Officials unsure of who will enforce levee order; Residents to pay for removal of encroachments

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 7:54 am

From Stockton’s Record:

“State officials say the county should take the lead on coordinating removal of encroachments, including a private swimming pool, on or near a north Stockton levee.

But county officials say they’re not sure they have that authority.

Meanwhile, it’s been five months since the state’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board decided those Bear Creek encroachments – trees, walkways, patios and the pool – must be torn out, following the recommendations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Each month that passes puts hundreds of homeowners in the Twin Creeks subdivision closer to mandatory flood insurance, as well as thousands more south of the Calaveras River, where the board has yet to even begin addressing a larger and more complex set of encroachments. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Levee rule a tall order: Corps of Engineers shouldn’t just decree and walk away, says editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 27, 2010 at 8:46 am

From the Stockton Record:

“At least the Army Corps of Engineers says it won’t enforce its new rules for two years.

The rules have to do with vegetation along the hundreds of miles of levees that protect Stockton and other San Joaquin County cities. The Corps wants the trees gone.

It doesn’t take much travel through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to see what a huge, expensive task that may be. As with all mandates from on high, no one who is making the rules is talking about paying for the work.

The Corps already has made it clear it wants boat docks and structures removed from within the levees as well as structures too close to the outside of the levees. That’s stirred many residents who’ve enjoyed such things as private docks and boathouses for years. Many of the structures were built with government approval. Times change, and so do the rules. But stripping vegetation from the banks of levees? That’s going to be a problem. … “

January 27, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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San Joaquin County resolution finds levees not stable enough

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 25, 2010 at 6:40 am

From Stockton’s Record:

“The levees protecting parts of Stockton, French Camp, Lathrop and Manteca don’t meet design criteria set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to withstand a 100-year flood.

That was the acknowledgment made last week in a resolution passed by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

The resolution is a condition, according to the county, of an application Reclamation District 17 is considering to submit for $76 million from the California Department of Water Resources.

The resolution states that the levees must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency standards to be certified as stable during a flood … “

January 25, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Cleaning up levees could cost billions: To meet standard, thousands of trees would be removed

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 18, 2010 at 7:10 am

From the Stockton Record:

“Here’s how federal flood control officials say a levee should look: It should have no brush or trees, but only trimmed grass, extending 15 feet in both directions from the “toe,” or bottom, of the levee.

Central Valley levees, then, need an awful lot of work.

Those who maintain local levees say meeting the new standard by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could cost several billion dollars up and down the Valley, whose levees are lined by thousands of trees.

Failure to comply could make these levees deficient in the eyes of the Corps, resulting in a loss of funding for rehabilitation in the event of a flood. It could also lead to mandatory flood insurance for residents protected by the levees.

The Corps says it will not enforce the standard until at least 2012, when a new flood protection plan for the entire Valley is supposed to be finished. … “

January 18, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Levee statistics point up their importance to nation’s economy

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 5, 2010 at 4:41 pm

From nola.com:

“Most Americans live in counties that are at least partially protected by earthen and concrete levees, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency statistics obtained by the New Orleans advocacy group Levees.org.

While those levees don’t necessarily protect all the people living in the 881 counties that have them, a study for Levees.org by geographer Ezra Boyd concludes that the levees more than pay for themselves when their cost is compared to the investment they protect.

Counties with levees account for only 28 percent of the nation’s counties and only 37 percent of the nation’s land area. But they contain 55 percent of the nation’s population, more than 156 million people, according to the study. … “

January 5, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Inland counties await federal levee review

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 3, 2010 at 6:44 am

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

“Flood control officials in the Inland area say they expect to hear sometime this year if the levees in the counties meet current federal standards or if there is a chance some years downstream that more homeowners may be required to buy flood insurance.

The two counties submitted engineering technical review reports of levees in their jurisdiction by an August deadline to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

There are eight levee segments reviewed in Riverside County, including along the Santa Ana and San Jacinto rivers in western Riverside County. … “

January 3, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Delta stability debated

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 29, 2009 at 8:15 am

From ABC Channel 10 (Sacramento, Stockton & Modesto):

“STOCKTON, CA – As he travels the state promoting his plan for fixing California’s water system, Gov. Schwarzenegger portrays the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as on its last legs.

“A major earthquake could crumble this levee system. We’ve seen what happened with Katrina (flooding New Orleans) if we wait too long to build infrastructure,” said the governor recently at an event near Rio Vista.

But one farmer in San Joaquin County said Schwarzenegger isn’t painting an accurate picture because of the work done by reclamation districts.

“There’s ongoing maintenance, construction, repair and improvements to the levees. We take care of the levees because we have a vested interest to take care of them. They’ve done all the settling they’re going to do over 150 years,” said Mike Robinson of Robinson Farms.

Robinson said the real reason for predictions the delta is in danger is Schwarzenegger’s plan for a peripheral canal. … “

December 29, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Levees

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The Oh Decade: ‘Katrina Effect’ helped bolster flood defenses in California

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 29, 2009 at 8:13 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

“In August 2005, millions of Californians stood in stunned silence in front of their television sets. Before them were images of New Orleans submerged in water, with desperate people clinging to rooftops.

More than 1,800 people died during Hurricane Katrina and the floods it unleashed. It was the deadliest U.S. hurricane in more than a half century, and it brought home the risks of living behind levees.

Twice following Katrina, I traveled to New Orleans, first as a reporter and then as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Along with my wife, I spent two weeks clearing out people’s homes that the floodwaters had inundated.

Unless you’ve been flooded yourself, it’s difficult to comprehend the heartbreak. Imagine your most prized possessions – photo albums, works of art – smothered in mud and mold.

Katrina was both a natural and a man-made disaster, and in California, it had special resonance.

Many communities here – from Sacramento to Stockton to canyon neighborhoods in Southern California – face a threat of deep flooding. … “

December 29, 2009 · Filed Under Flood Control, Levees

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Manteca: Levee work protecting 20,000; Area southwest of Manteca still needs upgrades

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 28, 2009 at 6:10 am

From the Manteca Bulletin:

“It was a heavy snowfall – much like the Sierra experienced before Christmas – that set the stage 12 years ago this week.

It was followed by unseasonably warm temperatures for several weeks triggering a premature snowmelt that threatened to overwhelm New Melones Reservoir. That forced heavy releases that met up at Veritas southwest of Manteca with heavy releases as well Friant Dam up on the San Joaquin Valley watershed.

The rising water was too much for the levees protecting rural Manteca and Tracy to handle the volume. … “

December 28, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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When levees fail, so does this nation, says editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 17, 2009 at 6:21 am

From the Santa Maria Times, this editorial:

“Of the images forever seared into the national consciousness, several stand out — airliners crashing into the World Trade Center, the anguished faces of American citizens stranded at the New Orleans Superdome, begging their government for water, help, anything in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

These are events, along with many others — good and bad — over the past two and a half centuries that have molded this nation into its present shape. From Dust Bowls to Super Bowls, it’s what we are.

Late last month, a federal judge made a startling and precedent-setting ruling about the cause of the flooding that devastated much of New Orleans — the federal government was to blame.

Specifically, faulty design and construction of the network of levees designed to keep the Gulf of Mexico out of the city greatly exacerbated Katrina’s damage. Even more specifically, the judge accused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of being directly responsible for the storm damage. … “

December 17, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Sacramento levee checks underway as storms near Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s risk for flooding is highest in country

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 15, 2009 at 7:53 am

From Sacramento’s KCRA Channel 3:

“SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As we prepare for the heavy rains of winter, inspections are under way now to make sure more than 1,000 miles of Northern California levees are in good shape.

It’s been more than a decade since a major levee break in our region. But there’s widespread fear that failed levees could lead to disaster stretching across the region, as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s risk for flooding is the highest in the country.

According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, if the Natomas levee were to fail, it would put Arco Arena and the Sacramento International Airport under as much as 20 feet of water. … “

December 15, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Recent ruling shows true tragedy of Katrina was federal government’s creation of the disaster itself

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 14, 2009 at 11:34 am

From the Huffington Post, this commentary by Sandy Rosenthal:

“Few paid attention two years ago when U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval found the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Government squarely responsible for the flooding destruction in New Orleans during Katrina.

Even though the judge thundered over how the Corps squandered millions on building a levee system “… known to be inadequate by the Corps’ own calculations..,” few people paid much attention.

  Because the judge had to dismiss the case. 

Though judged responsible for the failure of its flood control structures, the Corps, nonetheless, was protected from any financial liability due to the Flood Control Act of 1928.

The American people, conditioned to believe that if there is no financial liability then the case has no merit, went on with their lives. 

Even though over 600 died directly due to the floodwall collapses, and billions upon billions of dollars damage were documented, most Americans ignored the ruling and its significance.

 But on November 18, 2009, Judge Duval ruled again, this time finding the Corps directly and financially responsible for the destruction of most of New Orleans and wrote, “…the Corps’ lassitude and failure to fulfill its duties resulted in a catastrophic loss of human life and property in unprecedented proportions….” … “

December 14, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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State floodplain rules restricting building in 2015 without levee improvements

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 10, 2009 at 7:20 am

From the Manteca Bulletin:

“Over a thousand property owners southwest of Manteca – including a number within the city limits – will find it difficult to build structures of any consequence on their land starting in 2015.

The California Legislature passed a law in 2007 that basically restricts building in 200-year floodplains unless levees are upgraded. Without levees that are put in place to protect against so-called “200-year events” – which refers to the intensity and not the frequency – no one will be able to build structures on their property unless it is raised out of the floodplain by placing them on top of earthen mounds or elevating them using stilts or block.

State law prohibits counties or cities from issuing building permits in such areas starting in 2015 if they are not protected by levees designed to withstand a 200-year flood event. That applies to all structures from homes and barns to other outbuildings. It also applies to any home remodeling that involves more than 50 percent of the structure. … “

December 10, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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$20 million of proposition 1E funds to be appropriated for Delta levees special flood control projects over next two years

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 9, 2009 at 8:41 am

From Cassie N. Aw-Yang at Somach Simmons & Dunn:

“On October 30, 2009, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) released Draft “Near-Term” Guidelines for Providing Funding to Local Public Agencies for Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects (the Program). The Program will authorize the appropriation of $20 million of the $100 million Proposition 1E funds through Senate Bill 2X1 during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budget years for Delta Levee flood control projects.

Background

In January 2009, DWR published the Interim Guidelines for Providing Funding to Local Public Agencies for expenditure of Propositions 1E and 84 funds. Recently, DWR published the next phase in the guidelines process, the “Near-Term” guidelines, to govern the expenditure of funds for budget years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. DWR anticipates issuing “Long-Term” guidelines to govern special projects funding for the remaining duration of Propositions 1E and 84. Any local agency in the Delta or Suisun Marsh may apply for financial assistance under the Program if the project meets the requirements of Water Code sections 12310 through 12318. Projects must involve: (a) research, study, design or construction that will bring a levee system up to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and the federal Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act Emergency Act (PL 84-99) standards; (b) conduct Delta levee studies or research to improve levees to HMP or PL 84-99 standards; (c) create, restore, enhance, or protect habitat; or (d) complete a Five-Year Plan that describes an integrated work plan to repair and improve flood protection infrastructure for the next five to ten years. … “

Find out more in this Environmental Law & Policy Alert from Somach Simmons & Dunn by clicking here.

December 9, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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New repair tools for levee breaches tested

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 6, 2009 at 8:37 am

From Engineering News Record:

“The next time there is a levee breach in San Joaquin County, Calif., Ronald Baldwin, the county’s director of emergency operations, would like to have some huge rubber tubes pre-positioned at Interstate underpasses, rail embankments and other strategic locations to contain flooding.

Baldwin was sold on the technology of using large, air- and water-filled PVC-coated, polyester-fabric tubes for flood control after seeing them in action on Nov. 9 at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Hydraulic Engineering Research Unit in Stillwater, Okla. The tests and demonstrations were conducted by the Dept. of Homeland Security’s Advanced Research Projects Agency, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Miss.

The work is building on trials conducted last year in which ERDC proved, at a 1:4 scale, that tubes can seal breaches within minutes. “Our objective is to set a system within four hours, from go to close,” says Donald Resio, ERDC’s senior research scientist.

USDA’s 100-acre outdoor laboratory is the only site in the country with sufficient water flow for the tests—125 cu ft per second for 10 to 15 minutes. The supply is siphoned from the adjacent, 3,000-acre Lake Carl Blackwell.

December 6, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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‘So, You Live Behind a Levee!’ New ASCE guide helps communities tackle flood protection, risk issues

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 4, 2009 at 6:09 am

From the American Society of Civil Engineers:

“Most people know that levees are built near rivers and lakes to reduce flooding risk, but what does it mean to live behind one? Are your home and loved ones safe from floods? How much protection does the levee really provide? What do you need to know to be safe?

ASCE’s new public education booklet, So, You Live Behind a Levee!, was created to answer those questions and more, and to help individuals and communities better protect themselves against future flood threats. Written for both the engineering and non-engineering public, it covers issues such as flood size and risk, signs of trouble, ways to reduce risk, and how to prepare for and respond to emergencies. … “

For more information or to download a free copy of the booklet, click here.

December 4, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Hamilton residents question engineers about leaks along levee

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 4, 2009 at 6:05 am

From the Marin Independent Journal:

“Novato officials, under fire by residents who live along the 1.2-mile Hamilton levee, showed all their cards Wednesday night in an effort to tell what they know about seepages that have caused headaches for homeowners and a development company that’s building a subdivision next to the levee.

A discussion group called the Hamilton Community Forum included presentations from officials such as City Manager Michael Frank, Principal Civil Engineer David Harlan and geotechnical consultant Chris Hunt. Also present were representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Conservancy, who are supervising the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project taking place on the east side of the levee.

Residents fired questions about why water continues to pool on the residential side of the levee, which is considered by engineers as structurally sound. The answers weren’t quite so simple.

“Our best guess right now is that settling has taken place and the seepage barrier under the levee has been affected somewhat, and the water has found a way around it,” said Hunt, who works for the Geosyntec consulting firm. … “

December 4, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Mean old levee: New product being tested to quickly plug levee breaks

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 1, 2009 at 6:32 am

From R&D Magazine, an article about new technologies to seal levee breaks being tested at an Oklahoma facility. The article begins with the lyrics from the 1929 Blues classic “When the Levee Breaks“:

“The challenge is to change that tune: to develop the technology to quickly seal a levee breach and reduce floodwaters through the opening within four to six hours of detection – before the water can do major damage.

Enter Wil Laska of the Science & Technology Directorate (S&T), the research arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Laska has sought out innovative technologies from industry, academia, and government to meet this challenge. Any proposed system, he dictated, had to not only be capable of quickly closing breaches, but also be suitable for scenarios in which the breach may be difficult or impossible to reach with conventional construction equipment.

“The thing is,” Laska deadpans, “there’s an effective structural material that’s readily available during floods…water.” … “

Read more from R&D Magazine by clicking here. You can also view a video of the PLUG in action at the website.

December 1, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Effects of judge’s Katrina ruling could be huge: The finding that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is liable for much of the New Orleans flooding could change how levees are designed nationwide

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 20, 2009 at 7:54 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

“Reporting from Los Angeles and New Orleans – The harshly worded legal ruling that held the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible for much of the flooding during Hurricane Katrina could have a far-reaching effect on national flood-control policies and on the federal government’s long-standing refusal to take responsibility for its errors.

U.S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval Jr. issued the stinging rebuke to the corps late Wednesday for its failure to properly manage a navigation channel and levees, which he ruled were directly responsible for much of the flooding that devastated New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish.

Although only a handful of homeowners shared in about $700,000 in damages, city officials said the principles established in the ruling would open the door to more than 100,000 claims by residents and businesses pending against the government in the areas covered by the ruling.

But more than just deciding this lawsuit, the power and depth of Duval’s 156-page opinion could influence the design of levees that protect communities against rivers and shorelines in almost every state. … “

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

November 20, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, National water news

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Federal Court rules Army Corps of Engineers liable for Katrina flooding

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 19, 2009 at 7:51 am

From CNN:

“New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) — The Army Corps of Engineers’ failure to properly maintain a shipping channel linking New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico led to catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina, a federal court ruled Wednesday.

“It is the court’s opinion that the negligence of the Corps, in this instance by failing to maintain the MRGO properly, was not policy, but insouciance, myopia and short-sightedness,” U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. wrote in his lengthy ruling, referring to the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet canal.

“For over 40 years, the Corps was aware that the Reach II levee protecting Chalmette and the Lower 9th Ward was going to be compromised by the continued deterioration of the MRGO. … The Corps had an opportunity to take a myriad of actions to alleviate this deterioration or rehabilitate this deterioration and failed to do so. Clearly, the expression ‘talk is cheap’ applies here.” … “

South county levee fix could take years, cost multi-millions

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2009 at 7:47 am

From the Chico Enterprise-Record:

“Restoring a 24-mile stretch of Feather River levee will require between $165 million to $265 million, years to complete and a vote by landowners in the area to impose a new tax on themselves.

According to a report presented Tuesday to the Butte County Board of Supervisors by the Sutter-Butte Flood Control Agency, the levee on the west side of the river from the outlet of the Thermalito Afterbay to Yuba City “appears to be deficient due to under seepage and or stability criteria.”

Bill Edgar, director of the agency — a joint powers authority including Butte and Sutter counties, two levee districts, and the cities of Biggs, Gridley, Live Oak and Yuba City — said the Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of conducting a “feasibility study” on what can and should be done to make the levee viable flood protection. …”

Problem is, the work wouldn’t likely be finished until 2020. Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.

September 30, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Flood of frustration: State tells eight Stockton levee residents they must tear up their backyards — and pay for it

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 24, 2009 at 7:19 am

From Stockton’s Record:

“Despite having secured permits a decade ago, eight homeowners on a north Stockton levee must remove most of the trees, walkways, patios and even one swimming pool that they legally built on or near the levee, state flood control officials have decided.

The work – which the state says will be done at the residents’ own expense – must be completed by April to avoid triggering a process that would lead to mandatory flood insurance for up to 383 homeowners in the Twin Creeks subdivision.

The case shows how dramatically enforcement of levee standards across the nation has tightened since Hurricane Katrina.

“The board and the staff had sympathy with the property owners, because they spent money and effort to develop their backyards, and now they have to tear these things out,” said Jay Punia, director of the state’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board.

But, he said, federal officials were firm in their opinion that the improvements built by residents impede their ability to inspect the Bear Creek levee during a flood, and in some cases could weaken the levee itself. …”

Read more from the Record by clicking here.

September 24, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Engineers: Enough with doom and gloom, they say; Delta levees could remain intact for a low cost of $1B, experts say

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 8, 2009 at 8:03 am

From Stockton’s Record:

“It’s been said many times: Delta levees are crumbling. A big earthquake could swamp multiple islands, some of which won’t be worth reclaiming.

Enough already, say three engineers who oversee the maintenance of 80 percent of the estuary’s levees. Those engineers say that with an investment of $1 billion, the levees guarding Delta islands could be improved to meet federal and state standards for protection of farmland.

That may sound like a lot of money, but consider the big picture.

Economist Steven Kasower in legislative hearings last week estimated that the cost of a suite of Delta fixes, including a peripheral canal and improvements within the estuary, could range from $23 billion to $53.8 billion.

One of the justifications for a canal is that it would route water away from the levees so that, in the event of a collapse, the water supply for two-thirds of California would be secure. But Stockton-based Chris Neudeck and fellow engineers Gilbert Cosio and Gil Labrie penned a letter earlier this month to state Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, arguing that the levees can remain intact and at a fairly low cost. Enough, they say, with the doom and gloom.

“We’re tired of hearing it,” Neudeck said. …”

Read more from the Record by clicking here.

September 8, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Levee upgrades need to go forward first, says commentary

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 5, 2009 at 7:14 am

From the Manteca Bulletin, this excerpt of a commentary by Dennis Wyatt:

” … Our leaders-who-art-in Sacramento – the equivalent of political hell – are working feverishly on a $12 billion bond proposal to increase storage through creating more underground aquifers and building more dams to finding a way to bypass the Delta.

The creation of a conveyance vessel for water through the Delta is the third rail of California politics. No matter what solution you come up with or name it you’re committing political suicide. Everything from a canal to a tunnel has been proposed. Any solution or combination thereof that you pick will draw what is best called a “musical chairs of opposition.” Environmental groups will team with farmers to support or fight back a specific solution but change it a bit and all of a sudden they’re mortal enemies. Toss urban users into the mix along with sports fishing groups and you’ve got the ingredients for a no-win situation.

This is why instead of trying to solve everything in one fell swoop which is impossible to do, the state needs to start with one critical component that most can agree on – upgrade the existing levees.

Study-after-study talks about how frail they are plus points out their extremely vulnerability in an earthquake. A collapse at the right location could lead to a domino effect that would take years for the state to repair. That, in turn, would devastate cities, agriculture, and the environment.

Levee enhancement must be the first project on the table. It also must be done separately to make sure that it gets done. …”

Read the full text of this commentary by clicking here.

September 5, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Water Legislation

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Levee repairs continue on Bradford Island in Delta

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 2, 2009 at 6:02 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

“Levee repairs continue today on Bradford Island in the Delta, where a flood was narrowly avoided after the island was rammed by a cargo ship.

The impact last Thursday on the remote island in Contra Costa County tore out half the width of the levee over a 100-foot distance. The damage went undetected until the next day, prompting a flood warning across the island.

“There was very significant damage and the potential for levee failure,” said Dave Mraz, chief of the Delta-Suisun Marsh Office of the state Department of Water Resources, which assisted with repairs. “The bow of the vessel came right up to the waterside edge of the levee,” he said. “The cracks that were generated came right into the middle of the levee crest.”

A flood on the 2,000-acre island, which sits below sea level, could have jeopardized drinking water for 23 million Californians. …”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

September 2, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Pajaro River levee project lands $5 million state grant

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 1, 2009 at 6:38 am

From the Mercury News:

“A $5 million boost from the new state budget is expected to get a long-delayed flood control project along the Pajaro River on track for construction in as little as two years.

The project, in the works since a levee break during a storm in 1995 devastated the town of Pajaro and surrounding farmland, is designed to replace an aging levee system on the Pajaro and two of its tributaries, Salsipuedes and Corralitos creeks. “That’s the best news,” said Lorraine Stucki, a resident of a senior neighborhood near Salsipuedes Creek and longtime advocate of the levee upgrade. “I was becoming disenchanted. I thought I would never live long enough to see a project.”

Insufficient federal funding has stalled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer project in the design and evaluation stage for the past few years. Construction appeared to be at least five years away.

Bruce Laclergue, the county flood control program manager, said the funding will be used to complete the evaluations required before construction. “Once you’re competing for construction dollars, it’s easier to get than general investigation dollars,” Laclergue said. …”

Read more from the Mercury News by clicking here.

August 1, 2009 · Filed Under Flood Control, Levees

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SacBee editorial: Budget deadlock stalls levee repairs

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 10, 2009 at 7:19 am

From the Sacramento Bee, this editorial:

Massive program cuts, state worker salary reductions and IOUs aren’t the only consequences of California’s budget stalemate. The deadlock is also preventing the state from selling bonds needed to fund initiatives that have already been approved by voters.

A case in point is Proposition 1E, passed overwhelmingly in November 2006, which provided $4 billion for Delta levee repairs and Central Valley flood control. In normal times, the levee repair projects that 1E was written to finance wouldn’t be scrambling for funding. But as an article in last Friday’s Bee pointed out, times are as unusual on the Delta levees as they are in the rest of the state.

New projects have stalled for lack of financing. Old projects, financed by private levee districts on the understanding that the state would reimburse half the costs, have had to wait five months longer than usual for reimbursements.

This may come as a surprise to those who recall the hoopla surrounding the state’s sale of about $13 billion in infrastructure bonds last March and April. The bond sale reportedly allowed the state to restart about 7,000 infrastructure projects that had been frozen by the 2008 cash crunch – including making good on what was owed for completed Delta levee repairs. But new levee repair projects were all but shut out of that money.

Read the rest of this editorial from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

July 10, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Other Delta Issues

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Friday’s top of the scroll: State budget crisis scuttles Delta levee hazard detection, repairs

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 3, 2009 at 7:50 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

Politicians across the state are demanding major water projects in the Delta, but basic repairs on its vast network of levees have come to a standstill.

State reimbursement for levee projects completed as far back as 2007 has been stalled by the budget crisis. This means flood-control districts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have not been able to pay back loans they took out for those projects or to finance new projects.

As a result, almost no levee repairs are getting done in the Delta this year. One levee engineer told The Bee as much as 15 miles of levee repairs have been stalled. Any of these levee segments could become the next failure that plunges the state into an even more desperate water crisis.

“As we look to the long-term future of the California Delta, we can’t overlook necessary fixes that need to be done right now,” said Jonas Minton, a senior project manager at the Planning and Conservation League and former deputy director of flood management at the state Department of Water Resources.

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

July 3, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Army Corps levee tree rules rattle Sacramento flood agencies

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 29, 2009 at 4:19 pm

From the Sacramento Bee:

If a tree grows on a levee, is it bad? According to a recent scientific review, there’s no way to tell by reading federal policy.

In 2007, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began enforcing national levee maintenance policy in California for the first time. The policy allows only grass on levees; trees and shrubs are banned.

The corps’ rules have caused alarm in the Central Valley ever since, where trees and shrubs growing on levees provide the only remaining riverside habitat. Critics say removing that vegetation poses not only huge fiscal and environmental burdens, but would also drastically change the region’s iconic scenery.

The levee maintenance policy has never been applied uniformly in California. In fact, local Army Corps officials have worked with the state for years to plant more trees on levees.

The corps commissioned a scientific peer review of its policy last year. Finished in December, the corps provided The Bee a copy last week. “The policies and guidance lack scientific foundation, as evidenced by broad anecdotal assumptions and lack of (non-Army Corps) literature citations,” the three-member review panel wrote. “The document is from the single perspective that vegetation on levees is bad and should be removed. Some vegetation may help stabilize … levees.”

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

Photo of trees on the levee at sunset in Sacramento by flickr photographer Orin Optiglot.

June 29, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Sacramento

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Dams are thwarting Louisiana marsh restoration, study says

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 29, 2009 at 5:47 am

From the New York Times:

Desperate to halt the erosion of Louisiana’s coast, officials there are talking about breaking Mississippi River levees south of New Orleans to restore the nourishing flow of muddy water into the state’s marshes.

But in a new analysis, scientists at Louisiana State University say inland dams trap so much sediment that the river no longer carries enough to halt marsh loss, especially now that global warming is speeding a rise in sea levels. As a result, the loss of thousands of additional square miles of marshland is “inevitable,” the scientists report in Monday’s issue of Nature Geoscience.

The finding does not suggest it would be pointless to divert the muddy water into the marshes, one of the researchers, Harry H. Roberts, said in an interview. “Any meaningful restoration of our coast has to involve river sediment,” said Dr. Roberts, a coastal scientist.

But he said officials would have to choose which parts of the landscape could be saved and which must be abandoned, and to acknowledge that lives and businesses would be disrupted. Instead of breaking levees far south of New Orleans, where relatively few people live, Dr. Roberts said, officials should consider diversions much closer to New Orleans, possibly into the LaFourche, Terrebonne or St. Bernard basins.

Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.

June 29, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Water & the Environment

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Destroying levees in Louisiana – a state usually clamoring for them

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 21, 2009 at 7:01 am

From the New York Times:

In the 1960s, a group of businessmen bought 16,000 acres of swampy bottomland along the Ouachita River in northern Louisiana and built miles of levee around it. They bulldozed its oak and cypress trees and, when the land dried out, turned it into a soybean farm.

Now two brothers who grew up nearby are undoing all that work. In what experts are calling the biggest levee-busting operation ever in North America, the brothers plan to return the muddy river to its ancient floodplain, coaxing back plants and animals that flourished there when President Thomas Jefferson first had the land surveyed in 1804.

“I really did not know if I would ever see it,” said Kelby Ouchley, who retired last year as manager of the Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge, which owns the land. He pursues the project as a volunteer consultant in coordination with his brother Keith, who heads Louisiana operations for the Nature Conservancy, which helped organize and finance the levee-busting effort.

Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.

June 21, 2009 · Filed Under Levees

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Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Army Corps orders thousands of trees chopped down on levees nationwide

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 10, 2009 at 8:00 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

The Army Corps of Engineers is on a mission to chop down every tree in the country that grows within 15 feet of a levee – including oaks and sycamores in Louisiana, willows in Oklahoma and cottonwoods in California. The corps is concerned that the trees’ roots could undermine barriers meant to protect low-lying communities from catastrophic floods like the ones caused by Hurricane Katrina.

An Associated Press survey of levee projects nationwide shows that the agency wants to eliminate all trees along more than 100,000 miles of levees. But environmentalists and some civil engineers insist the trees pose little or no risk and actually help stabilize levee soil.

Thousands of trees have been felled already, though corps officials did not have a precise number of how many will be cut.

The corps has “this body of decades of experience that says you shouldn’t have trees on your levees,” said Eric Halpin, the agency’s special assistant for dam and levee safety.

The saws are buzzing despite the outcry from people who say the trees are an essential part of fragile river and wetland ecosystems. “The literature on the presence of vegetation indicates that it may actually strengthen a levee,” said Andrew Levesque, senior engineer for King County, Wash., where the corps wants trees removed on the six rivers considered vital to salmon populations.

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

June 10, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Other Delta Issues

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Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Group wants Delta flood report halted; Quake threat exaggerated, some contend

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 3, 2009 at 8:21 am

From Stockton’s Record:

Local officials Tuesday asked the state to put the brakes on a Delta flood risk report, claiming that it exaggerates the risk of earthquakes to the levees protecting the estuary’s islands and much of California’s water supply. Such overstatements are already being used to justify proposals that could affect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region’s future, local officials told the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.

The board then passed a resolution calling on the state to keep the study from moving forward until concerns raised in earlier independent reviews are adequately addressed.

“It is not ready to be used as a basis for major policy decisions,” Mark Connelly, engineering manager of the county’s Flood Management Division, said in a presentation to the board. “We believe there are serious technical questions.”

The science behind the report is sound and has been reviewed by expert consultants and the U.S. Geological Survey, said Dale Hoffman-Floerke, executive environmental manager at the state Department of Water Resources. “We stand by the information that’s in the document.”

Read more from The Record by clicking here.

June 3, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Issues, Levees

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Delta debate rages five years later; Some say Jones Tract disaster played key role

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 3, 2009 at 8:17 am

From Stockton’s Record:

Engineer Tom Rosten drove the winding levee road three times that June afternoon. The next morning, Rosten, still wearing his bathrobe, answered the telephone. Thirty-five minutes later he stood at the edge of a 200-foot abyss where the road he had traveled hours earlier had crumbled away and torrents of water spewed onto farmland.

“When I got up there and saw what had happened, I said, ‘Oh, my God,’” Rosten said. “There’s just nothing we can do.”

Indeed, at that point it was a question only of how long it would take the water to spread across Upper and Lower Jones tracts, flooded five years ago today. More than 12,000 acres of farmland was swamped, dozens of farm workers were displaced, and only a mad rush saved Highway 4 and prevented floodwaters from spreading to the south.

Read more from The Record by clicking here.

June 3, 2009 · Filed Under Levees, Other Delta Issues

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County, Chico in talks on levee pact

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 6, 2009 at 7:35 am

From the Chico Enterprise-Record:

Whether Chicoans can be spared from having to buy flood insurance for land that has never seen a flood, may depend on discussions between city and county officials.

Tuesday, the city of Chico formally asked the county to join it in signing a “PAL agreement” with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. PAL refers to “provisionally accredited levee,” and it ties into FEMA’s current effort to map all potential flood plains in the nation.

By the end of this month FEMA is supposed to have preliminary flood maps for Butte County ready. The maps are supposed to identify locales subject to a “1 percent” flood. This is a flood that can be expected to hit an area once every 100 years.

In areas protected by levees, such as the levees along the Sycamore and Mud creek drainages north and east of Chico, FEMA must be persuaded the levees will survive the 1 percent event. If that proof is not forthcoming, the agency will draw its flood maps as if the levees didn’t exist.

People with property in these newly anointed flood plains may well have to buy costly flood insurance. Significant restrictions are imposed on what sort of development can take place in these areas.

Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.

May 6, 2009 · Filed Under Flood Control, Levees, Northern California

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