Ryan McNally, Yuba Water’s water resources and flood risk reduction director, speaks to attendees during the premiere of “The Day the Levee Broke” at the Lee Burrows Center for the Arts in Marysville on Feb. 12. About 100 people attended the screening ahead of the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Yuba County flood. Photo courtesy of Yuba Water Agency

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Yuba Water Agency on Wednesday premiered a new documentary ahead of the 40th anniversary of the February 1986 flood in Yuba County.

About 100 people attended the public screening of “The Day the Levee Broke” at the Lee Burrows Center for the Arts in Marysville. The 23-minute film recounts the levee failure along the Yuba River and the flood that followed.

On Feb. 20, 1986, just after 6 p.m., a section of levee failed in Linda. Floodwaters covered about 30 square miles. More than 26,000 residents evacuated as water moved through the Peach Tree Mall area and along the Highway 70 corridor, reaching West Linda, Olivehurst and Arboga, now Plumas Lake. The flood caused long-term economic and community impacts.

“Our region is safer today than it has ever been, but there is always more we can do to reduce flood risk,” said Yuba Water General Manager Willie Whittlesey. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing with continued investments by the agency and engagement with our community members.”

Yuba Water presented the film, which J Comm Inc. produced. The documentary includes archival images and video from the flood and interviews with residents who experienced it. It also outlines flood risk reduction efforts completed in recent years.

According to Yuba Water, the county has completed more than $600 million in flood risk reduction projects. Work includes levee improvements along the Yuba and Feather rivers. The film links those projects to improved economic conditions in the county.

After the screening, agency officials led a discussion on current and future flood control efforts. Topics included research on atmospheric river storms, coordination and operations at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir, and a planned Atmospheric River Control Spillway at Bullards Bar.

The proposed second spillway would add flexibility to reservoir operations ahead of major storms and reduce flood risk in Yuba and Sutter counties and downstream communities, according to the agency.

“The Day the Levee Broke” is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/mBqs9V9AGI0.