| 1840’s |
 John
Sutter settled in Sacramento: He considered the proximity of
two mighty rivers the American and Sacramento a significant
benefit to the fledgling settlement. |
|
| 1861 - 1862 |
December 9, 1861 - American River Levee failed east of 30th street, flooding what is now known as River Park. The water then overran the City's levee built to protect it. To relieve the building water levels, the levee at R & 5th Streets was cut to drain the "lake" but houses were swept away in the current in the cut in the levee.
January 10, 1862 - Due to flooding, newly elected Governor Leland Stanford had to travel to his inauguration at the Capital in a rowboat. |
|
1864-
1868 |
American River Rechannelized: In an effort to
create faster flows that might scour out mining debris, Sacramento
officials straightened the last two miles of the American River.
When the project was completed in 1868, the American joined
the Sacramento River about a mile upstream of its old location. |
|
| 1880 |
First Comprehensive Flood Control Plan: In response to the 1878
flood, State Engineer William Hammond Hall developed an integrated,
comprehensive flood control plan for the Sacramento Valley.
The plan subsequently came to include a system of levees, weirs
and bypass channels to protect existing population centers. |
|
Early
1900’s |
Sacramento Streets Raised: In response to the series of floods
between 1850 and 1910, streets east of the Sacramento River
to about 12th Street were raised by 10 feet. |
|
| 1917 |
Congress authorizes Sacramento Flood Control
System: After a series of violent floods between 1902 and 1909,
the Comprehensive flood control project envisioned by Hall gained
federal financial authorization in 1917. |
|
| 1944 |
Folsom Dam Authorized: The Flood Control Act
of 1944 authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
to build a dam on the lower American River. Completed in 1956,
Folsom Dam was originally designed to provide in excess of a
500-year level of flood protection. |
|
| 1951 |
Record Flood: Just after ground is broken on
Folsom Dam, the American River watershed experiences the first
of five record storms. |
|
| 1956 |
Record Flood: Though engineers had been predicting it would
take a year to fill the nearly completed Folsom Dam, the second
record storm filled the dam in a week and Sacramento is saved
from flooding. |
|
| 1964 |
Record Flood: The third record flood in less
than 15 years causes engineers to re-evaluate storm frequency.
They conclude the storm Folsom is designed to handle is a 120-year
storm not a 500-year storm. |
|
| 1986 |
Record Flood: The February 1986 storm dumps
10 inches of rain on Sacramento in 11 days. The American River
dumps more water into Folsom than it is designed to handle.
After 2 days of releases at the design level, (115,000 cubic
feet per second (cfs)), officials boost releases to 134,000
cfs. Folsom performance downgraded to about a 60-year storm.
|
|
| 1989 |
SAFCA Formed: In October of 1989, the Sacramento Area Flood
Control Agency holds its first public meeting. |
|
| 1992 |
Congress Does not Approve a Dam at Auburn: 6
years after the 1986 flood, the Corps of Engineers recommends
a flood control dam at Auburn. The project is defeated on the
House floor. Levee improvements in North Sacramento and Natomas
are approved. |
|
| 1993 |
SAFCA Initiates Construction of the North Area
Local Project: Following Congress action in 1992, SAFCA certifies
an environmental document and begins construction on levee improvements
to protect North Sacramento and Natomas. |
|
| 1994 |
Folsom Dam Operation Improved: SAFCA and the
Bureau of Reclamation execute an agreement to operate Folsom
Dam and Reservoir to take advantage of incidental flood control
provided by upstream water and power reservoirs at French Meadows,
Hellhole, and Union Valley. |
|
| 1996 |
Congress Does not Approve Auburn: The Corps
of Engineers again recommends a Dam at Auburn. The project is
rejected in a House committee. American River levee improvements
are authorized. |
|
| 1997 |
Record Flood: The fifth record flood in 46 years
occurs over the New Year's holiday. Unprecedented flows from
rain and melted snow surge into the Feather and the San Joaquin.
Sacramento is spared when the fury of the storm hits 40 miles
north in the Feather River. Levee failures flood Olivehurst,
Arboga, Wilton, Manteca, and Modesto.
|
|
| 1998 |
FEMA Certifies Increased flood protection in
Natomas and Portions of North Sacramento: Work on SAFCA’s North
Area Local Project, begun in 1993, progresses to the point where
FEMA certifies that Natomas and portions of North Sacramento
have 100-year protection and flood insurance is no longer required. |
|
| 1999 |
Congress Approves Significant Sacramento Flood
Control Projects: Projects include enlarging outlets at Folsom
Dam, Raising the lowest levees on the American River, and raising
levees along Morrison creek and it’s tributaries in South Sacramento. |
|
| 2000 |
Sacramento Property Owners Approve a flood control assessment for the American River and South Sacramento Streams floodplains: 82 percent of Sacramento property owners vote to impose a new assessment to finance the local match for the flood control projects approved by congress in 1999.
|
|
| 2005 |
Improvements to American River levees, including deep under-seepage cutoff walls and erosion protection and operational improvements for Folsom Dam provide 100-year protection for much of the American River Floodplain, except the Pocket and Meadowview communities. Over 55,000 American River floodplain properties with 100-year flood protection are now eligible to receive lower cost, Preferred-Risk flood insurance policies. |
|
| 2007 |
Improvements to Sacramento River levees, including deep under-seepage cutoff walls and erosion protection, as well as improvements to South Sacramento Streams levees provide 100-year flood protection for the Meadowview and Pocket communities. Over 26,000 properties are now eligible to receive lower cost, Preferred-Risk flood insurance policies. |
|
| 2007 |
Sacramento area property owners, within the 200-year floodplain, approve a consolidated flood control assessment to finance the $326 million local share of the costs for SAFCA’s $2.68 billion plan to achieve 200-year flood protection for the region. The plan is approved with an 81.8 percent affirmative vote of the affected property owners. The two previously established capital assessment districts are dissolved. |
