The argument that the only problems with flood control are insurance, who's liable in the event of flooding, or the development of homes for the people streaming into California, ignores the gold standard of flood control options; the building of dams providing 500 year protection to control the flood waters before they drown the homes people live in.
An excerpt.
Leadership on flood control in short supply
By Betsy Marchand and William Edgar - Special to The BeePublished 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 10, 2006
As Hurricane Katrina's anniversary images recede, we turn our attention to what Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature accomplished for Central Valley flood protection.
As former members of the state Reclamation Board, we believe the Legislature's record this session on flood control was abysmal.
None of the recommendations listed in the governor's flood management "White Paper," released in January 2005, came to pass.
The bill by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, to require flood insurance for those living behind levees was defeated by special interests with the acquiescence of the administration, even though flood insurance was among the recommendations in the governor's "White Paper."
His bill to have state and local governments share liability also failed because of lobbying by special interests. And, an attempt by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, to have local government certify the safety of levees to accommodate urbanization went down the drain, so to speak, at the last minute.
We doubt the bill to reconstitute the Reclamation Board will be signed, because it dilutes the governor's authority. Flood mapping proposals in the Legislature were killed.
And what happened to the governor's proposal for a stable source of funding for flood control improvements? It was disappointing that the Legislature and the governor accomplished nothing of significance in this session.
There was some movement to fix our broken flood-control system. A bond issue to repair some of the levees won approval and will be before the voters in November. State and federal officials agreed to "fast-track" processing plans and permits for levee repairs before the flood season begins in November.
However, we believe the state government's inattention to the need for a comprehensive floodplain management plan is worrisome. Unregulated development continues to occur behind substandard levees, and existing regulatory tools are being ignored.
