Construction on a $2 billion levee project that will effectively protect more than a third of Stocktonians’ homes from flooding kicked off this week. Local government officials took part in a groundbreaking ceremony Friday off March Lane at the Tenmile Slough in Brookside to launch the Lower San Joaquin River Improvement Project. … The first phase of the project, slated for completion in late 2026, will see improvements made to just over a mile of the Tenmile Slough levee, which sits directly in the backyard of many homes in the Brookside area of west Stockton, according to a presentation on the project’s overview. About one mile of the levee will be upgraded to have a seepage cutoff wall, which is an added layer of material preventing water seeping through or under the levee.

Related articles:

• Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom: News release: California breaks ground on critical flood protection project in the Central Valley​
• KCRA (Sacramento, Calif.): Groundbreaking ceremony kicks off first phase of flood risk reduction project in San Joaquin County
• FOX40 (Sacramento, Calif.): A $1.95 billion flood risk reduction project breaks ground in Stockton​