The Sacramento River Westside Levee District was formed in 1915 by the State Legislature to maintain the 52 miles of levees from Colusa to Knights Landing.  Initially the levees were built and maintained by Reclamation District No. 108, which was formed in 1870 to reclaim lands from periodic overflow of the Sacramento River. It was quickly discovered that constructing the levees was an arduous and expensive process as the River repeatedly breached the District's levees.  Levee construction and maintenance costs were high and borne by few landowners, whereas the benefits of the flood protection provided extended far beyond RD 108 boundaries. The February flood of 1915 was an impetus to the formation of the Sacramento River Westside Levee District as three large levee breaks occurred north of District 108.

The levees originally built by the local landowners, have all become part of the federally sponsored Sacramento River Flood Control Project.