County OKd $11 million improvements to flood control channels

Jose Paul Corona

The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $11

million of upgrades to the Talbert and Huntington Beach channels at its

meeting on Tuesday.

The upgrades will consist of sheet piling placed along the sides of

the levees and along the earthen bottoms of the channels, said Hiram

Downard, an engineer with the city’s public works division.

The addition of sheet piling will allow the channels to hold more

water, Downard said.

“It’s going to make it a safer area,” he added.

The 2-foot wide piles are driven into the ground alongside the channel

by an excavator, said Nadeem Majaj, Flood Control Design Project

Manager.

By installing the piles in this manner, the impact on the environment

surrounding the channels will be minimized, Majaj said.

The work will bring the flood control channels into compliance with

the 100-year flood requirement set by the Federal Emergency Management

Agency.

The federal government requires that residents living in the area

surrounding the channels must have flood insurance. Once construction is

completed the county can ask the federal government to lift the flood

insurance requirement.

Construction along the flood control channels is set to begin within

30 days, said Don Hughes, executive assistant to Supervisor James Silva,

who was one of five board members who quickly approved the projects

Tuesday.

Both contracts totaling nearly $11 million have been awarded to Walnut

based J.F. Shea Construction, Inc.