ABSTRACT
Strengthening the levee system in 2009-2010, heavily impacted the surrounding environment including 52 hectares of wildland habitat and a 7-hectare sand extraction area (Fig. 2). Excavation of the substrate to a depth of 15 meters and extraction of fill material (i.e., sand) caused substantial
1 INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) originally constructed the Santa Maria River Levee in 1963. It consisted of a set of earthen levees with riprap revetment (USACE 2009). The levee along the south side of the river extends for a distance of approximately 27 kilometers.
