Though it is heartening to see the Sacramento area improve its flood protection from less than 100 years to 200 in this recent tax vote, one of the methods chosen, the spillway at Folsom, which will increase the amount of water that can be released into the Lower American River, will also increase the scouring and erosion that has steadily eaten away at the Parkway over the years.
The American River levees were originally built narrow to allow the river water to flush out the sediment left over from the strip gold mining that had occurred in decades past, which they did well.
If plans to construct the Auburn Dam (at a current estimated cost of $10 billion) to hold water when needed soon follow this improvement the corrosive effects will be substantially reduced.
New tax's projects already in pipeline
Flood safety work scheduled, funded by higher assessments.
By Matt Weiser - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, April 29, 2007
Bigger levees, a better Folsom Dam, diminished risk: They're on order now that Sacramento residents have approved a property tax increase to double the city's flood safety.
The tax was approved by 81.2 percent of property owners who returned mail ballots, according to results presented Thursday by the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.
Only one-third of eligible voters returned ballots, but SAFCA Executive Director Stein Buer called the support "phenomenal" and well above polling that indicated 66 percent support.
The landslide vote reflects public concern about what a catastrophic flood could do to Sacramento:
More than 63,000 homes, schools and businesses could be submerged, causing more than $11 billion in damage, according to a state study. The city narrowly avoided such a crisis several times in the past 20 years.
