Atmospheric rivers are here to stay. California must invest in flood protection | Opinion

The past two years have dramatically shown the climate whiplash that California must prepare for. Two years of punishing drought have been followed by a dozen atmospheric rivers blanketing the Sierra Nevada with snow and overtopping our rivers. Homes in Planada, Pajaro, the Tulare Lake Basin and elsewhere have been inundated. Along the San Joaquin River and Cosumnes River, some parts of our districts have also been underwater, and the risk of flooding will extend well into the spring as our record snowpack melts.

We’ve seen more than a billion dollars in flood damage this winter. Yet scientists tell us that floods in the future could be dramatically larger and more deadly. We need major federal, state and local investments to protect our people and economy from those floods. That’s why we’ve introduced Senate Bill 638, a $6 billion bond to fund flood and dam safety investments around the state.

The stakes could not be higher. According to the State’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board, the worst-case Central Valley flood could cause more than $1 trillion in damage. That’s 1,000 times more costly than the current floods. And the risk to lives is even more sobering.

Opinion

The greatest risk may be in the San Joaquin Valley and southern Delta, where future peak flood flows on the San Joaquin River are projected to be up to five times greater than previous estimates as climate change turns our snowpack into a torrent of rain-driven runoff. Stockton, in Senate District 5, faces one of the most serious and growing flood risks in the nation. A big flood there could harm the whole state’s economy by damaging highways, rail lines and critical water infrastructure.

But the truth is that communities across California could be struck by damaging climate-driven floods. As recent floods have shown, the communities most at risk are among our most vulnerable populations.

Fortunately, last December, after years of work, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board adopted a new Central Valley Flood Protection Plan which includes a comprehensive approach by strengthening urban levees, expanding floodways and restoring floodplains to allow floodwaters to spread out, recharge depleted aquifers and revitalize riverside habitats for fish and wildlife.

Californians are famous for fighting over water. But flood policy is an exception to that rule thanks to the collaborative planning effort led by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Department of Water Resources. The new Central Valley Flood Plan and its proposed investments to reduce flood risk enjoy universal support from farmers, developers, cities, counties and environmentalists.

Investments in Central Valley Flood resiliency benefit all Californians. The vast majority of Californians rely on water from the Central Valley’s rivers for at least part of their water supply. Improving levees and expanding floodways will make it easier for reservoir operators to safely balance the competing demands of flood control and water supply. Wider floodways and restored floodplains will recharge depleted aquifers and revitalize fisheries, benefiting every Californian who eats fruits and vegetables grown in the Central Valley or salmon caught off the Pacific Coast.

Revitalized floodplain wetlands and aquifers will help purify drinking water for Californians from Sacramento to San Diego. The Central Valley is home to farm worker communities that put food on our tables. They deserve adequate flood protection and will benefit from the revitalized rivers and new parks the Flood Plan envisions.

Court decisions have determined that the state is legally obligated to provide flood protection for the Central Valley. As a result, all Californians are on the hook for paying for failure of the flood system. Investment in the Central Valley will reduce that liability, while delivering benefits for all Californians.

California has not passed a flood bond since 2006. Scientists, flood planners, communities at risk and Mother Nature are all telling us that it’s time for another.

State Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) represents the 5th Senate District. State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) represents the 6th Senate District.