A portion of levee on the western portion of Sherman Island sustained damage from a storm on Dec. 14, 2024.Courtesy Sacramento County
Sacramento County officials have issued a local emergency proclamation after a storm damaged a levee on Sherman Island, south of Rio Vista.
County spokesperson Matt Robinson said the levee on the western portion of the island suffered erosion damage from a storm on Dec. 14. The erosion extended for around 500 yards, and the storm washed away rocks and dirt which affected the levee’s safety.
“It brought in a lot of waves and wind coming up from the San Francisco Bay, up the Delta and on to Sherman Island,” he said. “The force of the wind [and] the force of the waves started to cause that damage.”
While county officials wrote the threat of levee failure is “low,” Sherman Island is home to more than 200 people, plus “critical infrastructure.” County officials are requesting assistance from state agencies to develop a plan if conditions worsen. No evacuations have been ordered thus far.
If the levee was breached, Robinson said, flooding could impact all of Sherman Island and possibly damage Highway 160 and the Antioch Bridge.
Robinson says the county is in contact with the National Weather Service about a storm forecast to hit the region later this week.
“Thursday it might be a little problem,” he added. “We might have the same type of situation that occurred on Dec. 14 with the heavy wind and storm coming through, causing more wash to come up through the Delta and into the Sherman Island area.”
Forecasters with the Weather Service in Sacramento say rain is expected to be “moderate to locally heavy” in the Sacramento region starting on Thursday. Wet weather is expected to continue through the weekend.
Robinson says engineers from Reclamation District 341 will work on repairing the levee, but could not provide a timeline for when repairs might be completed. The county has also closed Sherman Island County Park and offered it to the Reclamation District as a staging ground for repair equipment and materials.
CapRadio reached out to a number of business owners on Sherman Island. None wished to share their name but said many locals don't feel concerned and that there “isn't much to talk about.”
County officials warned those who live in and around Sherman Island to sign up for emergency warnings through Sacramento-Alert, stay up to date on county weather alerts, and follow updates from the National Weather Service.
Sherman Island residents and visitors can also sign up for notifications by texting the word “levee” to the number 77295.
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