Stockton unveils new Smith Canal floodgate, the first of its kind west of the Mississippi

After nearly two decades of planning, construction, and litigation, local and state officials cut the ribbon on Stockton's Smith Canal Gate Project.

The $96 million project , the first of its kind west of the Mississippi, will provide "unprecedented" levels of flood protection to an economically disadvantaged area in central Stockton, according to San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency officials. Wednesday's event was held in conjunction with California Flood Preparedness Week, Oct. 19-26.

In 2008, the Federal Emergency Management Agency mapped the neighborhood as high-risk. Five years later, property owners agreed to pay for the gate by a vote of 59% to 41%, The Record previously reported.

The floodgate was deemed necessary to provide increased levels of flood protection and save on mandatory flood insurance for roughly 8,500 properties located within a high-risk flood zone in central Stockton. The gate is intended to prevent Delta floodwaters from backing up into Smith Canal and threatening the levees, which are covered with private homes and cannot be inspected.

The project includes a floodwall along the San Joaquin River between Dad’s Point and the eastern boundary of the Stockton Golf & Country Club , San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency officials said.

The project began in 2014 and was implemented by the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency and the Department of Water Resources. However, it was delayed when a private engineer, whose bids to design and construct the gate were rejected, sued twice in an effort to block it.

Construction didn't start until 2020, according to the San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency.

The Smith Canal gate will eventually be integrated into the $1.4 billion U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lower San Joaquin River Project, which breaks ground next year and includes 23 miles of levee improvements in north and central Stockton.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton unveils new Smith Canal floodgate, the first of its kind west of the Mississippi