Levee Failure

Levees provide strong flood protection, but they are not failsafe. Levees are designed to protect against a specific flood level and could be overtopped during severe weather events or dam failure. Levees reduce, not eliminate, the risk to individuals and structures located behind them.

The time of year of a failure is an important factor in determining risk. Overtopping is most likely to occur during high water events in the winter. A levee system failure or overtopping can create severe flooding and high water velocities. It’s important to remember that no levee provides protection from events for which it was not designed, and proper operation and maintenance are necessary to reduce the probability of failure.

Likelihood of Future Occurrence:  Occasional

Likely Disruptions

Disruptions from a levee failure may include:

The map below details the locations south of the American River where flooding could occur.  Communities within this boundary include: Curtis Park, East Sacramento, Florin, La Riviera, Land Park, Meadow View, Midtown, North Oak Park, Parkway, Pocket, Rosemont, and Tahoe Park.

The red triangles denote potential levee breach locations.  The chart below are links to flood depth and evacuation maps for each area.

The American River South Flood Map website details the locations south of the American River where flooding could occur in the north end of our ward boundary and impact our ward members and the recommended evacuation routes.  

Check it out!