http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_290205439.html

CBS 5) Dozens of new levee sections in Northern and Central California are so weak, they may be on the brink of crumbling and could fail this winter, inspectors said.

The levees in question are some of the most important flood control barriers in the Central Valley and the Delta. Crews are only now getting to repairs because the swollen rivers from last Aprils heavy rains did not recede for months.

“The storms came fairly late in the season, and what happened is a lot of the damage remained hidden from inspectors until late in June,” said Mike Inamine, chief of levee repairs for the California Department of Water Resources.

State and federal officials have mapped out 49 locations where levees could fail this winter. They begin as far north as Chico, wind their way through the islands of the Delta, and continue as far south as Fresno and Madera counties. Delta towns like Clarksburg, Isleton and Rio Vista sit precariously close to these hot spots. But Chico and Plumas Lake are also at risk, not to mention the roads, utility and fiber-optic lines that run through and over the levees.

“This is serious,” said Jeff Hawk, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We re taking it seriously. Our state partners are taking it seriously.”

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