Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
February 14, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People
FLOOD CONTROL IN
Canal dam could help thousands avoid flood insurance - Stockton Record
Sutter's levee timeline to 2017;
SALMON RESTORATION FEDERATION CONFERENCE:
Lodi to host salmon restoration gathering - Sacramento Bee
FLOOD CONTROL IN
Canal dam could help thousands avoid flood insurance
By Alex Breitler, staff writer
A team of city and county flood control officials voted Wednesday to move forward with initial studies of whether such a dam is practical.
The dam would stay down most of the time, allowing boats to pass into the canal from the
But during floods, officials could inflate a series of air bladders, causing the dam to rise up and block water from the
Most of these homes were placed into a high-risk flood zone in preliminary maps released last month by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If nothing's done, homeowners with mortgages will be required to buy flood insurance as soon as spring 2009. That could cost up to $1,800 annually for each homeowner.
Because many homes along Smith Canal are built practically on top of the levees, there's little officials can do to the levees themselves to earn FEMA's approval, said Chris Neudeck, an engineer with Reclamation District 1614 on the north bank of Smith Canal.
The only solution might be a dam, Neudeck said. "It's just a concept at this point," he said. "There's some work to be done."
Among the unknowns are whether FEMA would accept the dam as a flood control device and who would pay for it.
Homeowners on both sides of
Stockton Public Works Department Director James Giottonini said it was early to guess what such a device might cost. Tom Rosten, an engineer for Reclamation District 828 - the area south of
"I think (the dam) is an excellent solution," Rosten said. "We need to take the area back out of the flood zone."
Pumps would also need to be installed so that
The dam wouldn't be the end-all answer. The south bank of the
Even if a dam were built on
Also, officials say there's no way a dam could be built by spring 2009, meaning residents are likely to have to buy flood insurance for at least a while before they are let off the hook.
As for the actual risk of flooding, Neudeck has said he believes
In all that time, even during the rainiest of seasons, the water has stayed at least 6 to 7 feet down, Edwards said.
"I'm not afraid of flooding," he said. "Not at all. We've never even been threatened." #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/A_NEWS/802140325
Sutter's levee timeline to 2017;
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 2/14/08
By John Dickey, staff writer
Directors of the Sutter-Butte Flood Control Agency were told to put on their thinking caps and come up with a game plan to get work started.
"In the next few months, we ought to have a strategy emerge here," Interim Director Bill Edgar said at the agency's meeting Wednesday.
The session included a workshop on major issues, including a federal study of
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study to improve flood protection in
But fixes for
He suggested the board figure out some fast-track projects that would be required no matter what the Army Corps decides to improve flood protection.
The Star Bend Setback Levee, which will take out a kink in the
Board members reviewed a rough schedule that stretched to 2017.
"When you see those timelines going out to 2017, we need to do something a lot sooner than that," said John Miller, a
The first phase of construction would occur from 2011 to 2013. Another round of work would stretch into 2017.
Along that timetable is completion of the Sutter County Feasibility Study, a key project that would propose a work plan to fix the county's flood problems. The plan has been under way for several years. But lack of money stalled progress.
Board members were told by Dave Peterson, an engineer working as a consultant for the agency, that the feasibility study should start moving ahead again in April.
Ron Southard, a former Sutter County supervisor who attended Wednesday's meeting, said he was "just shocked" at how long it will take to improve flood protection on the west side of the Feather River.
Southard said he thought there would be a November vote on some kind of assessment. But it was noted during the meeting that there isn't enough information yet to give to engineers to calculate the assessment amount. An assessment district is proposed in late 2009.
County officials have said that
Inadequate levees mean that south
Areas north of
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/flood_60271___article.html/sutter_county.html
SALMON RESTORATION FEDERATION CONFERENCE:
By Matt Weiser, staff writer
The Salmon Restoration Federation event is the first in the
Events will include panels on scientific and restoration issues, a film festival and field tours. About 500 people are expected to attend from around the world.
"A lot of people have contacted us and said they really want to tailor their presentations to some of the crises that are going on," said Dana Stolzman, conference executive director.
The conference will be held at Hutchins Street Square in
Registration is $160 for nonmembers if submitted by Friday, and $190 thereafter. Tours are extra. Federation members and students pay less. For information, visit www.calsalmon.org or call (707) 923-7501. #
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://listhost2.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
No comments:
Post a Comment