Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 15, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
SACRAMENTO-AREA LEVEE ISSUES:
Column: Dan Walters: California belatedly sees peril - Sacramento Bee
Editorial: Bills shift some flood costs to cities, counties -
J LEVEE:
Levee cash hinges on override; Marysville repairs could get $41.7 million lift - Marysville Appeal Democrat
TRIBUTE PAID:
Locke statue honors the many Chinese hands that built Delta - Sacramento Bee
Monument dedicated to Chinese immigrants who built Delta levees - Associated Press
Monticello Dam draws crowd for 50th birthday - Woodland Daily Democrat
POTENTIAL DAM REMOVAL:
York Creek dam project concerns neighbors; St. Helenans cite safety, environmental concerns as city plans to remove dam - Napa Valley Register
WEEKEND WARRIORS:
Water managers drink up life with bands, scuba diving, 'flipping' - Riverside Press
SACRAMENTO-AREA LEVEE ISSUES:
Column: Dan Walters:
By Dan Walters, columnist
Except, perhaps, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, it's difficult to find much land in California that's not imperiled by some variety of natural or seminatural disaster.
If you build homes along the coast, you must worry about storm-caused landslides and earthquakes. If you build in the mountains, there's the ever-present threat of wildfires. And if you build in the interior river valleys, levee breaks and flooding from winter rains is the looming threat.
Our tendency has been to ignore the potential perils and build homes, even entire towns, wherever it suits our fancy, with little thought to the potential consequences. When calamity strikes, as it does periodically, we clean up the mess and, with insurance settlements and government funds, rebuild and await the next episode.
With its ever-increasing population,
That said, we may be -- belatedly -- getting smarter about how we develop, recognizing the potential dangers and attempting to mitigate the effects on life and property. We now impose tougher construction standards on buildings along earthquake faults and are beginning to crack down on what kinds of housing are built in the forests.
The latest advance came last week, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited a park adjacent to a levee in
The compromise package was born of the devastation of New Orleans by floods from Hurricane Katrina, new appraisals showing that Sacramento could suffer the same fate, the potential that global warming would increase flooding, a court decision that makes the state responsible for damage when state-federal levees fail, and voters' enactment of levee repair bonds.
"Floodplain development is another one of those issues that have not gotten the attention that it deserves," Schwarzenegger said.
"For years nothing got done because growth and safety concerns were always at odds. Now we have the support of the builders and local governments, and also the water agencies in the state."
Among other things, the legislation would create new maps of flood-prone regions, bar local governments from approving development not enjoying 200-year flood protection and make them liable for damage if they unreasonably approve developments later stricken by flooding. Fittingly, a day after Schwarzenegger acted, the Federal Emergency Management Agency cracked down on development of
Given the lack of action on other major issues, the flood package may be the most significant achievement of the 2007 legislative session. But more should be done to protect lives and property from California's propensity for natural disasters, including a broader array of insurance policies, better emergency preparedness and, most importantly, even tougher development and construction standards.
It's ludicrous, for example, that taxpayers and insurers should be on the hook when residents of a scenic mountain area -- whether it's Lake Tahoe in Northern California or Lake Arrowhead in Southern California -- build wood-framed and sometimes wood-roofed homes that can fuel wildfires and then fail to maintain clear perimeters. It's equally ridiculous that misguided environmental feelings prevent brush and dead timber from being removed from such areas. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/431459.html
Editorial: Bills shift some flood costs to cities, counties
Strict new standards will apply to developments built in
It's about time.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a package of five bills Wednesday that should make local governments think twice about permitting new homes and other buildings in areas prone to flooding or at risk in the event of a catastrophic collapse of levees.
One of the measures will make cities and counties liable, along with the state, for damage that occurs in such areas from flooding. In the past, the state has borne the entire burden.
A 1986 flood in
The new bills were the result of a difficult and lengthy process of negotiation, and in the end, were supported by the building industry, environmentalists and local governments.
Hurricane Katrina and the images of devastated
But so long as cities and counties were off the hook for damages caused by ill-advised planning, and under pressure from well-connected developers, the problem worsened. We hope that's over now.
Specifically, the new legislation requires restrictions on building for the next eight years in areas that lack 100-year flood protection in the San Joaquin and
Cities and counties with existing at-risk areas would have until 2025 to strengthen surrounding levees to the 200-year level.
The real solution is to not build structures of any kind where the risk is statistically inevitable, despite the enormous economic and political pressures to do so. Resisting that pressure will be much less costly in the long run. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/164173.html
J LEVEE:
By Barbara Arrigoni, staff writer
Getting a new levee built to replace the one erected in 1906 has been an uphill struggle for nearly half the J levee's existence, residents have said. Now the efforts are coming close to fruition.
"It's fantastic," said Mike Roberts, a representative of the Nature Conservancy, which owns property along the levee. "It's a huge milestone. I'm very happy to reach this point, especially for those who have been working for decades."
Roberts was one of about two dozen residents, members of the conservancy, county officials and other interested individuals who gathered at the
The Army Corps of Engineers has completed 35 percent of the project's design phase, which began in January 2006. The presentation was the first since a feasibility study was completed in 2004.
David VanRijn, Corps of Engineers project manager, said since early 2006 engineers have conducted an analysis of soil, particularly for the restoration component of the project. He said more than 200 borings of soil were made "to make sure the right plant is placed with the right soil."
There has also been survey work, identifying ditches and utility lines that will likely have to be removed, and doing a "wave analysis," testing wind velocities along the levee to make sure it would be strong enough to withstand high water blowing over the top. He also said surveys of soil were done to look for archaeological remains and to determine endangered species in the areas.
VanRijn also said information was gathered for hydraulic engineering and determining where the new levee will go and where it will fit.
A civil engineer and technical lead for the project, Mark Boedtker, discussed detailed plans and said there haven't been many changes since the feasibility study.
Boedtker did say the design will include as much of the existing J levee as possible, especially portions that may have trees or other vegetation worth saving.
He also said an adjustment to the levee alignment was made along Highway 32, west of the
Another addition was to add a foot or more to the existing levee at Irvine Finch River Access, which will avoid having to relocate the pump house there now.
At some points, the new levee will be as high as 15 feet, and large seepage berms will be built on the land side.
The levee wasn't the only topic, though. The project also includes restoring about 1,400 acres of natural habitat. That portion of the project is one of the reasons the project was approved and is furthest along in the preconstruction process over any other projects, Roberts later explained.
Corps landscape architect James Lee said some areas will include planting cottonwood, valley oak, elderberrry, valley wild rye grass and valley needlegrass. Some sites are designated to be free of elderberry. Lee said plantings will vary in density from about 350 plants per acre to more than 1,000. There will also be a 30-foot wide area from the water that will be planted with grasses as a buffer to make maintenance of the levee easier.
The next part of the design phase will focus on archaeological excavation and studying the drainage on the land side of the levee to see what needs to be done to prevent the interior from flooding. Boedtker said they may put in detention ponds, some kind of pump structure, ditches or culverts to make sure the new levee doesn't cause runoff and interior flooding.
Most of the existing levee will be "degraded," although some portions may remain.
VanRijn estimated completion of the current phase to the 60-percent design mark may take until April 2008. He said he anticipates the entire preconstruction phase to be done by next September. Construction of the new levee may begin in 2009.
The entire new levee will stretch seven miles and construction is expected to take two years. The total cost is estimated at $55 million. Some of the local share will be covered through land donations.
Although questions and answers Thursday mostly focused on technical stuff such as types of soil that will be used for the levee, height adjustments and the probability the new structure will survive a 75-year flood, enthusiasm remained evident. After the close of the presentation, audience members clustered in groups looking at enlarged maps or inch-thick plans and talked loudly and exuberantly among themselves.
As
"I'm optimistic," Stiles said after studying the pages of designs. "When you can get people normally in opposition, agreeing -- I hate to use a cliché, but it's a win-win situation." #
http://www.chicoer.com//ci_7167735?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com
Levee cash hinges on override; Marysville repairs could get $41.7 million lift
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 10/15/07
BY John Dickey, staff writer
Marysville levee repairs could get a $41 million boost if Congress overrides a threatened presidential veto.
The Water Resources Development Act authorizes more than $1.3 billion for more than 50 flood-control and restoration projects in
The Senate passed the legislation last month. It is now in the hands of President George Bush, who has threatened a veto.
But Congress may have the final say if enough legislators vote to override the President’s veto. Both the House and Senate approved the WRDA by wide margins and plan an override vote in case of a veto.
Local legislators who approved the WRDA included U.S. Rep. Wally Herger, R-Chico, who says further delay will push back the construction start for Marysville levee repairs.
Yuba County Water Agency Chairman Don Schrader said in an e-mail statement that Herger’s support for appropriations bills and WRDA language in the House made flood-control progress possible. Sen. Barbara Boxer also supported WRDA language as chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, according to the statement.
Curt Aikens, general manager of the Yuba County Water Agency, believes the WRDA could speed up Marysville levee repairs by a year or two.
“The WRDA language is a potential tool in speeding up the process to construct levee improvements in Marysville,” said Aikens.
The Yuba County Water Agency has been seeking federal help for levee repairs ever since the 1986 Flood, said Aikens.
The WRDA may be too late for the levees that broke in that flood.
That leaves Marysville’s levees. The state Department of Water Resources is studying the 7.6-mile ring levee and plans to wrap up its investigation by March. Some repairs will probably be needed to give Marysville a 200-year level of protection against flooding from the Feather and Yuba rivers. #
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/levee_55318___article.html/wrda_marysville.html
TRIBUTE PAID:
Locke statue honors the many Chinese hands that built Delta
By Todd Milbourn, staff writer
The peat soil was too soft. Horses would sink right through it. The clamshell dredger hadn't been invented yet. And no white workers would do the job. So when it came time to build the levees that allowed the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to become the farming paradise it is today, the job fell to the Chinese.
They had come seeking gold years earlier. They ended up panning the sludgy soil, building the muddy barriers with little more than their hands.
These days, headlines bemoan the Delta's eroding levees and dwindling fish stocks. But little consideration is given to the men and women who, more than 120 years ago, waded waist-deep in the mud, toiling for a dollar a day, so flooded land could be put under plow.
The townspeople of Locke want to change that.
On Saturday, they unveiled a statue commemorating the Chinese contribution to the construction of the vast levee system that protects some of
The granite and bronze statue is 9 feet tall. It's meant to hold up, even if this long-neglected town falls down.
"Locke is a wooden town," said Elyse Marr, the 19-year-old artist who designed the tribute, which stands proudly along Locke's main drag, between a building that seems likely to tip over and one poised to crumble. "If it ever goes, we'll still have this monument."
Marr, a
"It's not just the levees and railroads that shaped the landscape of
Few Locke residents have more stories than Connie King, who has lived in Locke since 1948. She's the town's unofficial mayor.
King said she had been looking for a way to commemorate Chinese workers' contributions for 50 years. She stepped up her efforts a few years ago when she saw that nearby Rio Vista had paid tribute to a Delta figure of questionable historical importance -- the wayward whale that swam by in the 1980s.
"I said, 'If Humphrey can get a monument, why not the Chinese workers?' "
King tapped into a growing movement to preserve Locke, which was nearly condemned two decades ago.
Thanks to the efforts of residents like King, Locke was declared a national historic place.
At 90 years old, Ping Lee said he's glad to see this history finally being honored.
As he sat on a bench downtown Saturday afternoon, Lee recounted the history of the town where he was born.
He said his father -- "Charlie" Lee Bing -- essentially founded Locke a century ago. His father had come to
There were Chinese of two kinds in Walnut Grove at the time, Lee said: The Toi-San, who were largely merchants, and the Chungshan, who were farmers. Each spoke different dialects. When Walnut Grove burned in 1915, the Chungshan moved to Locke. Since
Locke was wide-open town during its heyday, in the 1920s and '30s. The town had four restaurants, a half-dozen markets, five brothels, two slaughterhouses, a flour mill, canneries, speakeasies and an opera, according to local history.
Lee says too much is made of the town's freewheeling past.
"But it was quite a lively town," he conceded.
The town's population -- once as high as 1,000 -- dwindled after the Depression and World War II. Many Chinese went to college and opted to live elsewhere. Today, Locke is mostly an artist's colony and stopover for the bikers who hang out at Al's Place where, according to a sign above the bar, "free lunch is provided for drinking customers only."
Lee said he's not sad that many Chinese left.
"They're doctors, senators and councilmen now," he said. "They've earned their place." #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/431604.html
Monument dedicated to Chinese immigrants who built Delta levees
Associated Press – 10/14/07
LOCKE,
Residents gathered Saturday for the unveiling of the 9-foot-tall granite and bronze tribute, which commemorates the contribution of the workers to the system that now protects acres of rich farmland and supplies two-thirds of the state's water.
The monument, designed by
"Locke is a wooden town," said Marr, 19, who's father was born in Locke. "If it ever goes, we'll still have this monument."
After nearly being condemned two decades ago, Locke has been declared a national historic place, and the Locke Foundation was formed to offer tours and collect oral histories.
Ping Lee, 90, attended Saturday's event to remember his father and town founder, "Charlie" Lee Bing, and honor the immigrants who panned the sludgy soil and built the muddy barriers when no white workers would do the job.
Lee said he's not sad that many Chinese left the area.
"They're doctors, senators and councilmen now," he said. "They've earned their place." #
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_7178136?nclick_check=1
POTENTIAL DAM REMOVAL:
York Creek dam project concerns neighbors; St. Helenans cite safety, environmental concerns as city plans to remove dam
By Jesse Duarte, staff writer
The city’s plan to remove much of the York Creek dam is raising issues such as environmental and habitat preservation, St. Helena’s water shortage, and the condition of the city’s lower reservoir.
The city’s goals are to remove the obstruction the dam poses to fish passage and prevent the environmental damage that would result if the built-up sediment behind the dam is released. In 1992, silted water was accidentally released during dam maintenance, resulting in a massive fish kill.
About 40,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment will have to be removed. Much of that material will be deposited at Spring Mountain Vineyards and Clover Flat Landfill, but the city’s plan to deposit as much as 26,000 cubic yards of that material along the edges of the lower reservoir has neighbors worried about the impact on the reservoir’s capacity and habitat.
They were also worried about the possibility of, as Duane Hall said, “chunks of rebar and concrete sticking out of a reservoir that’s drained lower than normal.”
Public Works Director Jonathon Goldman tried to allay those fears, saying only dirt and rock material would be trucked to the lower reservoir. Current plans call for the York Creek dam’s concrete material to stay there, he said.
The lower reservoir is at its lowest point in memory, for several reasons: an ongoing drought, the lack of water being diverted to the reservoir from York Creek, and the city’s decision to draw down the dam last year to make way for geotechnical work in preparation for the dam removal project.
Aside from their concerns about the reservoir’s appearance — “it looks like a mudhole,” said Clare Kirkconnell Barr — neighbors are worried that depositing material at the reservoir will decrease the amount of water available for regular consumption and firefighting, and will harm the local habitat.
“When all this was decided, was Fish and Game made aware of how one habitat would be suffering to help another habitat?” asked Barr.
The project includes a revegetation plan for the affected areas of the lower reservoir. Goldman said the effect on the reservoir’s storage capacity will be minimal. According to the project’s EIR, the reservoir’s capacity could be reduced by as much as 3 percent.
The Department of Fish and Game forced the city to stop diverting water from York Creek in 1992. Resuming the diversion would require the city to build a new structure, priced at about $500,000, to allow fish passage.
In addition, Goldman said, the structure’s usefulness would be limited by Fish and Game restrictions, which would only allow diversion when creek flows reach a high volume — and at those times, the lower reservoir generally fills up on its own. In drier-than-average rainy seasons such as the last one, diversion would be prohibited.
Diversion debated
Goldman said he wasn’t recommending building the diversion structure because the city’s limited resources would be better spent increasing the capacity of
However, neighbors said they would like to see the new diversion structure incorporated into the dam removal project.
“We have an opportunity here to capture more water here,” said Hall. “But it looks like we’re going to bypass that to save a half-million dollars.”
According to the project’s EIR, another potential impact is an increase in the frequency and severity of flooding in lower York Creek below Highway 29 due to sediment accumulation. But according to the project’s consultants, hydraulic modeling predicted a neutral impact on flooding.
The project hasn’t been completely designed, but early estimates put its cost at $7.4 million, split between the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. If approved by the council, work will begin next year, and continue for another two or three years.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/10/14/news/local/doc4711a8df5c013488383767.txt
Woodland Daily Democrat – 10/15/07
By Dan Bernardi, staff writer, Vacaville Reporter
More than 50 years ago, engineers and workmen converged on "Devil's Gate" Canyon at the mouth of Berryessa Valley and began building the Monticello Dam by pouring four-yard blocks of concrete that were mixed on site.
On Saturday, intrigued visitors walked across the 1,000-foot-wide structure, admiring that work and the views it allowed as the dam celebrated its 50th birthday.
As part of the celebration,
But judging by the packed buses heading for the dam, the tour of the historic structure is what attracted most people.
Led by Don Burbey, the Solano Irrigation District's superintendent of operations and management, visitors were taken out on the structure.
Burbey said Saturday's tours were the first given since security was stepped up after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Although he said he couldn't go into detail, more than $300,000 was spent on beefing up security. "No one can come here without someone knowing it," Burbey said.
Walking out on the perfect semicircle, 304 feet above the canyon floor, with boats on
Back at
"That's just blowing through there," Wirth said. "I've lived here my whole life and wanted to get a tour of the thing."
Also on hand were folks with Tuleyome, who are working on a proposal to designate as much as 800,000 acres to the Blue Ridge Berryessa National Conservatory. Bob Schneider, president of the Woodland-based group, said the plan is a vision to protect the area and enhance local public recreation.
He said instead of having several state, federal and county agencies along with private property combining to work on individual aspects of the area, the conservatory would create one group to reign them all in.
"That synergy is the strength of the proposal," Schneider said. "The pressure (from encroaching cities) is there. We're just really gearing up for this." #
http://www.dailydemocrat.com//ci_7183155?IADID=Search-www.dailydemocrat.com-www.dailydemocrat.com
WEEKEND WARRIORS:
Water managers drink up life with bands, scuba diving, 'flipping'
Riverside Press
By Steve Moore, staff writer
Away from their world of pipelines, booster stations and treatment plants, the Inland area's water wonks -- like their counterparts across
Water and public utility district general managers in
"There's more to us 'water buffaloes' than meets the eye," said Tony Pack, general manager of the Eastern Municipal Water District headquartered in Perris. He's gone diving in the Red Sea, at the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of
By day, general managers worry about the supply of
Jennifer Persike, a spokeswoman for the Association of California Water Agencies, said general managers, many trained as engineers, escape their demanding work with passionate pastimes.
"They're interested in a variety of things when they aren't doing their day jobs," she said, ticking off water executives who are pilots, disc jockeys, race-car drivers, artists, bronco busters and accomplished square and ballroom dancers.
"They're all over the map."
Rockin' Out
By day, General Manager-Chief Engineer Steve Robbins runs the sprawling Coachella Valley Water District with its 550 employees and an annual capital and operating budget of $400 million.
"It's a major corporation in any sense of the word," Robbins, 54, said from behind his desk. "There's a lot of stress and pressure on anyone overseeing an organization like this."
But on stage, workday worries vanish as Robbins cuts loose with guitar riffs reminiscent of his idols Eric Clapton and Carlos Santana.
In high school, the future water executive wrote "Eric Clapton" just below his school ID picture.
Robbins plays in a rock band called Aqueduct Pocket fronted by chiropractor Kurt Spurgin. They take the stage throughout the
They've also released a CD drawing airplay on desert rock stations M99.5 and 97.7 KRCK.
The band's songs can be downloaded from iTunes. Aqueduct Pocket gets e-mail fan letters from high school kids in
The band got started in 2002 after Spurgin recorded original tracks in a home studio and then recruited other musicians.
Drummer Dominic Torres, bass player Micah Stark, Robbins and Spurgin all work day jobs.
"We don't expect to make a living at this," Spurgin, 37, said. "But we'd like to grow as a band, have people enjoy the music and do some small tours."
Many water workers don't realize that mild-mannered engineer Robbins steps into red tennis shoes, slings a guitar over his shoulder and plays long, electric riffs.
"I get varied reactions," he said. "People are surprised, but they think it's cool that somebody can go out and have this alter ego and do something that most people wouldn't suspect that I do.
"In some respects, it's being 18 years old again."
Robbins doesn't keep his night job a secret, but still some are surprised by it.
Water board Vice President Patricia "Corky" Larson enjoys a little soft rock for background music at home.
"Never in a million years would I have guessed Steve was in a rock band," Larson said. "But good for him."
Robbins grew up in
They entertained at school dances and the local military base.
Today, a framed shot of a couple of his many guitars sits near his children's pictures at district headquarters.
Hitting The Road
Other water and utility executives love their hobbies, too.
Butch Araiza, 63, general manager of the West Valley Water District in
Along the way, he rode choppers and carried on a 40-year love affair with Harley-Davidson bikes.
He's hopped on his motorcycle and headed cross-country attending the famed Black Hills motorcycle rally in
"It's the feel of the open road," he said.
Others, by their own admission, enjoy less exotic hobbies.
David Wright, public utilities general manager in
Over the years, he's breathed new life into about 10 homes.
"I never live anywhere longer than two or three years," Wright said. "Kind of mundane." #
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