Delta levees are getting millions for repairs and improvements
Lawmakers make efforts to get funds in wake of Hurricane Katrina

By Cheryl Winkelman - Staff Writer, Inside Bay Area
Wednesday, January 25, 2006

STOCKTON - Big bucks are being poured the into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levees, a topic discussed Wednesday in Stockton at a community forum with elected officials and water resource experts.

There are 1,600 miles of levees on the Delta, many of which are in need of repair.

A map of the Delta levees provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows that most do not meet basic levee standards set by CALFED, the California-Bay Delta Authority.

To amend that, the Corps will get $90 million in federal money to spend on urgent levy stability projects, said Lynn O'Leary, project manager. The Corps is asking that local reclamation districts - responsible for maintaining levees - send in proposals for levy improvements that could include raising or making them wider. Such improvements help prevent flooding.

However, O'Leary said the $90 million is only a drop in the bucket and will not make every levee meet CALFED's standards. After the devastating floods in New Orleans, and the Jones Tract levee break in 2004, levee and flood control has been a big issue for lawmakers.

In addition to the Corps' money, Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, and Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., helped secure $40.9 million from the 2006 Energy and Water Conference Report to strengthen California levees and flood control. A Delta levee assessment, costing $500,000, will be paid with that money.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to push through a bond measure for either the June or November 2006 ballot for $210 billion. If approved by voters, that money would go toward erosion repairs and sediment removal. Specifically, the Central Valley would get new flood plain maps because the current maps are woefully inaccurate.

Another bond measure is set for 2010 for $700 million. The governor hopes bond funds will help leverage other federal and local money. On top of those efforts, a bill has been introduced in Assembly that would enable the state to continue to pay for ongoing Delta levee projects, thus making it easier for local governments to afford maintenance and improvements. Local governments are usually reimbursed by state money.

Another bill would require local jurisdictions to address flood risks and flood management in the public safety portion of their general plans.

To contact Cheryl Winkelman, call (209) 832-6144 or cwinkelman@angnewspapers.com.

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