News Release Archive

Reclamation and Partners Announce Completion of Phase II of the JFP at Folsom Dam and Reservoir, Phase III Begins

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, 916-978-5100 , 01/21/2011 15:41

For Release: January 21, 2011

The Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) announce the completion of the Joint Federal Project's (JFP) second phase and the start of the third phase as Reclamation officially hands off the project to the Corps for the final three phases at Folsom Dam and Reservoir.   

The first two phases were completed by Reclamation on schedule and approximately $70 million under budget. The work involved the excavation of approximately 2.5 million cubic yards of material from the spillway and the construction of haul roads, staging and batch plants and other key infrastructure. The timely completion of Phase II was critical to ensuring a seamless transition to the Corps and establishing a strong base for continued project success.

"We are very proud of our partnership with the Corps, SAFCA and the state on this critical public safety project. Reclamation is committed to supporting completion by the Corps of their portion of the JFP in order to meet our mutual objective of protecting the citizens of Sacramento and surrounding communities and their property," stated Mike Finnegan, Area Manager for Reclamation's Central California Area Office.

The Corps will initiate Phase III, construction of the control structure, this month. The Corps' Sacramento District awarded a $125.9 million contract to Granite Construction Company of Watsonville, Calif., to build the structure, expected to take 45 months. The Corps is currently finalizing design on the final two phases, which will line the spillway chute, construct a stilling basin to reduce the speed of the water and build an approach channel that will connect the auxiliary spillway to Folsom Reservoir.

"We're excited to be starting on the remaining phases of the project," Corps project manager Jason Magness said. "Reclamation did a great job getting the project to this point, now it's our job to take it to completion."

The cornerstone for more than $1 billion in dam safety and flood damage reduction improvements at the Folsom facility, the JFP is a new auxiliary spillway consisting of a 2,400-foot spillway chute, a concrete control structure with six submerged tainter gates, a 1,100-foot-long approach channel and other main features. Altogether, the JFP is estimated to cost $1 billion less and be completed faster than the three separate projects originally authorized by Congress to reduce the risk of flooding and mitigate the dam safety hydrologic risk to the Sacramento region.

"The Folsom JFP is a major component of SAFCA's goal to provide a minimum 200-year flood protection to the region. On behalf of SAFCA, I commend our federal and state partners for working diligently and cooperatively to continue to advance this project," said Richard Johnson, SAFCA interim executive director.

During construction of the JFP, Reclamation has continued to operate Folsom Dam and Reservoir for water supply, power generation, fish and wildlife mitigation and enhancement and other required purposes. Additionally, some one million annual visitors have experienced only minor impacts to recreation at the Folsom facility during this time.

Please visit www.usbr.gov/mp/jfp for additional information on the JFP.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.