Planning and Environment Committee

Recommendations 14

• R1
  Expansion of the building space is vital as several work areas are crowded and substandard.
• R2
  SBFCA needs to actively look for a permanent ED.
• R3
  SBFCA and SCBOS should carefully consider use of designated Flood Control Funds for purposes other than flood control or levee repairs.
• R4
  SBFCA should carry liability insurance and continue the process of developing and implementing the policies recommended in the Audit findings. RESPONDENTS Sutter Buttes Flood Control Agency Sutter County Board of Supervisors ATTACHMENT A ATTACHMENT B ATTACHMENT C 31
• R5
  The Plan must continue the State practice of paying a higher cost-share for economically disadvantaged communities, such as those within the Sutter Basin.
• R6
  The Plan must acknowledge the State's existing legal obligations for the Sutter Bypass levees and channel, as those facilities provide system-wide benefits. The Plan must therefore provide for significant State investment in those facilities.
• R7
  The Plan must include a State commitment to work with the Agricultural Floodplain Management Alliance (of which SBFCA is a member) to influence Federal floodplain laws and regulations to allow for the continued vitality of agriculture in a FEMA floodplain.
• R8
  The Plan should pursue alternatives to the Corps for Federal participation in funding for flood management projects.
• R9
  The Plan should be responsive and respectful of the tremendous financial commitment made by the Agency's assessment district and the commensurate public support for the SBFCA FRWLP as envisioned prior to issuance of the Plan.
• R10
  The Plan must be built on trust. Trust is built by including a prominent role for local agencies, such as SBFCA, to participate in regional workgroups to develop and influence which projects should be pursued for the region; DWR should fund the activities of these workgroups. DWR must also ensure prompt adoption of new guidelines to fund construction (both urban and rural) for projects to be implemented under the Plan, and must respect the bottom-up process for the development and selection of these projects.
• R11
  Agriculture can provide significant habitat value while still remaining an economically productive use of land and as such is a preferred use of setback and bypass areas.
• R12
  While SBFCA understands the State's desire to add capacity to the State's bypass system, SBFCA has significant concerns regarding the proposed Feather River Bypass (via an expanded Cherokee Canal) because of potential hydraulic, economic, agricultural and environmental impacts. Therefore, before any funds are invested in pursuit of such a project, SBFCA believes that extensive study is needed to justify the benefits of a Feather River Bypass in light of what appear to be massive costs. As a related concept, the Plan should direct DWR to evaluate whether comparable benefits can be attained with changes to the spillway and outlet facilities at Oroville Reservoir (including a raise), such as the DWR's and the CVFPB's implemented plan for Folsom Reservoir. Further, any proposed project must ensure that: (1) impacts to agriculture, businesses, and local tax revenues are fully mitigated; (2) hydraulic and associated risk impacts on the Sutter Bypass levees are fully considered and mitigated, including corresponding rehabilitation or improvements to the east and west levees of the Sutter Bypass; (3) SBFCA is not subject to, or is compensated for, any environmental mitigation that would result; (4) a bypass project does not delay implementation of, or divert funding from, high priority regional projects such as the Feather River West Levee Project and a rural levee program; and (5) the new facility can be maintained (vegetation, sediment, etc.) with a reasonable and identifiable revenue stream in a manner which is greatly improved from current practice. SBFCA has also previously presented DWR with an engineering study which demonstrates the necessity and scope of SBFCA's Feather River West Levee Project whether or not a Cherokee Canal Bypass is constructed.
• R13
  SBFCA understands that the Plan promotes expansion of the Sutter and Yolo Bypasses as a way to provide system-wide benefits. While SBFCA supports the idea of system-wide benefits, before construction of new or widened facilities DWR must ensure that the existing facilities are operated in a manner which maximizes the potential flood protection benefits. This is essential in light of the devastating impact that such expansion can have on local farming operations and the greater local economy. Therefore, any such expansion must ensure that: (1) DWR mitigates any impacts to agriculture, business, and local tax revenues; (2) DWR mitigates hydraulic impacts on adjacent and downstream levees; (3) the projects reflect a minimal local cost-share which is in accord with the State's statutory obligations for those levees; (4) the expanded facility can be maintained (vegetation, sediment, etc.) with a reasonable and identifiable revenue stream; (5) the expanded bypass is still available for sustainable and financially viable agriculture; and (6) bypass expansions should be prioritized so that downstream work occurs first to maximize benefits and minimize hydraulic impacts.
• R14
  The State should prioritize its limited present and future revenues toward physical improvements to the system, rather than costly studies and planning processes. If you have any questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact me or General Counsel Scott Shapiro. Sincerely, Mrs fram Michael Inamine Acting Executive Director Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency [email protected] SBFCA Board of Directors Cc: