Farmers urge funding for flood-control channels

Alfalfa grower Tom Ellis of Grimes, left, and Lu Hintz, manager of Reclamation District 108, hope the Legislature approves proposed state funding for Sacramento River flood-control projects

By Robyn Rominger

Farmers and reclamation district officials hope that money in the proposed state budget that is earmarked for maintaining a key Sacramento River flood-control channel will be approved by the Legislature.

The budget includes $2.6 million to remove built-up sediment and vegetative growth from the Fremont Weir, an 80-year-old structure that diverts river water into the Yolo Bypass.

This action follows the efforts of a coalition of reclamation district officials to secure state funding for maintenance of the Fremont Weir, as well as the Tisdale Weir that shunts water into the Tisdale Bypass in Sutter County. There have also been calls to remove sediment and vegetation in the Sutter Bypass.

Regarding the proposed funding for clearing out the 1.7-mile-long Fremont Weir, Robert Clark, manager of the California Central Valley Flood Control Association, said, "I think it's great. I think there's some recognition now for the need to maintain the floodways better than we have."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger included the money for the Fremont Weir in the proposed 2004-2005 state budget that takes effect on July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year. The budget will be revised in May, before being sent to the state Legislature for approval.

"We're pleased with the steps that the governor has proposed to start doing more maintenance on the project-to protect the integrity of the project works," Clark said.

"The California Farm Bureau.Federation supports the inclusion of these funds in the upcoming budget to catch up on deferred maintenance of the system, and urges the state to diligently pursue all necessary maintenance before we have another 1986- or 1997-scale inundation, with the consequent tragic loss of life and devastating loss of property," said Tony Francois, CFBF director of water resources.

"It is critical for the state to take its maintenance responsibilities seriously in this area of Sacramento Valley flood control," Francois added. "Anyone who knows the history of the valley knows that the river will retake the valley sooner or later unless maintenance of the bypass system is carried out aggressively."

When silt and vegetation build up in a bypass, the flood-control channel becomes shallower and thus has less water-holding capacity. As a result, more water flows down the main part of the river, putting more pressure on the levees downstream, which in turn increases the chance of a levee break.

The state Department of Water Resources is responsible for maintaining the weirs and bypasses.

In terms of the Tisdale Weir, no money was set aside in the proposed budget; however, funding was authorized a few years ago to make improvements at the weir, and that project is moving along, according to a top DWR official.

"We do recognize the importance of Tisdale as well, but given the current fiscal crisis, we had to set some short-term priorities, and so we do not have funding set aside for Tisdale for this funding cycle, nor do we have funding set aside for sediment removal in the Sutter Bypass at this time," said Stein Buer, chief of DWR's Division of Flood Management.

"We will be doing our normal maintenance in all of these areas-vegetation removal-but the sediment removal is a major undertaking for which we do need special funding and project planning and contracting to get that work done," Buer added.

The Tisdale project that was previously funded involves replacing the Garmeyer Bridge, which is at the mouth of the weir.

"That's been a major bottleneck, and that will be the first step to get that bridge enlarged and opened up," said Clark. "It catches trash and it tends to obstruct the weir. It's been considered the highest priority in getting Tisdale fixed.

"That's a joint project with Sutter County," he added. "They're putting up part of the funds for that and the state is going to put up part. That's on track. We hope to get some construction started on that even this year."

Buer said work on the bridge will make a significant difference for Tisdale. He explained that Garmeyer Bridge has several supports that are set relatively close together "and it acts like a big rake in the river-it catches all the debris-and of course that blocks the water that wants to run over the weir. So consequently, by putting in a new bridge, we can provide significant improvements in the functioning of that portion of the system. It doesn't mean we don't want to do the sediment removal as well, but we will do that as soon we get the opportunity to do so."

In a Nov. 25, 2003 letter to California Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman, the flood control association stated that flood-control channels along the Sacramento River were not being properly maintained by the state, which could lead to devastating floods and the loss of human lives. Since the state was neglecting its duty to maintain the flood-control channels, it could be held liable for any flood-related damages, the Sacramento-based association contended.

"The lack of maintenance on the Tisdale and Fremont bypasses exposes the state to a serious potential liability," according to the flood control association. "Information gathered from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins Comprehensive Study and field inspection shows that maintenance of the federal project, which is the responsibility of the State of California, has been severely neglected."

Recently, a state appellate court ruled that the state can be held financially liable for property damage resulting from a levee break. This ruling stemmed from a levee break along the Yuba River in 1986, which flooded property in the community of Linda and may require the state to spend millions of dollars in compensation to property owners.

Farmers living in flood-prone areas expressed their pleasure regarding the governor's proposed flood-control funding.

"I was thrilled with it," said alfalfa grower Tom Ellis of Grimes. "We couldn't even get the former administration to answer the letter, let alone put money in the budget. The fact that they recognized the need was huge."

Buer indicated that Fremont received priority over the other flood-control channels since it is closest to the Sacramento metropolitan area. Nonetheless, the department hopes to make improvements upstream as well.

"I'm thrilled that the administration recognizes how important this is," Buer said. "We really couldn't anticipate that they would open the financial floodgates and do it all at once-it just would not be realistic-so we had to set some priorities, and I think it's a very reasonable approach. Typically, when you have an impacted system, you really have to work from the downstream end on up, and Fremont is in a real critical location. So I think that the priorities are important and I'm confident that the administration will continue to recognize the importance of the system."

Farmers and reclamation district officials living upstream of the Fremont Weir plan to continue their efforts to get funding for the Tisdale Weir and Bypass, and the Sutter Bypass.

While the state is responsible for maintaining the weirs and bypasses, "the local reclamation and levee districts maintain the many miles of project levees bordering the main river channels and much of the bypasses," Clark said. "These levees and the thousands of people they protect are threatened during flood events by the lack of maintenance in keeping the bypass channels open to permit the design flow."

In the event of a levee-break disaster, reclamation district officials are concerned that they could also be held liable.

"The reclamation district maintains the levees, so who is to say where the fault lies?" said Lu Hintz, manager of Reclamation District 108, based in Colusa County.

Visitors to the district's headquarters can look upstream and see Tisdale Weir. When standing by the weir, one can observe the silt bank that has accumulated in the weir and the vegetation that has sprouted from it.

"Unless the water goes out the Tisdale Bypass, it will all come down the river," Hintz said. "We'll see higher levels here and then it puts more pressure on the levees downstream. As a result of that, there's a lot of seepage that comes through the banks that is significant. That seepage doesn't just seep through and evaporate-it gets in our drain and we have to pump that back into the river. So it becomes a burden on the district too, which has to pay the costs of pumping it back into the river. And it's the highest cost at that time because the river is so much higher, so there is more resistance to the pump."

Ellis said he believes the Endangered Species Act is the reason the state has neglected its duties. He said that resource agencies are allowing wetlands to develop in the flood-control channels and then they do not want to disturb the wildlife that moves in, citing the need to protect endangered species that subsequently become established there.

"It seems like species take precedence over humans," Ellis said. "I don't think this is what was intended during the initial ESA efforts in the 1970s."

Ellis said he supports protecting wildlife but not at the expense of human life. He said the implications of clogging the flood-control channels with silt and vegetation are "horrendous" for people who live and work in the flood plain.

Farmers and reclamation district officials are happy that the funding for the Fremont Weir has been included in the proposed state budget; however, they know their work is not over yet.

"We'll have to keep trying to keep the money in the budget," Clark said. "We'll be going to the Legislature, sending letters to let them know this is needed, and we'll certainly go on record as supporting the governor's budget."

Supporters of increased flood-control funding also plan to attend budget hearings at the State Capitol.

"We're going to have to follow the budget hearings very closely," Ellis said. "It's our responsibility now to push it. We may need help from everybody in the area to get this thing done. It's no time for wallflowers."