Being able to ensure the safety of new home owners from flooding should clearly be a government priority and if future discussions move beyond the acceptance of a 100 and 200 year level of flood protection to that of a 500 year level, which most major river cities (Tacoma, St. Louis, Dallas, & Kansas City) already have, that discussion will become more fruitful, and more protective.
New Orleans had a 250 year level of protection when Katrina hit and Sacramento currently has (arguably) a 100 year level, worst in the country for major cities.
Editorial: Flood breakthrough
Governor wants to limit floodplain building
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 1, 2007
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hopes to go down in history as California's flood control governor, and he enhanced this reputation last year by leading a $4.1 billion bond referendum to upgrade the state's levees.
Yet the governor's legacy in this realm of public safety is hardly spotless. It was tarnished in last year's legislative session. The governor vacillated as the building industry helped kill legislation to limit development in inadequately protected floodplains. This year, Schwarzenegger seems determined not to repeat that mistake.
Over the last week, the administration has quietly floated a proposal that is rocking the flood management world. The proposal is marked "confidential and privileged." This page obtained a copy of it.
In the proposal, the administration goes further than it has to date in recognizing that continued haphazard development threatens the administration's strategy for reducing flood risks.
While $4.1 billion sounds like a lot of money, it isn't enough to adequately protect existing communities in the Central Valley. If local governments approve tens of thousands of homes in undeveloped floodplains in coming years, the construction will add to the overall risk -- and siphon off dollars that should be spent elsewhere.
