STOCKTON, Calif. — A $1.39 billion federal project to improve flood protection in San Joaquin County officially broke ground Friday, launching construction on a 24-mile-long levee system meant to safeguard more than 235,000 residents in north and central Stockton.
Led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the work is focused initially on strengthening the levee along Tenmile Slough, which protects the Brookside neighborhood. It’s been dubbed the Lower San Joaquin River Project.
“Stockton was identified as one of the most vulnerable communities for flood damage,” said Jane Dolan of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. “We do know that the storms come with more intensity than they used to, so a lot of work needed to be done. The system was old; the system needed to be upgraded.”…