The article discusses the precarious condition of California's levees amid environmental and governmental challenges, highlighting an executive order by Donald Trump that aimed to release billions of gallons of water from reservoirs. This move faced backlash from farmers and experts, who viewed it as wasteful and dangerous. Professor Nicholas Pinter emphasized the insanity of the release, especially given the levees' poor condition, as noted in a 2019 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The article illustrates the crucial role levees play in flood prevention amidst California's rainy season.
The volume they were initially starting to release and the lack of warning to local officials it's hard to characterize it as anything but insane, he said.
On its 2019 infrastructure report card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state's levees a D, citing that despite significant investments, much more work was needed to rehabilitate and improve them.
Levees are barriers constructed alongside rivers, streams and other waterways to prevent land and property from flooding, according to the US army corps of engineers.
When water is released from a reservoir, it can put levees downstream to the test. And the consequences of levee failure happen fast.
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