Dan Walters had a column in the Sac Bee yesterday highlighting some of the reasons why levees and flood control systems are not up to par. Governor Schwarzenegger is given due credit for declaring emergency conditions on the then 29 critical erosion sights, that number growing after receded waters and a summer spent surveying, discovered many more…over 100 and counting.
$190 million in emergency funds plus $500 million more in an appropriation we passed in the legislature will carry us past the funding needed for the 100 critical erosion sights.
Dan points out that beyond fixing eroded sights also required is fixing the way government engages the problem. He lists several reasons that may be problematic but the fact that environmental extremists block long term flood control work is the point that is not discussed much in polite company.
Building new homes in flood plains is listed as an issue. Not mentioned is that new housing is needed and demanded and due to environmental concerns, land to build homes elsewhere is rare and difficult to obtain due to fairy shrimp, vernal pools, meadowfoam, and other concerns manufactured by the no-growth crowd to block building in those areas. What’s left? Building on prime farm land, where endangered stuff [farmers not included] tends not to be. Or, building in flood plains. People need houses…the pressure is on to find ways, and places, to build ’em. But many of the ideal areas to develop, such as foothill areas, become extremely difficult to get permitted due to these made-up environmental findings.
Water channels that are too narrow are cited as a problem, with "setback" levees as the answer. These setbacks would widen the channel area for flood waters to flow in. Except many of these areas are built up with housing in what would be the setback zones so that they now cannot be built. [Remember the "off limits" policy to other land to build on] A couple flaws in that reasoning include the fact that these "too narrow" channels flowed just fine for decades when the area between was maintained to allow flow. This meant ongoing regular removal of sand and gravel bars and pruning back foliage from growing in the middle of the "highway" of water flows…and you get the sand and rock hauled off by construction folks for you! Then came the Jerry Brown years when construction of state infrastructure projects was back-burnered along with budgeting for this kind of maintenance work…the Jerry Brown 70’s [if we don’t build the highways, they, new people, won’t come…hmm, that worked out] were when California infrastructure started its free fall into the catch-up game we now have to play with our degraded highways and flood control systems. These funding reductions for infrastructure along with environmental concerns about prioritizing flood control channels to instead become choked with habitat zones are why these now "too narrow" channels don’t work like they once did. Shhh, don’t say that ‘dredging’ word too loud.
The article goes on to say lack of maintenance on these existing systems is a problem or there would not be so much erosion. True. An accurate statement. Lack of funding is a culprit. Sure, many local levee/flood control districts are very strapped and the efficiency of the way funds are disbursed is questionable in some cases. So far so good. But then the idea that districts don’t have enough power to impose taxes pops up. Yes, another attack on the 2/3 vote requirement "quirk" to raise the tax on levee district constituents to an "appropriate" level. The voters are correct not to raise taxes on themselves when they must pay so much for non-levee work such as planting of shrubs for bugs for environmental mitigation and more levee studies. They feel they are taxed appropriately now for real actual levee work. Legislation that my colleagues and I ran to relieve these mandates this year, to put more scarce general fund or bond dollars to work on actual levees was defeated on party line votes when the objections of environmental groups were heard in committee.
Unfortunately, the Walters column does not emphasize these problems that have resulted from a shift of environmental regulations and policy, that drive up the costs of doing the good levee work that was a routine matter up until the enactment of the Endangered Species Act, embraced by the Jerry Brown administration. [who is just waiting to sue to unleash even more of this policy as your top public safety officer, Attorney General]
Blaming Governor Schwarzenegger, who has done more to address the problem than anyone in 30 years, misses the mark. Blaming the taxpayers, who are paying more than ever per lineal foot of levee work, misses the mark. Or even blaming those providing needed housing on the limited land available, though certainly not the ideal, that could be shored up with 200 year levees, misses the mark when the root problem is the one that no one seems to want to talk about…the stonewalling of effective and cost-efficient flood control systems [which should include water storage, the best flood control] by…you guessed it, the environmental movement.
Halloween is upon us, but public safety from flood is being haunted by those in Green costumes, trick-or-treating under a Half-Moonbeam.