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Award: <\/span><\/span><\/strong>Colorado River flood mitigation project<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> When it rains, it pours.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has selected Granite Construction for a $48 million flood mitigation project in Wharton, Texas, to protect the city from historical flooding challenges along the Colorado River and three nearby creeks, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the company announced<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The job will include the construction of four levee reaches, five interior gravity sump areas, storm sewer relief systems, slope repair activities and miscellaneous paving improvements.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The win comes on the heels of the Watsonville, California-based contractor\u2019s <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>recent win of a $173 million weir project<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>, also from USACE, closer to home in Sacramento, California.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For the Texas project, earthen levees will stretch approximately 11,800 linear feet, with a top width of 16 feet, an average height of 8 feet and a base width of 80 feet. By strategically positioning the levees, Granite said, the project aims to create a robust defense system that will protect vulnerable areas from a deluge.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Flood mitigation projects and dams have garnered increased attention in the face of climate change and the risks associated with rising water levels. In Michigan, the Edenville<\/a> and Sanford dam failures have spurred litigation and finger pointing as to who was ultimately responsible for the collapse after warning signs emerged nearly a decade earlier.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And in the wake of the near toppling of the Oroville Dam in California in 2017, a disaster that was only narrowly averted by sacrificing the structure\u2019s crumbling main spillway, more questions have arisen about the country\u2019s aging dam infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Association of State Dam Safety Officials recently reported that <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>$158 billion is needed to fix<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> more than 88,000 non-federal dams deemed deficient across the country. Meanwhile, the possibility of an \u201cArkstorm,\u201d where California receives two back-to-back years of atmospheric rivers, prompted <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The New York Times Magazine<\/a> to publish a cover article looking at California\u2019s dams, titled \u201cThe Trillion Gallon Question.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Granite said the USACE\u2019s project in Texas will help give the city of Wharton a fighting chance during a possible onslaught of water from the Colorado River and other nearby creeks.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThese essential measures are designed to fortify the city’s defenses and minimize the impact of future flood events,\u201d said Matt Shepherd, Granite\u2019s vice president of regional operations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the levee system, the project will implement five interior gravity sumps featuring cast-in-place structures equipped with sluice or flap gates, Granite said, to manage water levels and reduce the risk of localized flooding.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The project is planned to begin in September and is expected to be completed in December 2024, Granite said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Value<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>: $48 million<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>
Location<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>: Wharton, Texas<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>
Clients<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nEssential measures<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n