The City of West Sacramento is surrounded by levees that protect it from riverine flooding. These levees create a “bathtub” effect, so that other sources of water – like rain – must be physically collected and removed to prevent flooding. This is done by a system of canals, ditches, detention basins and pumps, also known as the internal drainage system. Together, levees and the internal drainage system protect properties from flood damage.

Our Mission:

Created in 1911 by California Legislature, Reclamation District 900’s mission is to both operate and maintain the levees and the internal drainage system that reduce flood risk for properties within its boundaries in the City of West Sacramento. Today, the District has ten employees responsible for operating and maintaining 13.6 miles of levees, along with the facilities that make up the internal drainage system:

• 11 Pumping Stations
• 40 Pumps
• 38 Miles of Canals and Ditches
• 6 Detention Basins

Our Responsibility:

Through the procurement of federal, state, county, and special assessment funds, RD900 is responsible for protecting the levees and property within our borders. We maintain ditches, supervise water levels, perform vegetation control, emergency preparedness/ flood prevention protocol, and repair levee sites as necessary.

Levee maintenance primarily includes mowing levee slopes, tree trimming, weed control, rodent abatement, crown road maintenance, erosion repair, and routine inspections. Ditch maintenance requires vegetation control, cleaning, deepening of the waterways and the maintenance of pipes, gates, risers, and pumps which connect them.