[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 11/27/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

November 27, 2007

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People

 

Editorial: Residents of Yuba City area remember floods; Leaders did not give up on improving protection; they want a regional approach

Sacramento Bee – 11/27/07

 

Sutter and Butte county residents who survived the flood of 1955 will probably never forget the experience. The high water broke levees around Yuba City and other towns, killing 38 people, injuring more than 3,200 and inundating 100,000 acres.

 

Since then, levee upgrades and the construction of Oroville Dam have improved the flood defenses of Yuba City. Yet it's fair to say that this city of 70,000 remains highly vulnerable.

 

Floods in 1986 and 1997 came close to rupturing levees that protect the city. Twice in the late 1990s, Sutter County was unable to muster the two-thirds vote (required under Proposition 218) to approve a sales tax increase for flood control.

 

Despite such setbacks, the people who live in Yuba City basin aren't giving up. Over the last year, Sutter County and the city have been working with Butte and 10 other towns and levee districts to create a new Sutter-Butte Flood Control Agency.

 

Creation of this new regional entity should put the Yuba City basin in a stronger position to land flood control funds, including some of the $4.4 billion in bonds that voters approved last year.

 

Sacramento has its SAFCA, which includes the Sutter County portion of the Natomas basin. Formation of the flood control agency will allow the Yuba City area to compete for Proposition 1E funds, which are designated to enhance protections for areas with 10,000 people or more.

 

One immediate priority for this new agency is to widen and straighten out a notorious section of the Feather River, known as Star Bend, which is prone to erosion and seepage.

 

To get an early shot at state funding, both Yuba City and Sutter County have agreed to help pay for the local share of the $20 million project. Over time, both hope to be repaid through a financing plan that will be developed by the new Sutter-Butte Flood Control Agency.

 

Officials are floating plans for a benefits assessment district, combined with development impact fees, to pay for flood projects. The agency's board of directors, which is tentatively scheduled to hold its first meeting on Dec. 12, will have final say on such financing proposals.

 

Although regional bureaucracies are often viewed with distrust, Sutter-Butte leaders have come to realize they must work together on this vital issue, and work quickly.

 

Flood waters don't respect local boundaries. Officials need to act regionally if they hope to stay ahead of the next storm.

 

Other localities around the Central Valley should take notice. Sacramento has endorsed local assessments to leverage state flood dollars. West Sacramento has done the same. Proposition 1E is driving localities to change how they do business. That's a healthy outcome for everyone. #

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/522472.html

DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost1.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California.