Over the past two years, CITRIS researchers have been monitoring Yuba County’s levees, or flood barriers, to help identify challenges before they arise.
After devastating floods in 1986 and 1997, hundreds of millions of dollars in local, state and federal investments helped modernize Yuba County’s urban levees. To protect these improvements, Yuba Water awarded a $360,000 grant to CITRIS for technologies and sensors across 18 monitoring sites along the Feather and Bear rivers and Dry Creek in southern Yuba County.
In a recent update, CITRIS reported the use of sensor-equipped drones to create detailed 3D levee models. The models can help levee managers monitor long stretches and provide information for future maintenance. For example, identifying potential animal burrows and hidden seeping early on can help crews target locations for closer inspection and repair.