California tightens flood plain development laws
Will reform state Reclamation Board and set new standards for urban development
Central Valley Business Times
10/10/2007
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday signed a package of new laws designed to tighten how the state’s flood plains are developed.
The legislative package is supposed to lead to development of a comprehensive Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. It will also reform the Reclamation Board to improve efficiency, require cities and counties to increase consideration of flood risks when making land use decisions and create a new standard in flood protection for urban development in the region.
"I have always said public safety is my number one priority, and the package of bills I am signing today will tremendously strengthen flood protection in California," says Mr. Schwarzenegger.
"California's Central Valley has thousands of miles of levees protecting millions of residents and we expect millions more in the coming decades. We want to make sure the tragedies of Hurricane Katrina do not happen here if there is an earthquake or other natural disaster,” he says.
One of the new laws will establish 200-year flood protection as the standard for urban developments in the Central Valley.
Tougher regulations may be able to prevent future problems, saw lawmakers.
“We know that there currently are plans to site at least 100,000 new homes in areas that were under 10 or 12 feet of water twice in the last 20 years,” says Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. “That’s unacceptable. This package of laws is a 21st Century response to that 21st Century challenge that faces us.”
Ms. Wolk says the laws were developed through three years of debate and that package “is balanced, it emphasizes good planning, it still allows for new housing but housing that is protected.”
The following bills were signed into law:
AB 156 by Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz. It changes various provisions of the Water Code related to operation of the state-federal flood control projects in the Central Valley.
SB 5 by Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden. It requires the Department of Water Resources and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board to prepare and adopt a Central Valley Flood Protection Plan by 2012, and establishes flood protection requirements for local land-use decisions consistent with the Central Valley Protection Plan.
AB 162 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. It requires cities and counties to address flood-related matters in the land use, conservation, safety, and housing elements of their general plans.
SB 17 by Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter. It reforms and renames the Reclamation Board to improve proficiency, and requires development of State Plan of Flood Control for the Central Valley.
AB 70 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento. It provides, generally, that a city or county may be required to contribute a fair and reasonable share of the increased flood liability caused by its unreasonable approval of developments following the failure of a state flood control project.
AB 5 by Assemblywoman Wolk. It makes clarifying and technical changes to the preceding bills.
"Last year, Californians made the commitment to invest nearly $5 billion to secure our levees when we passed Propositions 1E and 84. Today's bills are the next step in ensuring a safe future for our state," says Mr. Schwarzenegger.
