe, and 18” gate valve, a 24” gate valve, and related concrete headwall and vault.

Also, imported clay was used to supplement construction of the levee embankment fill. Extensive tenting of off-site borrow sources was conducted to ensure compliance with the geotechnical and chemical requirements.

Odin coordinated extensively with the USACE, California Department of Water Resources, and the local farmers to bring the project to a successful conclusion.