1. REFERENCE:

 2. PURPOSE: To provide an updated monthly status report for activities during the last 30 days related to levee repairs and non-structural alternatives as required by the above references.

3. U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ACTIONS TAKEN: In response to the December 96 - January 97 flooding situation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assisted State and local authorities in flood fighting while coordinating with other Federal and State agencies on operations of reservoirs to minimize the downstream effects as much as possible. After the December-January floods, the San Francisco and Sacramento District offices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Public Notice for levee rehabilitation assistance under the PL 84-99 program. The Public Notice process was extended until May 10, 1997.

 During the period between the time of the public notice and the floodwaters receding, the districts implemented an interim flood protection plan. The plan provided flood protection for the remainder of the flood season by maximizing the use of reservoirs and completing initial levee rehabilitation. This phase provided for a 25-year level of protection. The District offices are currently conducting field investigations and working on Project Information Reports (PIR’s). Each PIR will address the costs, benefits, environmental assessments, etc. The PIR’s evaluate structural repair of the levee as well as non-structural alternatives. The district will restore a structure’s flood protection to a pre-flood level and return the structure to its pre-flood condition if a non-structural alternative is not identified or agreed upon by the sponsor and the lead agency.

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 The Corps is continuing with the funded studies identified in the previous report. Efforts will continue under Phase III to identify potential NSA’s and to repair damaged structures in accordance with established procedures.

4. OUTREACH: Before the Corps performs a PIR, a field site visit is held with the local flood control sponsor and other agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife

Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, State Fish and Game Agency and other appropriate agencies to investigate the damages and discuss the repairs or potential for a non-structural solution to the damaged levee. The Sacramento District has also hired an Architectural Engineer to assist them in non-structural solutions process. The contractor is tasked with developing a public outreach program. This is also being accomplished in very close coordination with the Corps, Department of Water Resources and the other Federal agencies. For those projects for which a non-structural solution is a possibility, meetings will be conducted first with the potential land owners involved. If the non-structural solution is endorsed by the land owners in the responsible Reclamation District, then a series of follow up meetings will be conducted in a public forum. Congressional interest will be kept informed. Meetings are scheduled for the end of June.

 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along with other Federal agencies participated in the California Governor’s Flood Emergency Action Team (FEAT) process throughout Northern California. These meetings conducted with State and local agencies included discussions of potential non-structural alternatives. The meetings were open to the public and included television news coverage. The Corps continues to have an excellent relationship with the state.

 5. BARRIERS TO NON-STRUCTURAL ALTERNATIVES: The primary barrier in implementing the NSA program is landowners not wanting to sell their land and the time and effort needed to finalize the deal. It is a complex process. Several non-structural alternatives are attainable, but it is a lengthy process and may take several months beyond the November 1997 time period to complete. Actions taken to overcome these barriers are to work hand in hand with the other agencies the State and Local entities. The ITF is identifying strong candidates for this program and is concentrating on completing those projects in the short term. In the long term, which will be over the next several years or more, the Corps, CALFED, DWR and the other key Federal agencies will work together to fully consider relevant options regarding NSAs. In that regard, a Flood Plain Management Working Group was established to address Flood Plain Management activities. Efforts will consider recommendations from the Governor’s FEAT report. See Section 8 of this paper. Funding is also considered a barrier, see Section 6.

6. FUNDING: Funds in the amount of $61,339,000 have been allocated as of

the end of May 1997 for flood fighting and levee repair by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The decrease reflects closeout actions related to flood fight operations. A supplemental appropriation for the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies in the amount of $415,000,000 was passed by the House, the

Senate passed a supplemental appropriation in the amount of $390,000,000. At this time the supplemental is awaiting a action by the President. The ITF Staff Chief has requested all ITF members to identify funding capabilities that can be specifically linked to non-structural alternatives. An initial thrust of this information is provided by enclosure 1.

7. PERSONNEL: There are 77 personnel working on the levee repair and associated restoration effort. There are 71 at the District level, 5 on the ITF Staff and Colonel David E. Peixotto, the ITF Chair at the Division level.

8. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE EFFORT: In an effort to improve Federal flood response and floodplain management in the future, the Clinton Administration challenged Federal agencies to look at non-structural alternatives instead of structural repairs to levee systems. Thus, the Office of Management and Budget in coordination with the Council on Environmental Quality designated the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the lead Federal agency to facilitate this effort. The Corps convened an Interagency Task Force on 3 March 1997 to review floodplain management and procedures for evaluation and review of levee and associated restoration projects. Other members of the task force include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Interior which includes the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey, the Department of Agriculture -- Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Commerce -- National Marine Fisheries Service. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Transportation are not actively participating. State participants include the California Resources Agency, the Department of Water Resources, Reclamation Board and individuals from the CALFED program. 

A formal ITF meeting, conducted on May 6 at the DFO, Mather Field, provided the agencies with updated information relative to the non-structural alternative process. Agency briefings consisted of USACE, FEMA, EPA, BOR, FWS, and NRCS. CALFED gave a presentation on RD 17 and FWS presented the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge expansion project that impacts RD 2100/2102. The Sacramento District, Corps of Engineers discussed in the basin approach method being used and said that out of the 87 sub-basins, there were 65 sub-basins with damages which will require Project Information Reports (PIRs). The ITF Chair tasked the ITF Staff Chief to develop a mechanism for an outreach program and a process to bring all agencies together for future NSAs. This is being achieved in coordination with Sacramento District. Agencies are still struggling with their respective workloads. OMB participated via teleconference. We reminded the agencies that they must become involved early in the process, at the field investigation level if we are going to actively seek non-structural solutions. Agencies within the ITF structure are currently reviewing initial and final reports and working together closely with Federal and State environmental agencies and local officials as well as the CALFED program and the Governor’s Flood Emergency Action Team. While the main focus for non-structural alternatives will be on the Cosumnes and lower San Joaquin Rivers, the ITF is exploring other sites for potential non-structural solutions. The California Department of Water Resources has briefed the ITF on several alternatives to be included in the Governor’s FEAT report.

 ITF staff attended the CALFED Policy Guidance meeting on May 13. At the meeting it was recommended that a sub-group be developed to work on a "White Paper" relative to Flood Plain Management Activities.

 On May 14, a multi-agency sub-group met and crafted a proposal to form a Flood Plain Management Working Group of the Interagency Task Force. The group identified eight critical issues that need addressing to allow for the successful implementation of the flood plain management initiative. A "White Paper" on Flood Plain Management Activities on May 19, developed by the subgroup, was forwarded to all ITF members. On May 27 the sub-group renamed "Flood Plain Management Working Group" met to initiate discussions on the issues identified in the "White Paper". The group received formal concurrence from the entire ITF, June 3, 1997 and work has begun to address the issues identified. The initial effort is focusing on "What will it take to get non-federal sponsors and land owners to wait for a non-structural solution. .". To alleviate concerns three strategies were identified: Temporary Structural Measures, Financial Incentives and Educate/No Further Incentive. During this meeting it was also determined by the attending agencies that an "Outreach Program" would be critical to our success. This is in alignment with the "White Paper". Local sponsors and land owners need to have a better understanding of the process and policy. This would help eliminate some of the negativity that surrounds the non-structural alternative concept. 

On May 29, the Sacramento District, DWR, the Reclamation Board, FWS, BOR, NRCS, CALFED and ITF Staff Chief met to further discuss the strategies on the Outreach Program. The Outreach Program will address activities such as workshops, brochures and other necessary areas determined to be key in our successful execution of non-structural alternatives and long term strategies.

 A formal ITF meeting held on June 3, at the DFO, Mather Field, provided the agencies with updated information on the "White Paper", the Charter and Agency briefings. Overall the agencies had positive feedback on the "White Paper". The Charter has been signed by the agencies. The ITF staff is gathering information on funding availability from the agencies. Emphasis was put on the four candidates for non-structural alternatives. Also, agencies seem to be focusing on long-term solutions. The agencies were reminded to keep in mind the short-term solution with the subgroup following up on the short-term/long-term solutions. The ITF Staff Chief briefed the Commander at South Pacific Division and it was decided that a letter would be prepared for Washington explaining the issues hindering the process. Each agency provided individual briefings and articulated their concerns to date regarding the process. Agencies are still short staffed to accomplish the mission.

The ITF staff at the FEMA Disaster Field Office (DFO) located at Mather Field continues to facilitate activities with the various Federal and State agencies. Over the last month, the ITF staff has facilitated meetings with the ITF membership relating to the working process of the NSA initiative as well as the GIS levee database effort. This ITF staff element will remain in place as long as the DFO is operational.

 9. PROJECT REPORT INFORMATION: There have been ten additional levee project reports finalized with one being evaluated for a non-structural alternative, two project reports that could be considered for NSA under Phase IV. The other seven completed projects will be restored to pre-flood condition. Final memorandums have gone out to the South Pacific Division on seven project reports. The ITF is continuing the process of evaluating all projects for potential non-structural alternatives.

 Since the initial ITF report, twenty seven reports (out of twenty projects) have been circulated to other members of the ITF for review and comment. These twenty seven reports include drafts and finals. There is approximately a 50% to 80 % participation rate from the ITF membership for these reviews. Those agencies actively participating other than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are FEMA, BOR, FWS, NRCS, NMFS, CALFED, DWR and EPA. We have received verbal comments from BLM. Comment sheets for each report are at enclosure 2.

 10. SUMMARY: The ITF continues to provide a forum for those agencies motivated to participate in finding NSAs. There are four likely NSAs being developed. The NSA’s are: 1) RD2100/RD2102 - Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed. With a multi-agency effort whose partners include the National Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Water Resources; 2) RD 2099 - which the Corps and Fish and Wildlife Service have proposed; 3) RD 2124 - where coordination between Bureau of Land Management, the Reclamation District and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers is taking place for the NSA and 4) RD 17 - the Sacramento District in coordination with CALFED is evaluating a potential NSA . See enclosure 3 for a short summary description of these potential NSAs. The ITF’s process now well developed, depends on agency involvement to be successful. We are developing an outreach program to reach out further to the local citizens, landowners and the levee districts in an effort to promote NSAs. The major gains in NSAs will come from the long range efforts and the ITF setting the stage through some successful NSAs, increased public knowledge, and helping establish a favorable mindset. Overall, the ITF process continues to work well.

3 Enclosures DAVID E. PEIXOTTO

COLONEL, U.S. ARMY

INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE CHAIRMAN

Enclosure 1

Enclosure 2 (Attachments to Interagency Task Force)

Enclosure 3

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