Maybe he could help…?
(click for his web site)

The Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, CA has been issuing firm-fixed-price contracts for Sacramento River levee repairs. Sacramento is California’s state capital, and Governor Schwarzenegger must be relieved to hear the news; note his February 2006 release promising that the levees would be fixed before the flood season – which begins around November. His presence has turned Sacramento into California’s 3rd-biggest tourist destination; no point in spoiling it all now.

After a near-biblical rainfall in 2005-06, California’s 2006-07 winter rainy season turned out to be a bust, with rainfall in some places under half of annual averages. Work continues, however; death and taxes may be inevitable, but nobody can predict long-term weather.

So what, exactly, is going on? And who will be pumping… the levees up?

When the Levee Breaks?

From a June 21/06 US Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration memo [PDF format]:

“On February 24,2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an emergency proclamation for California’s levee system. The proclamation focused on the imminent threat of 24 critical levee erosion sites located in Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. The Governor’s declaration directed that additional, potentially critical, sites be evaluated and repaired, and as a result five additional sites were added. On May 1, 2006, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), NMFS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR), outlined an action plan and critical path timeline for expediting the levee repairs.

....The Corp’s Sacramento River Bank Protection Project (SRBPP) will construct 13 sites, and CDWR will construct 16 sites.”

See also the California Dept. of Water Resources’ levee repair site.

Contracts

Aug 22/07: Small business qualifier Wood Brothers Inc. in Lemoore, CA won an $8 million firm-fixed-price contract for the Sacramento River Bank Protection Project. Work will be performed in Sacramento, CA and is expected to be complete by Dec. 15, 2008. CThere were 9 bids solicited on July 4, 2007, and 6 bids were received by the U.S. Army Engineer District, Sacramento, CA (W91238-07-C-0018).

Aug 13/07: FCI Constructors Inc. in Benicia, CA won a $7.6 million firm-fixed-price contract to lower the American River, raise the existing levee, and construct a Mayhew drain closure structure in Sacramento, CA. Work is expected to be completed by Nov. 30, 2008. There were 19 bids solicited on June 26, 2007, and 3 bids were received by the U.S. Army Engineer District, Sacramento, CA (W91238-07-C-0016).

July 19/06: Bids for these 2 contracts were solicited via the World Wide Web on May 25, 2006, and two bids were received. Work will be performed in Sacramento, CA and is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, 2006:

• Small business qualifier DD-M Leasing Company Inc. in Alameda, CA received $19.2 million (W91238-06-C-0018)
• Small business qualifier Kin Enterprises Inc. in Marysville, CA received $6 million (W91238-06-C-0019)

Aug 16/06: Envirocon Inc. in Missoula, MT reveived $6.7 million for levee restoration and repair work. Work will be performed in Sacramento, CA be and will be completed by Nov. 18, 2006 (W91238-06-C-0022). Bids for this contract were solicited via the World Wide Web on June 16, 2006, and one bid was received.