Aanestad cheers on levee work

Repairs on a series of 29 levees deemed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to be critical erosion sites will begin in June, according to state Sen. Sam Aanestad.

Aanestad, whose district includes Yuba, Sutter, Colusa and Butte counties, said the Department of Water Resources “is moving forward with plans that will get bulldozers moving as quickly as possible this summer.”

“These are areas that desperately need real rock, sand and concrete construction, and they need immediate attention,” he said in a statement.

Aanestad's comments came after DWR announced plans Thursday to fix the 29 erosion sites this year. They include trouble spots on the Sacramento River near Colusa, Grimes and Meridian, and on the Bear River near Wheatland and Rio Oso.

Eight of the spots are in Colusa and Sutter counties.

Aanestad, R-Grass Valley, said work on completing various environmental and design permits should be finished in May and that contracts should be put out to bid and awarded in June. Repairs are expected to begin in late June and continue through July and August before the 2006-07 rainfall season.

The $100 million in funding for the work will come from a special reserve fund set up for emergencies.

“We should not sit idly by and wait for federal funding to arrive,” Aanestad said in a statement.

“Our levees need immediate attention, and we must take steps now to avoid a Hurricane Katrina-type disaster in California.”