The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and California Department of Water Resources (DWR) joined forces covering topics from the “California's Flood Future Highlights: Recommendations for Managing the State's Flood Risk” during a technical seminar here at USACE, South Pacific Division Headquarters, San Francisco, Calif., Aug. 22.
The report, prepared by USACE, DWR and various other state agencies, identifies and addresses the barriers to improved flood management. As the first comprehensive look at statewide exposure to flood risk, the report also provides information intended to inform decisions about policies and financial investments to improve public safety, foster environmental stewardship, and support economic stability.
“Flood management in California is challenging because of the number of agencies that have flood management responsibilities,” said Craig Conner, flood risk manager for USACE, San Francisco District. “Out of the 58 counties throughout the state, there are more than 1,300 flood management agencies, so that is one of the major challenges.”
To tackle the information gathering, Connor and Jason Sidley of California DWR, started at the county level by contacting a representative from all 58 counties.
“We really wanted to involve the locals and make sure they knew we were there to listen to them,” said Sidley. “Twelve teams made up of contractors, DWR staff in the regional offices and Corps staff from among the four districts collected information over the course of six weeks.”
After these teams conducted their interviews and understood the opportunities and challenges flood managers around the state face, certain themes surfaced according to Connor; among the most common were funding concerns.
“The trend is with less Federal money available, it is going to take partnerships at the Federal, State and local level to make flood management work in the future,” said Connor. He stressed sufficient and stable investments in flood management must become a public priority.
The Corps and DWR distilled 700 recommendations from local agencies and flood experts down to seven which they advocate in the report. They are as follows:
1. Conduct regional flood risk assessments to better understand statewide flood risks. Connor and Sidley emphasized a strategy of identifying regional flood risk reduction. Local publics must decide the risk they are willing to accept.
2. Increase public and policymaker awareness about flood risk to facilitate informed decisions. Both presenters stressed developing consistent messaging among agencies and making outreach materials available online, more often.
3. Increase support for flood emergency preparedness, response and recovery programs to reduce flood impacts. USACE and DWR recommend increasing partnerships to better provide funding specifically for increased coordination among responders, facility managers, planners, and representatives of state and federal resource agencies to improve readiness.
4. Encourage land use planning practices that reduce the consequences of flooding. There must be better coordination between land use planners and flood managers, recommends Connor.
5. Implement flood management from regional, systemwide and statewide perspective to provide multiple benefits. Linking funding to an Integrated Water Management approach with state and/or federal funds will encourage local agencies to consider prioritizing flood management projects (regional and multi-benefit) based on watersheds.
6. Increase collaboration among public agencies to improve flood management planning, policies and investments. Establish regional working groups to foster efficient permitting, planning, and implementation of flood management projects. Federal, state, and local agencies must work together to develop solutions and work through regional issues.
The California's Flood Future Highlights: Recommendations for Managing the State's Flood Risk is available for download on the USACE South Pacific Division website next to HOT INFO or click: http://www.spd.usace.army.mil/Portals/13/docs/regulatory/publicnotices/PRD_FFR_4-3-13(full).pdf