Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 23, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
State helps on local levee woes - Santa Maria Times
FLOOD MAPPING:
Meeting to focus on FEMA flood maps; City hopes to alert San Mateo residents of need for specialized insurance - Inside Bay Area
FLOOD FIGHTING:
City starts flow of input in flood fight - Vacaville Reporter
State helps on local levee woes
By Malia Spencer, staff writer
Just 10 days after denying a local request to send a letter to the federal government seeking emergency funding for the Santa Maria River Levee, the state Department of Water Resources has done an about-face, which could open the possibility for federal dollars.
The department's director, Lester Snow, submitted a letter Friday requesting “Advanced Measures Assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” after telling local officials earlier this month that the levee project did not meet the requirements for such funding.
Local officials are looking to an emergency fund through the Army Corps of Engineers to help cover the cost of work before winter rains.
Such work has already begun to extend a pilot channel near Suey Crossing which is designed to keep the river flow in the middle of the bed and not against the levee.
Additionally, efforts to clear willows from the channel around the Highway 1 bridge, near Guadalupe, are expected to be in full swing by Wednesday, said Tom Fayram, deputy director of public works and water resources.
The last piece of prep-work involves purchasing about 10,900 tons of rock to stockpile at strategic locations along the levee that can be quickly placed to fight erosion, if needed.
Fayram and other local officials are hoping to use the emergency federal dollars to purchase the rock. The flood control district is already using its maintenance budget and dipping into its small reserve fund to cover much of the work.
The first request for this federal funding was denied earlier this fall by officials in the corps'
When that occurred, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors drafted a letter to the governor urging him to direct the Department of Water Resources to support the county's efforts.
“Such action (the denial) by the state is incomprehensible given the threat,” wrote Brooks Firestone, chairman of the board of supervisors.
Local officials see the potential for major problems this winter if the region receives significant rain because about 25 percent of the drainage area for the
Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, also lobbied on behalf of the county both through phone calls to the corps and letters to obtain the money.
“I am pleased we are making progress on
Finally obtaining the letter from the state does not guarantee the county will see the $495,000 they are seeking, Fayram said.
“They said ‘no' once already,” Fayram noted, however, he added the denial seemed based on the technicality that the state hadn't submitted their letter.
“We are happy the state did support our request,” he said. “The last tool we need in our toolbox this winter is the rock.”
On the same day the state offered a letter in support of emergency funding, two local mayors - Larry Lavagnino of Santa Maria, and Lupe Alvarez of Guadalupe - returned from a lobbying effort in Washington, D.C.
Lavagnino, Alvarez and Santa Maria Utilities Director Rick Sweet were on Capitol Hill to ensure that $300,000 included in a Senate appropriations bill, earmarked to study a fix for the Santa Maria River Levee, stays in the final budget proposal that will be presented to the president.
In order to fix problems with the levee, the corps must study the structure to determine the best solution. And the only way the corps can be directed to study the levee is through a line item in its budget from Congress.
The 26-mile Santa Maria River Levee was built by the corps between 1959 and 1963, and it is the agency that certifies whether the barrier is adequate to protect the city from a 100-year flood. The certification on the levee was officially dropped earlier this year, when the
Decertification of the levee opens the door for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to place the city in a flood plain and require flood insurance for homeowners.
However, if the levee were fixed to the satisfaction of the corps, which could then certify the barrier, the flood-insurance provision would be dropped. #
http://www.santamariatimes.com/articles/2007/10/20/news/news02.txt
FLOOD MAPPING:
Meeting to focus on FEMA flood maps; City hopes to alert
Inside Bay Area – 10/23/07
By Aaron Kinney, staff writer
The new map will not take effect until January 2009, but the city wants to make sure residents in affected areas know about the pending changes.
The meeting on Wednesday is for residents of
Homeowners in neighborhoods such as
Homeowners within FEMA's new map who purchase flood insurance during a grace period in 2008 will likely be able to get rates in the $300 range, city officials say.
As it currently stands, the federal flood zone includes most homes to the east of Highway 101 and north of Highway 92and some areas west of 101. The new map will cover the areas south of 92 and east of the Caltrain tracks, except for Bay Meadows, which is built on slightly higher ground.
The city will hold a second meeting Nov. 8 for
All three meetings will take place at the San Mateo Marriott at
Joanne Larson, a
"You gotta do what you gotta do," Larson said, "because (my home is) my main investment." #
http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_7256421
FLOOD FIGHTING:
City starts flow of input in flood fight
By Jennifer Gentile, staff writer
A draft of the Ulatis System Drainage Study, designed to alleviate flooding in the city, will be released by officials at a meeting a 7 p.m. at the
Starting about a year ago, the Solano County Water Agency conducted the study with a consultant, West Yost Associates, to find ways to help prevent future flooding.
"West Yost also does work for the city of
The study presents several flood-protection options, including large regional detention basins, smaller detention basins, increasing the capacity of Ulatis and Alamo Creeks, targeted work within the channels, and modifiying drop structures within the creeks.
The study had to consider the physical and financial contraints of each option, as well as the amount of protection they would offer, Okita said, and some were found to be unfeasible.
For example, widening and deepening the channels would require at least 150 homes to be removed, according to the study, and at least 14 bridges would have to be replaced or modified.
Additionally, the estimated cost is in excess of $150 million. Four large detention basins would cost even more, with an estimated price tag of $177 million.
The study's recommendation, which combines elements of several of the options, has an estimated cost of $45.8 million to $68.6 million.
In phase one, it calls for construction of a 540 acre-foot detention basin east of
An Alamo Creek regional detention basin, with 970 acre-feet of storage capacity, is recommendend east of
Along Ulatis Creek, phase two work would include modifying the drop structure downstream of
"This is not something that's going to get done in one to two years," Okita said. "This could take up to 10 years to fully implement."
According to the report, the improvements along Ulatis Creek would provide 100-year flood protection upstream of Intertstate 80 and a 25-year level of protection along the rest of the creek. A 100-year event, Okita explained, is a storm of the intensity seen once in a 100-year period.
Along Alamo Creek, the recommended improvements would offer a 100-year protection level downstream to the abandoned railroad/bike path, and a 10- to 25-year level for the rest of Alamo Creek.
"The upstream detention storage facilities will significantly reduce the peak flows in the creek, thereby reducing the flooding along the entire reach of each creek," according to the report. "The channel-improvement phase will increase the capacity of the creek channel through critical reaches that have limited capacity and have flooded in the past."
The recommended pro-jects, said Deputy Public Works Director Rod Moresco, would significantly improve
"The Dec. 30-31 storm event would have been pretty much contained to the creek (with the improvements in place)," he said.
Upstream detention basins "are something we've been talking about for a long time," Moresco said.
At the last City Council meeting, the panel authorized more than $5 million worth of property purchases for the Alamo Creek, Ulatis Creek and
Meanwhile, "we're continuing to apply for state and federal funding sources," Moresco said, including a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant worth $3 million. Construction for the Encinosa basin could start as early as next year, with
Further information will be offered at Wednesday's meeting, which is at
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