Wolk flood protection proposal takes national stage

Fox News reports on Wolk legislation that keep homes out of the "danger zone"

SACRAMENTO–Flood protection legislation by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) took the national stage this afternoon when the Fox News Channel ran a segment on Assembly Bill 1899, Wolk’s legislation to require 200-year flood protection for new housing subdivisions in the Central Valley.

“Today’s Fox News report put a spotlight on the situation in California,” said Wolk. “The report shows that while we invest in our failing levee system, we need to be more cautious about developing in the floodplains. We need to keep Californians out of harm’s way by minimizing the number of people who live at risk.”

Wolk has led the Assembly’s efforts to put together a comprehensive plan to prepare and protect Californians. She is currently carrying three bills to help protect communities and taxpayers’ investment, including AB 1899, the subject of the Fox report.

AB 1899 requires cities and counties to assess their level of flood protection before building, and verify that any area proposed for new housing subdivisions either has or will have at least 200-year protection from flooding. Currently, the state or local flood agencies make most flood management decisions, while cities and counties make floodplain land-use decisions. This disconnect has resulted in dramatic growth in the Central Valley over the last decade and placed countless homes at risk of flooding and human lives in harm's way.

“Bad planning costs the taxpayers money,” said Wolk. “Projections of the state’s liability in the event of a major flood disaster are in the tens of billions. As taxpayers are asked to invest to protect homes and communities that were built in flood zones, they want to be assured that we won’t keep putting people in harm’s way, further exposing state and local budgets to the costs associated with these decisions. Across the country, people are now watching to see what we will do to protect our citizens from the kind of devastation we saw in New Orleans.”

Anchor Shepard Smith introduced the segment, which followed a piece on a hurricane evacuation drill in Texas: Trying to prevent the need for, or eliminate the need, for a mass evacuation-- in California a bill is in the works—one that could stop construction in floodplains near a fragile levee system. But of course there’s controversy. Critics say the plan could kill the local housing market. Claudia Cowan has the news live in San Francisco.

Claudia Cowan: Right now, half a million Californians live in neighborhoods protected by levees, and more are moving into the danger zone everyday. To meet the demands for affordable housing, developers are turning floodplains into vast residential developments. By one estimate, more than 100,000 new homes have already been approved for low-lying central valley. Assemblywoman Lois Wolk says that’s a potentially deadly mistake, and has written a law intended to stop it.

Lois Wolk: I am proposing that when a local government approves housing in an area of high risk for flooding, that the local government require that those homes be protected to the highest standard, to a 200-year level of flood protection. I think that is reasonable and responsible.

Claudia Cowan: In 1997, this flood north of Sacramento killed three people and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, yet 12,000 new homes are being built in the very same area right now. Critics argue that Wolk’s 200-year standard is unrealistic, and if her bill becomes law it will kill desperately needed housing in one of the state’s fastest growing areas.

Tim Coyle with the California Building Industry Association: So yes, more flood protection is a good idea. To pose it overnight is to declare a building moratorium in Sacramento and throughout the region, which makes absolutely no sense.

Claudia Cowan: Assemblywoman Wolk says she’s not asking for a ban, just responsible and safe growth. Her bill could come up for a vote later this spring. But while they’re wrangling over the details at the Capitol, just down the road, heavy spring runoff has rivers running high and some existing levees are barely holding.