New multi-million dollar flood control project being tested in Sacramento region
A new multi-million dollar flood control project is about to be put to the test along the Sacramento River. Water is now starting to spill into what had been tomato and wheat fields in Yolo County. Now, the land is part of a seven-mile-long expansion of the Yolo Bypass between Interstate 5 to the north and West Sacramento to the south. It’s an area that is designed to flood when water levels rise. “Water comes from the Sacramento River down through the Yolo Bypass and out into the delta,” said David Pesavento, a supervising engineer with the California Department of Water Resources. Pesavento said this project, in the lower Elkhorn Basin, helps protect more than 780,000 people living downstream. “This project gives more space for that water to spread out and lowers the risk for the Greater Sacramento area,” he added.