Statewide Flood Future Draft Report Released
Spotlights Potential for Catastrophic Flood in California, Need for Increased Cooperation
his week, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released the public review draft of a report developed by the two agencies that spotlights the potential for catastrophic flooding in California – and calls on agencies at every level of government to increase cooperation in order to help improve flood management.
DWR and USACE developed California’s Flood Future: Recommendations for Managing California’s Flood Risk to provide a comprehensive look at statewide exposure to flood risk and to inform local, state, and federal decisions about policies and financial investments to improve flood management.
CSAC and the County Engineers Association of California (CEAC) helped provide information for the report, and commented on early drafts.
Federal, state and local agencies have worked for decades to reduce the risk and consequences of flooding in California, but much more needs to be done. The report notes that one-in-five Californians live in a floodplain and $580 billion in assets are exposed to flood hazards throughout the state. It further finds that every California county has experienced a declared flood disaster in the past 20 years.
DWR and USACE have scheduled a series of informational workshops throughout California to discuss the public review draft, which is now open for a 45-day public comment period. The report, instructions for providing comments and details regarding the workshops are available at www.water.ca.gov/sfmp.