[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6641252,"mediaKeyId","2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013","parentId",2547274,"title","Local flood agencies urge steady funding and expanded subvention support to keep levees eligible for federal help","audioSeconds",1182,"startMs",7241000,"endMs",8423000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013&start=7241&end=8423","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013/thumbnail_7241000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6641252/California/Local-flood-agencies-urge-steady-funding-and-expanded-subvention-support-to-keep-levees-eligible-for-federal-help","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641252-3c34025d84f702c37da704eeabe84a01/orig.mp4?Expires=1770676437&Signature=Ya2d56oQGuQmI3299WK895e5Y6mNd1ph2j6cXfipmtzkIWzr34bxXj8QfIL6mhHFyVV3QrNrzzur1GWt7VNC-XEUnkCaJ3-Y1mKk85fWaMcARajZjqkrlBxqlmYTUFfKVOC~16s75TFhFD~mQ5AjWuzrTHIW6Mn5YDyowH7dOLaHI4IJmJMph1-0gBP47Z0SzIZ9pKrRSoYxkY-qSCiCl-MeUG7wHkKX~7PTNLhXM5RikQv8El0DT~sRdvbHe-ze2Swa0xiaVT27saHldHte16m0RLpTEjwC6j2yXHhIvd45qEV25ig7SijA4vVR2LyDz9u2pX8OvtCS1NJTi4iM7g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","California State Assembly","date","2025-03-11T00:00:00Z","article","Local flood agencies and reclamation districts told the Assembly they are the daily line of defense against flooding and that chronic underfunding of maintenance and project programs increases both safety risks and long-term costs.

Tom Engler, engineer for the Central Valley Flood Control Association, summarized the Central Valley's history of debris and levee construction and reiterated the plan-level estimates in the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. \"Consistent funding identified will provide for various programs to help us and our partners advance our goals,\" Engler said, and he urged the Legislature to increase annual routine budgets and to support a flood-specific bond.

Megan Nagy, general manager for Reclamation District 108 and Sacramento-area levee districts, described on-the-ground operations. She said the state's flood maintenance assistance funding enabled critical deferred-maintenance work and helped maintain federal rehabilitation eligibility; she noted that no funding was available for the program in 2025. \"In my district alone, we received over $30,000,000 in federal rehabilitation assistance since 2017,\" Nagy said, noting that failure to meet federal standards jeopardizes federal aid after disasters.

Why this matters: Many federal programs and rehabilitation grants require that local levees meet inspection and maintenance standards; when standards lapse, local authorities may lose access to federal reconstruction funding and recovery support.

Details from testimony

- Program eligibility and process: DWR testified and local agencies explained that federal authorization, state authorization (legislative inclusion in the water code), and state-local cost-share agreements are typical prerequisites for subventions and federal-state projects.

- Deferred maintenance backlog: Speakers described routine operations (rodent control, bank repairs, pipe crossings, vegetation management) as essential for federal eligibility. Failure to maintain facilities can make systems ineligible for federal rehabilitation assistance.

- Funding evidence: Witnesses said recent budgets had provided years with $200'$300 million for routine flood programs but that the governor's most recent proposed cut reduced that to about $120 million. Engler said the plan identifies a roughly $380 million annual need (other witnesses cited $1 billion/year for Central Valley plan implementation); overall plan needs were discussed in the tens of billions over decades.

Ending

Local maintaining agencies urged the Legislature to restore and stabilize baseline funding for maintenance programs such as the Flood Maintenance Assistance Program, to support future flood-specific bonds, and to preserve subventions pathways that leverage federal dollars.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Local flood agencies and reclamation districts told the Assembly they are the daily line of defense against flooding and that chronic underfunding of maintenance and project programs increases both safety risks and long-term costs.","taxTitle","California State Assembly, House, Legislative, California","taxId",17099,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6641247,"Local leaders describe project barriers: Woodland, Pajaro and coastal valleys seek streamlined permitting and regional solutions",1763,8653000,10416000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013&start=8653&end=10416","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013/thumbnail_8653000.jpg","/articles/6641247/California/Local-leaders-describe-project-barriers-Woodland-Pajaro-and-coastal-valleys-seek-streamlined-permitting-and-regional-solutions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641247-daba32b82931257bd82fab933bb99409/orig.mp4?Expires=1770676437&Signature=QovJ-lKrEWpDeyG2k4qU9ubh~07HvLgjQVbeOQfQvNLhnuJqmLQ-bxazmbGAOiJxe1WFwSUpPbATUU2fWokxfjm4HDn8g-3CQ6P6gHXRpFrxGTXjeDmiiLU9mfHfuFLANuoriohq2t-p9vZlbQyJnEgIbLzT92QPQOmXmXMa51H1ymlIBgdtWi8PE3ltuWmrtFuYCfsEP5CpmJWSxvVYF6pekxeJSSsDEQPBdNz4-bLTbhaznZen6rPNlcTxQzLASOCaMGaTSK2J-H-VQf4nBnV0b3ISAuHaqI~oA1s5CKhNnWDe97lQw8ZixpChJeiE~h92JiHOg9EI77lh52w6KA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Local officials and regional agencies used the Assembly hearing to describe on-the-ground barriers to completing flood projects, including permitting delays, funding limits and local political dynamics.

Ken Hyatt, city manager of Woodland, described a project authorized by the Army Corps that would protect the city but not a nearby agricultural area. A local 2002 ballot measure and a subsequent campaign blocked a later city-backed ballot to proceed with a similar project. \"The opposition was very persuasive and well funded and convinced the voters that it was not in the interest of our community,\" Hyatt said. He asked the state to help identify broader solutions that gain community support and asked for study of flood-informed reservoir operations upstream on Cache Creek.

Mark Strudley, general manager of the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency, said coastal flood plains have much less room for setback or multi-use floodplains than the Central Valley because high-value, multi-harvest crops and dense development occupy the lowlands. He described an approach in Pajaro that combines setback levees with off-channel excavation to provide habitat, groundwater recharge and reduced construction carbon costs. Strudley urged regulators to partner earlier with local agencies so designs can be developed collaboratively rather than adversarially.

Why this matters: Local buy-in, land availability, and regulatory processes shape whether technically feasible flood projects can be built in time to reduce risk. Several witnesses urged tailored permitting pathways and more resourcing for regulators to enable collaborative design.

Key local points

- Woodland: A court interpretation of previous ballot language and a well-funded opposition campaign blocked a city measure to adopt a Corps-like plan; the city is pursuing a new study to identify a comprehensive solution that could win broader support.

- Pajaro and coastal valleys: Constrained flood plains and year-round agriculture limit options for large setback floodplains; practitioners are pursuing hybrid designs (setbacks plus off-channel excavation and habitat enhancements) that seek multi-benefit outcomes.

- Regulatory practice: Panelists said regulators often lack resources to engage collaboratively; several witnesses recommended legislative or policy changes to provide a permitting pathway for flood-resiliency projects and to fund regulator participation.

Ending

Local leaders urged the Assembly to support tailored, well-resourced permitting pathways, regional planning, and funding streams that allow communities to combine risk reduction with habitat, recharge and recreational benefits.","Local officials and regional agencies used the Assembly hearing to describe on-the-ground barriers to completing flood projects, including permitting delays, funding limits and local political dynamics.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6641243,"Stormwater advocates push capture, source control and multi-benefit projects as high-return climate investments",501,9536000,10037000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013&start=9536&end=10037","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013/thumbnail_9536000.jpg","/articles/6641243/California/Stormwater-advocates-push-capture-source-control-and-multi-benefit-projects-as-high-return-climate-investments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641243-cfb2051a175d30c7e18135adfd75291f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770676438&Signature=VoSWnMAxJ2tXWk963OL04LI0R-Rur35-cEbai67yRNzA9eZ47CXVChcmsvpIKNrDSZV7CwUEDxO7ZlJDqKsOb-ylsmKbxlcio0Lk71l-G7aYL61zRP9zZb0eB91tkxy~Pdg4vI2GK19yKwygj4xIrMmbCAX~cIySZi00M6nWEmCX1JMT83mFAIhAOQ6isWzGcG6MaBzhf9tDbmR0qLH6hG8IUrTMNwJ0PRSz06ciqc9tJBb7mueDMdtubP8F0xpnGfq-X5w9VeZgLMqpIZTVc45h-4dKNGOR8~zNlmE-zIXQNJru41nPBX9QZqCS66hmIhubK56fmsbiIHHFnKZDQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Stormwater managers and municipal permittees told the Assembly that urban stormwater is a valuable resource that can deliver rapid socioeconomic returns and help reduce flood risk when paired with multi-benefit projects.

Karen Cowan, executive director of the California Stormwater Quality Association, said the majority of Californians live in jurisdictions regulated under municipal stormwater permits and that these agencies operate drainage and flood infrastructure that already serve flood-control functions. \"If you think about it, everything we're talking about is rain,\" Cowan said. \"These are complimentary goals: stormwater capture for supply and flood control for safety.\"

Cowan and other witnesses argued that investments in stormwater capture produce near-term returns by improving local water supply, public recreation and public-health outcomes, especially when projects are placed in underserved neighborhoods. They noted that local funding mechanisms are limited by Proposition 218 and that, absent new state support, stormwater programs remain a \"fiscal orphan.\"

Why this matters: Stormwater capture can increase local water supplies, reduce peak runoff and deliver community benefits, but large upfront costs and limited local revenue options (and the need to comply with stormwater permits that also require water-quality protections) make state investment important.

Specific points

- Atmospheric rivers are variable. Cowan highlighted a communication tool describing the duration and intensity of atmospheric rivers and how lower-intensity, longer-duration events are better suited to capture, while very high intensity events require flood-control focus.

- Cost-effectiveness: Cowan cited an independent economic assessment finding urban stormwater capture projects can return benefits in about one year when social, health and environmental co-benefits are counted.

- Policy implications: Witnesses recommended funding streams that explicitly include stormwater and allow disadvantaged communities to pursue context-appropriate solutions (paved conveyance in constrained urban streets versus green infrastructure where space allows).

Ending

Stormwater experts urged the Assembly to treat stormwater capture and flood control as integrated elements of a statewide strategy and to provide predictable funding so municipalities can scale multi-benefit projects.","Stormwater practitioners told the Assembly that urban stormwater capture is an underused resource with strong socioeconomic returns, that municipal programs face funding gaps because of limited ratepayer mechanisms, and that policy should treat stormwater capture and flood control as complementary.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6641257,"DWR and Central Valley Flood Protection Board describe statewide role, liability and 30-year funding need",648,4818000,5466000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013&start=4818&end=5466","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013/thumbnail_4818000.jpg","/articles/6641257/California/DWR-and-Central-Valley-Flood-Protection-Board-describe-statewide-role-liability-and-30-year-funding-need","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641257-94c7afd935ee54b3d4ba626881cf7bbf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770676437&Signature=MBZfDyPo09SJwNezIBS6V~wfCiZ1Dn~PUTCdvAIEn94gbOUDnAShFmp8Q1HCvxeXgBqXW2raMGcE5a2VEk16XLH6utfZa9wToFKAHfhHvphq-hc68RXGHq18QE9qWtrQbY~dvEcrfpuDS13KDLsTuW469zTkggkJG8lG0R4fmSVmqdxb9a~MSLMxf9OSYjYpB3LbkiWjHCMZsES6T1i11sOb~dwEbSSr5WIOE0~ClTAwxANVV4rn9Yt2eF9zm2K~1MAeYlkLOqySsHHpnu3cOcBzq75i4IN~0AEwCO~IqbdnpdYbFYRdXSPhZ~G1hFPufVLVD9JLZ78Tydn4nZcyEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State flood-management officials outlined California's role in assessing flood risk, coordinating emergency response, and implementing the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan.

Laura Hollander, deputy director for flood management and dam safety at the Department of Water Resources, told the committee that DWR runs a statewide flood operations center, provides flood monitoring and forecasting through the California-Nevada River Forecasting Center, deploys flood-fight materials, awards preparedness grants to local agencies and implements technical assistance. \"Local agencies have the first response in an emergency,\" Hollander said. \"When the locals run out of resources, that's when they call us.\"

Jane Dolan, chair of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, outlined the historical evolution of flood management in the Central Valley, noting the region's repeated major floods and the statutory and planning steps that followed. She recalled the 1861-62 flood and later events that drove federal and state involvement, and described the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan's 30-year horizon and its estimated investment needs. \"The plan has a 30-year horizon and it talks about a need to invest $1,000,000,000 a year for those 30 years,\" Dolan said, summarizing the plan's scale.

Why this matters: The Central Valley contains extensive levee systems, major population centers and critical infrastructure. The state has unique legal exposure in the Valley because of the Paterno decision, which found state liability after historical acceptance of federal-constructed levees.

Key points

- State role: DWR emphasized risk assessment, forecasting, technical assistance, emergency material deployment and a grants program for local preparedness. DWR also implements the state's role in the National Flood Insurance Program.

- Liability and standards: Dolan and Hollander both described the Paterno decision as creating unique state liability for certain Central Valley facilities. Following that decision and Hurricane Katrina, the Legislature enacted reforms, including a Central Valley flood protection planning requirement and 200-year protection goals for urban areas in the Valley.

- Funding shortfalls: The Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (latest update 2022) estimates multi-decade needs. Board testimony cited a roughly $1 billion per-year investment need over decades and described deferred maintenance and eligibility issues for federal assistance when local systems fail to meet inspection standards.

Ending

Officials urged consistent, predictable funding and improved interagency coordination to maintain levees, restore floodplain functions where feasible, and prepare communities for response and recovery.","State and Central Valley officials told the Assembly that the Department of Water Resources coordinates forecasting, preparedness and emergency response statewide, that the Central Valley has unique state liability because of the Paterno decision, and that the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan identifies long-term funding gaps.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6641261,"Experts at Assembly hearing warn California—faces rapidly rising flood risk from stronger storms",1433,2313000,3746000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013&start=2313&end=3746","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2547274-22690418433a639269773f8457e1d013/thumbnail_2313000.jpg","/articles/6641261/California/Experts-at-Assembly-hearing-warn-Californiafaces-rapidly-rising-flood-risk-from-stronger-storms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6641261-83f414ca1a33fd3d8bf87ed1f052a965/orig.mp4?Expires=1770676437&Signature=gXvlg3A7IfHAAP0v-2F2ggwbTW2eTWdHMdxc77MpOiZHbTPdRERWR384pdBXrR17xRgVVLJrJ7EQJ~zE5I0-manYo0eYDTWhLP9u8c3SbPSIl~Dq6KP-XwLABkuI169RCo~R6KetpkoCzW-J9-v9bri8sIRDqJZbG-l4DZooIYKK8dymWA5f8RstOY23tLpoVIUe3EI3OvNJ3lvEffA6uFuCNwGZOZE~mueWAmqJChy~q5W-OBdvBN4kA8J1WpNlLhFnQSZ7U2V1LqS7e1h1z7d~BZsqiVZlS6KwG5IRnRrxYJvrXx3-4hiONvd4CWY3adnTizPEnmolhyFCUt5-gg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","California faces a growing and urgent flood risk driven by stronger storms and rising atmospheric moisture, a panel of water experts told a State Assembly informational hearing on flooding.

Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, told the Assembly that climate projections indicate more intense atmospheric rivers, increasing the probability of very large floods. \"The great flood of 1861-62 . . . may now be our hundred year flood,\" Mount said, summarizing recent modeling that shifts what had been considered very rare events into far higher frequencies.

Mount said flood risk is a function of event probability and economic exposure and that both are rising. He cited estimates of multi-billion-dollar annual damages even in relatively mild recent years and repeated projections that an extreme statewide flood could cause on the order of a trillion dollars in economic losses. \"We're planning for the past. We're not planning for the present, and we sure as heck are not planning for the future,\" Mount said.

Why this matters: Flooding threatens lives, homes, infrastructure and the state economy. Assembly members were told that much of California's built environment sits on flood plains and that social inequities mean lower-income communities are often least able to recover after floods.

Key evidence and analysis

- Mount described four distinct flood modes relevant to California: fluvial (riverine) flooding, pluvial (rainfall-driven) urban flooding, debris flows (rapid water-and-sediment flows that can be lethal) and coastal flooding from storm surge and sea-level rise. He said pluvial and debris-flow damages are major contributors to overall losses.

- He stressed that federal flood mapping and the National Flood Insurance Program are largely calibrated to historical hydrology and thus understate current and future risk. \"All the federal government calculates the so-called hundred year flood is all based on the hydrology of the past,\" Mount said.

- Mount warned of an \"unreliable federal partner\" on some flood-management fronts: forecasting and some federal program functions are being reduced, and federal capital investment has been constrained. He said some federal modeling centers have been downsized and that sustained federal technical capacity is necessary.

- On opportunities Mount and others raised groundwater recharge and aquifer storage as important climate-adaptation tools, but he cautioned that during extremely large storm events the volume that can be diverted to recharge is modest compared with peak flood flows.

Discussion and follow-up directions

Assembly members asked about the practical limits of aquifer recharge during high flows and about where to prioritize investments. Mount and colleagues urged updated statewide planning, more stable funding for flood management, better alignment of land use with flood risk, and a modernized approach to flood mapping that accounts for a nonstationary climate.

Ending

Mount concluded that while the outlook is sobering, improved forecasting, planning and investment can reduce social and economic impacts. He urged the Assembly to treat flood planning as anticipatory policy rather than a response driven by memory of the last disaster.","Researchers told the California State Assembly at an informational hearing that flooding risk across the state is increasing because of climate-driven intensification of atmospheric rivers, current flood planning relies on past hydrology, and federal partners and funding are increasingly unreliable.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Local flood agencies urge steady funding and expanded subvention support to keep levees eligible for federal help

Local leaders describe project barriers: Woodland, Pajaro and coastal valleys seek streamlined permitting and regional solutions

Stormwater advocates push capture, source control and multi-benefit projects as high-return climate investments

DWR and Central Valley Flood Protection Board describe statewide role, liability and 30-year funding need

Experts at Assembly hearing warn California—faces rapidly rising flood risk from stronger storms