STOCKTON – A floodgate that will try to bring thousands of Central Valley homes out of a 100-year flood zone is now complete. But some homeowners are hesitant to say it’s worth it just yet.
The nearly $100 million project in Stockton is the first of its kind in California and on the West Coast.
After four years of construction, the Smith Canal floodgate is now open.
“Overall about $100 million between construction, design and permitting,” said Christopher H. Neudeck, construction manager and president of Kjeldsen, Sinnock & Neudeck, Inc.
Funded through federal, state and local dollars, the floodgate runs from the tip of Louis Park to the Stockton Country Club’s shore. To the north is a 50-foot-wide barrier between the San Joaquin River and thousands of homes in central Stockton that are in flood-prone areas.
“This gate will be removing them from a 100-year flood plain, it’ll lower their flood insurance substantially,” Neudeck said.